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WEATHER TONIGHT T-storms early, then cloudy. Low of 51.
The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
— HORACE MANN
www.thewestfieldnews.com
75 cents
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016
VOL. 85 NO. 96
BABE RUTH WORLD SERIES - AUG. 9-19
“It is well to think well; it is divine to act well.”
WESTFIELD STATE UNIVERSITY
Horace Mann Awards presented
Westfield Babe Ruth Baseball League President Dan Welch, left-center, and Westfield Mayor Brian P. Sullivan, right-center, stand alongside Babe Ruth ball players to kick off ticket sales for the 14-Year-Old World Series Aug. 9-19 at Bullens Field. (Photo by Chris Putz)
World Series tickets on sale By CHRIS PUTZ Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Movie goers typically flock to local theatres in the summer time for big-budget flicks with high-octane action sequences. While there will not be anything playing on a big screen at Bullens Field, there figures to be plenty of excitement and fast-moving plays on the big stage as Babe Ruth Baseball 14-year-old ballplayers come from all over the country to participate in the Whip City’s World Series August 9-19, the first this city has ever seen. “We have been known as a baseball community for a long time,” Westfield Mayor Brian P. Sullivan said. “This puts us on another level now … Now we get to showcase this city on a national level.” Mayor Sullivan met with Westfield Babe Ruth Baseball League President Dan Welch, and several current Babe Ruth ballplayers at city hall to help kick off the World Series ticket selling campaign. “We’re looking for people to come out and show their community support,” Mayor Sullivan said. “There’s going to be some really good baseball.” Advance discount tickets are available now through June 30. Tournament passes, good for all 25
World Series games, can be purchased for individuals and families. Individual passes are currently $20 apiece with a family passes priced at $45. A family pass includes access for two adults and up to four children. Beginning July 1, the cost of an individual pass will increase to $25 and a family pass will increase to $60. Children who play Westfield Little League softball or baseball or Babe Ruth baseball and wear their team shirts and/or hats, will have free access to all World Series games To purchase World Series tickets, visit the Westfield Babe Ruth World Series at www.westfieldworldseries.com. Tickets may also be purchased from local Babe Ruth players, as well. Volunteers are still needed for a variety of tasks related to the upcoming World Series. For more info, visit www.westfieldworldseries.com.
WESTFIELD – The Horace Mann Award for Public Service ceremony took place Thursday evening in the Scanlon Banquet Hall on the campus of Westfield State University. The Horace Mann Award for Public Service recognizes individuals who embody the spirit of Horace Mann, a public servant, social reformer and the founder of Westfield State University. Considered by many to be “the Father of American Education,” Mann believed in the power of education to improve society and in the value of community service to change lives. Each recipient’s life service reflects the rich legacy of Horace Mann and the community service traditions of Westfield State University. This year’s Horace Mann Award for Public Service award recipients are Sheridan “Bing” Carey and Lucille Deans Gibbs. Following his graduation, Sheridan “Bing” Carey spent two years in the Navy and earned his M.S. in labor studies from UMass Amherst. He worked for the Massachusetts Teachers Association as a lobbyist for 15 years and then joined Trinity Investment Management of Boston. He is also a member of the Westfield State Foundation Board of Directors. He is a member of the Westfield State University Class of 1965 and has endowed the Carey Family Scholarship for undergraduates in the Westfield State Department of Mathematics. Carey, together with his wife Eileen, donated a piano to the university’s music department. Lucille Deans Gibbs earned her B.S. in education from Westfield State and her master’s and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study from Springfield College. Dedicated to the education field, she taught in the Boston Public Schools, at several Springfield elementary schools, and served as interim administrator of a federal program that encouraged elementary students to discuss racial, ethnic, and social differences. She then worked at Springfield Technical Community College as an academic guidance counselor. Gibbs served as a member of the Westfield State University Board of Trustees, as President of the Westfield State Alumni Association, and as a corporator for
Lucille Dean Gibbs.
(Photo submitted by
Westfield State University)
the Westfield State Foundation. She also held leadership positions for the Urban League Guild, the League of Women Voters, and the Springfield Education Association among others. She is being honored posthumously and her award will be accepted by her daughter Stephanie Gibbs. The Honorable Eduardo Robreno, a member of the Westfield State University Class of 1967, was the featured speaker. Robreno is the first Cuban-American and first Hispanic in Pennsylvania to be appointed a federal judge. He currently serves as a Senior United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Robreno presided over MDL-875 personal injury asbestos litigation, the largest multi-district litigation in the US federal courts. The Horace Mann Award for Public Service event brings together Westfield State leadership including President Ramon S. Torrecilha and Michael Knapik, executive director of Advancement, Alumni, and University Relations and other key members of the community.
The Horace Mann Award for Public Service ceremony took place Thursday evening in the Scanlon Banquet Hall. See additional photos Page 8.
Former city jeweler being held in Enfield on $450,000 bail By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – Scott Marek, a former city jeweler, couldn’t make his court date in Westfield District Court Wednesday because he is incarcerated in Enfield, Connecticut. Marek’s attorney, John Pearson, told Westfield District Court Judge Philip Contant that Marek is being held on high bail on unrelated charges. A clerk at Enfield Superior Court’s Clerk’s Office said Marek is being held on $450,000 cash or surety, meaning he could use a bail bondsman.
The clerk, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Marek’s bail is based on five cases combined, the most recent arrest being April 17 for violating an abuse prevention order. Marek was arrested at 8:47 p.m. and was charged with “violation of a protective order and interfering with an officer,” according to the Enfield Press. Bail for the April 17 only case was set at $250,000, according to the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch website. The site lists 14 separate charges for the five cases covering the period between November 16, 2014 through April 17. For the four cases, bail was
set at $50,000 each. Some of those charges pending include larceny sixth degree, disorderly conduct, possession of a controlled substance and failure to appear, according to the Enfield Superior Court clerk and the judicial branch website. Marek is due back in Enfield Superior Court for a pretrial conference on May 10 for the five cases. Marek Jewelers at 82 Contant said he would hold off until April 30 on Main St. was cleaned out filing a default warrant for Marek’s failure to appear after owner Scott Marek was evicted. November See Jeweler, Page 3 24, 2015. (WNG File photo)