2009-01-15 01:16:04 -
The Chicago 16" Softball Hall of Fame announced its 13th annual list of inductees and honorees to be honored at the annual dinner. The list includes some of the best male and female athletes in the sport since the 1920s, when the sport began to take off in Chicago.
This year's dinner event will be held at 7
p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Hawthorne Park Race Track in Cicero, Ill. "The voting gets tougher and tougher each year because the competition is so equal, but these stars of Chicago are another superb class to honor," stated Gary Thorsen, president of the Hall of Fame. "Three well-known Chicagoans will be honored: Mike North, Steve Kashul, and restaurateur Rich Melman. We will also recognize Lane Tech high school for winning the public school 16" championships."
Co-founder of the Hall of Fame Al Maag said, "Over 600 people are expected to attend the HOF awards event again at Hawthorne. It is always a wonderful night to congratulate the winners and network with past friends, teammates and competitors. This year we will also describe the excitement of our building and fund-raising activities for the Hall of Fame inductee park and museum at Forest Park ... in fact, we will honor three men who made the site available " Larry Piekarz, Howard Boyd, and Forest Park Mayor Anthony Calderone."
Besides these men, this year's class of inductees includes:
Ben Reilly and Don Magnuson represent the Pioneer era.
Rollo Kuebler represents the 1950-1963 era.
The 1964-79 era will honor two great hitters: Bill Bransfield for the Dwarfs and Jesse Mack of the Tigers and Senators, and one of the most exciting players in that era, the Rogues' Vito Maggerise who passed away in May 2008.
The new 1980-92 inductee is Michael Coleman who played for the Safari Tigers and the B-Athletes.
1993-Current inductees feature a great pitcher, Pat Caputo, and a great hitter, Gary Thorsen, who also has been the president of the Hall of Fame for a decade.
Umpires: Bob Peterson
Holan Award: Wally Kuczwara, a great player and stat man.
Women: Janet Carpenter-Galvin and Popati A. Wing.
Mayor Richard J. Daley Award: Cecil Roderick of Buck's Pit Stop.
Organizer: Bill Kohl and Tom Levar will be honored for their careers of running tournaments at Hawthorne Park and Portage Park, respectively.
Manager: Lettuce manager Rich Melman will be honored. He had managerial records in history with three major national championships, and with the best record ever in the toughest league in past three decades " Mt Prospect.
Media: Mike North and Steve Kashul will be honored for their many years of hosting softball leagues and tourneys on TV.
Wall of Fame: John Lee will be honored for his play and leadership in the '40s and '50s.
Teams: The Safari Tigers were one of best black teams in the history of the sport and came close to winning ASA major national titles. Shinnicks / Bad Attitude was one of the most competitive women's teams in Chicago. The Stooges were one of the best-known neighborhood teams from Broadview who played in numerous Nationals, and captured tournament titles during the '80s and '90s. Chicago and North Western's Railroad team was a superb industrial team who started in the '20s (with the Globetrotter's leader Abe Saperstein at shortstop) and played into the '90s.
A new category has been added: Field of Dreams, which will be given to Mt Prospect for running the best league and investing in tournaments and national events for three decades.
The Chicago 16" Softball Hall of Fame is the premier organization for supporting and recognizing the game of 16" softball since 1996. 16inchsoftballhof.com
Tickets are $60.00 and are available by calling 630-980-1852. Tickets can also be bought at the door for $75; however, advance reservations are preferred.
DEBATMEDIA
Don DeBat, 312-944-1177
www.debatmedia.com
or
Al Maag, 602-363-6038
al.maag@avnet.com 
