www.berlincitizen.com
Volume 23, Number 33
Thursday, August 19, 2021
Ex-baseball pro DiPietro part of 2021 Hall class
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The Berlin High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held Sunday, Sept. 12 at the Aqua Turf. Leading up to the event, The Citizen is highlighting the accomplishments of the Hall of Fame Class of 2021. This week: Ryan DiPietro. The Berlin Historical Society has added a new piece to its collection, this painting, donated by the Mirante family. In a social media post, the historical society wrote: “Old timers will remember this gas station was at the intersection of Mill Street and Farmington Avenue. You can see the cemetery on the hill behind it. The site is now a small park. The family story is that a man came into the station with the painting, showed it to Mr. Mirante and said it can be yours for $100. Mr. Mirante knew no one else would want it so he offered $10 and the guy said ‘sold.’ Not sure if the story is true. Maybe someone knows more. The artist's signature says ‘J. Ward.’ Joanne Ward, Town Clerk, came to mind, but we don't know if she painted or not.”
A member of the Class of 2002, DiPietro made an immediate impact on the baseball field. As a freshman in 1999, he stepped to the plate in the second round of the CIAC Class L state tournament and homered on the first pitch he saw. That also happened to be his very
first varsity at-bat. The Redcoats went on to claim the Class L crown, and DiPietro was on his way to legend status. “My baseball roots are right here in Berlin,” DiPietro said. “We took pride in the success in town, Little League on up. And that 1999 state title team continued that tradition.” While DiPietro was a fine hitter and centerfielder, he is best known for his work on the mound. The lefty set BHS’s seven-inning strikeout record (17), was 7-0 with a .085 See DiPietro, A2
Feedback sought for Community Wellbeing Survey nity Wellbeing Survey. Survey takers from Siena College Research Institute will be calling residents’ mobile phones this fall to learn
more about individual needs, happiness, and neighborhood-level quality of life. Thousands of randomly-selected residents will be asked to answer
questions that will be used to understand wellbeing in central Connecticut and throughout the state. More than 75 leading foun-
dations, hospitals and local agencies are assisting DataHaven with this effort. “At a time when we are all See Wellbeing, A3
ELECT:
Robert Scalise Probate Judge
District of Berlin Serving Berlin & New Britain Democratic Primary Sept 14th scaliseforprobate.com
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The Community Foundation of Greater New Britain is asking residents to pick up the phone, as regional data collection efforts are underway to develop the 2021 Commu-