Birsky-Wyman Field named for two longtime coaches

Together they coached Springfield kids who were crazy about baseball for more than 50 years, and now the town’s baseball field has been named in their honor.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130410/NEWS02/704109959

Article published Apr 10, 2013 Birsky-Wyman Field named for two longtime coaches By Susan Smallheer Staff Writer Rutland Herald SPRINGFIELD — Together they coached Springfield kids who were crazy about baseball for more than 50 years, and now the town’s baseball field has been named in their honor. The Town of Springfield on Monday announced that the baseball field at Riverside Park would be named in honor of longtime coaches, the late Boleslof “Bo” Birsky and Richie Wyman of Springfield. Both men were also longtime teachers in Springfield schools. The Springfield Select Board issued a proclamation in honor of the dedication, which will be capped off with a formal dedication May 11. Wyman, 79, was presented with a copy of the proclamation at the start of Monday night’s Select Board meeting, with a group of friends and family on hand. Birsky, who died in Florida in July 2005 at age 82, had taught math at Riverside Middle School for nearly 50 years, and coached varsity baseball from 1946 until 1974. Succeeding him as varsity coach was Wyman, who coached the Cosmos from 1975 until 1998. Wyman taught at Springfield High School from 1961 to 1999. “Generations of Springfield children have learned how to lead, how to compete, how to win and lose gracefully, how to share and how to represent our town with pride,” said Town Manager Robert Forguites, reading the formal proclamation, written by Linda Rousse, the town’s personnel director. “Coaches Birsky and Wyman taught children perseverance to overcome, determination to attain goals and personal discipline in their choice of education or sport.” “These lessons learned have been carried forward as our children have moved on to colleges or into the working world. As their lives go full circle, those who were taught and coached are now teaching and coaching new generations,” Forguites read. “The town and school district continue to benefit from the contributions of these two respected coaches/teachers.” Andy Bladyka, the town’s parks and recreation director, said Tuesday the idea for naming the varsity baseball field in the former coaches’ honor came from Springfield High School English teacher Ed Wilkins, who said the ballfield was the only field not named in someone’s honor, and that Wyman and Birsky were the obvious choice. Bladyka said that other fields had been named in honor of individuals who either played the sport or contributed to the town, including Gurney Field, the soccer field at Springfield High School, named in honor of the Gurney Brothers Co., which built the field, and Porter Field, the high school’s field hockey field, named in memory of Michelle Porter, a former SHS athlete who died from cancer. Brown Field, the town’s football field at Riverside Park, is named in honor of the family who gave the land for the field, he said. Robinson Field, the softball field at Riverside, is named in honor of Bill Robinson, a super volunteer, who, in Bladyka’s words, did “everything from pick up trash and announce games.” Dressel Gymnasium is named in honor of Curt Dressel, another former, longtime coach, he said. “I played under Richie and Bo Birsky,” said Bladyka, adding that Kristi Morris, the chairman of the Springfield Select Board, was a former junior varsity girls basketball coach, and Larry Partridge, the current varsity baseball coach, were both there. “It was kind of fun to have that whole group there, they’re all tied together, and it’s going full circle,” he said. The formal dedication ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. May 11 at Riverside Park, prior to the Springfield High School varsity baseball game against Windsor.