Alumni Association Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame Induction

On Friday, April 23, 2010, alumni and friends gathered to honor the 2010 Alumni Award Recipients and Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees at the annual Awards Dinner.

This year’s honorees include Norman Hausmann ’54 who was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Service Award, Jack Burriesci 97, recipient of the Young Alumni Award and Mike Ryan ’97, who was honored with Kaiser Alumni Service Award.

The 2010 Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees are Joe DiCosimo ’70, Rick Fusari’70,Charles “CJ” Jones, Jr. ’69, MS’72, Kate Mullen ’78, Brent Rutkowski (posthumously). 

During the evening’s program, each awardee was greeted by University President Jack Miller and Association President, Fred Agee ’80.  Chairperson of the Alumni Sports Committee, Rick Mullins ’84, MSOM ’91 presented the candidates for induction in the Hall of Fame.  Thirty-two members of the Hall of Fame were on hand to welcome this year’s inductees.  

In their acceptance speeches, awardees credited Central with much of their life’s success.  Young Alumni Award Recipient, Jack Burriesci commented “Central means so much to me.  It has provided me with wonderful personal experiences and helped lay the foundation for my professional achievements.” Citing CCSU as important to his success, Burriesci implored the crowd to “continue do our part to support Central.”

Charles “CJ” Jones, Jr., a Hall of Fame Inductee told the crowd, “It is a special feeling to be listed among the greatest sports legends of the university.  To be able to walk into Kaiser Hall and see your name on wall is an indescribable feeling.” Joe DiCosimo, Throughout my athletic and business career, I have been fortunate to have received awards and honors but none can match the honor this University has bestowed on me this night. Well maybe, there is one very important item that can surpass this event and that is the day my wife, Patricia and I were married some 40 years ago this very month.

Chris Galligan, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, who served as emcee for the evening remarked that the 2010 awardees and inductees is a “highly talented and successful group who bring distinction to the University through their achievements.”

Photo gallery of the presentation of awards and inductions, here

Program with awardee biographical sketches, here (pdf)