
From the Chairman
Welcome to the Suffield Athletic Hall of Fame web site. Each November since 2002, we have held an Induction Dinner to honor Induction Classes ranging in size from 5 to 12 people. As you read the biographies of individual and team inductees included on this site, it will be clear why they have earned the Hall of Fame designation and what they have contributed to Suffield athletic history.
I’m very proud of, and thankful to, the 23 people of the Hall of Fame Committee who volunteer their time and talent to establish and maintain this wonderful institution. Operating on a philosophy of maximum inclusion, we start the process by asking the public to nominate people who meet certain basic requirements:
- have a clearly defined athletic link to Suffield
- be out of high school at least 5 years
- currently or have been involved in competitive athletics as a player, coach ,working
professional, and/or volunteer
- have made a significant recognizable positive impact in his/her field and/or level of
participation
- have displayed integrity and good character
Since inception, we’ve received about 200 nominations, which identified 90 unique
candidates for admission. Each year the Selection Sub-committee reviews the entire slate of nominees and narrows down the candidate list to 10-15 finalists. The finalists are voted upon by the full HOF Committee and, individuals or teams from this group receiving a two-thirds majority of those present and voting are elected to the Hall of Fame.
As you might imagine, it is a difficult task to establish the group of finalists from so many deserving candidates. Those not selected for the Hall of Fame in a given year are held on file and are automatically considered when the next election is held.
The nomination cycle for the upcoming class gets underway in April. Nomination forms are available from me or any Committee member, or you can make your nominations on-line. Don’t get hung up on whether or not a particular individual has already been nominated. If you feel some one is deserving, nominate that person…having more than one nomination for a given individual is not a problem!
We’d love to hear from you.
Frank A. Beneski, Chairman
Suffield Athletic Hall of Fame |