Heaping Praise On Bill Bruno

Administrators, teachers, secretaries, coaches, fellow athletic directors and others paid tribute to retiring Brick Memorial Athletic Director and Social Studies Supervisor Bill Bruno at Woodlake County Club Tuesday. 

Bruno is ending a 38-year career in education to become an assistant director for the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association where he will handle cross country and track. Speakers, including yours truly, heaped praise on Bruno for his loyalty, dedication and hard work especially during his 13-year tenure in Brick Township.

The words were sincere as Bruno had a great impact on those he worked with and was saluted for his boundless energy. Actually, I said other things about him but I won’t repeat them here.

In addition to his contributions to education and athletics Bruno has been a long-time volunteer with the National Parks Department and is a civil war expert who has taken friends on tours of Gettysburg. Iit’s amazing what you find out at these retirement dinners.   The celebrations are not over as Bill will be honored on Sunday, October 4 in what’s being billed as a quasi-retirement party to be held at the Brick PAL Building on Drum Point Road at 2pm.

For information on that party call Denny D’Andrea at (732) 278-7276.

Belated congratulations to the Donovan Catholic girl’s tennis team as they won the Ocean County Tournament for the first time in school history edging out Toms River South for the championship.  The Griffins winning effort was led by their first doubles team of Angelica Merone and Sara Hohwald as they became the first team from Class B South to claim the county title.  Jamie Breunig of Toms River East coasted to the title at first singles.

When Southern Regional hosted Toms River East on the football field on September 11^th they used the occasion to collect money for the Wounded Warrior Project.  Rams Athletic Director Chuck Donohue Jr. proudly announced they raised $1,354 with a special thanks to both schools and football programs along with parents, students and alumni.  Well done!

To many he is best known for quotes like “it ain’t over ‘till it’s over” and when it comes to choosing a restaurant, “nobody goes there anymore…it’s too crowded.”

But lost in all of that is the fact that Yogi Berra was a great baseball player with the Yankees from 1947-63 winning a record 10 World Series titles along with three MVP awards.  Berra died Tuesday at his New Jersey home at the age of 90 ironically on the date that he made his major league debut 69 years before.  He’s headed to the pearly gates and if he gets lost will take his own advice…”when you come to the fork in the road take it.”