Six individuals and two organizations have been chosen to receive the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame 2023 Larry Ambrosino Unsung Heroes Award.
The six individuals are Richard Gundacker, the late Milt Huttner, John Mattera, Gerry Mosley, Helen Settles, and Robert Smith. The organizations are the Warren Jaques Memorial Committee and Rolling Thunder Chapter 2 New York.
Each will be honored at the Hall of Fame’s Unsung Heroes Breakfast, Saturday, Oct. 21 at Li Greci’s Staaten, 697 Forest Avenue, West Brighton.
The awards were renamed a year ago in honor of the HOF’s former chairman, the late Larry Ambrosino, who originated them in 2005. Since then, the HOF has honored almost 200 individuals and organizations.
In announcing the recipients, current HOF Chairman Tony Santo pointed out that the honorees were being recognized for their community service as well as their contributions to the quality of life on Staten Island.
“Each of these persons and groups has greatly enhanced our borough in many ways, and this is just our way of calling attention to their efforts. Each has made our neighborhood a better place to play, watch and celebrate the accomplishments of our sports community,” Santo said.
Here is a brief summary of each recipient’s contributions.
Richard Gundacker — A legend in the world of Scouting in this borough, Rich has been involved with Troop 37 for the past 41 years. Among his many accomplishments, he has guided 56 Scouts to the rank of Eagle Scout. His personal honors include the National Eagle Scout Award of Merit, the Scouter Key, the Bronze Pelican and the Silver Beaver. An Army veteran, he is a retired NYPD detective who worked with a number of units, including the elite Tactical Patrol Force in all five boroughs.
Milt Huttner — the first person to be honored posthumously, Milt has been called the living embodiment of an Unsung Hero. He preferred to live his life in the background, shunning headlines and recognition for the work he did with hundreds of young boys and men. Without title or fame, he quietly mentored young men, most of them baseball players he came into contact with as assistant coach for the American Legion teams from Huttner-Pasqualini Post (named after his late brother). He counseled athletes for countless hours at a time on the nuances of the game and life, then composed handwritten letters by the hundred to help them get into colleges. He died in 1973.
Gerry Mosley — Gerry is the architect behind Shoot 4 Success Coaching with Character, a highly successful non-profit organization he began in 1997, which has provided a safe haven for hundreds of basketball players on all levels to hone their skills and develop into productive people in society. He has been inducted into the Port Richmond HS Hall of Fame, and for 18 years served as a coach — including nine as head coach — for the College of Staten Island women’s basketball team.
John Mattera — John, who for decades owned Arrochar Pharmacy, a welcoming neighborhood business that doubled as a hub for various Island sports groups, has been the president of the Staten Island Baseball Oldtimers organization since 2009. John has seen to it that SIBO, which has supported youth and high school baseball in this borough for almost 60 years, continues to thrive. Under his leadership, SIBO has maintained its high standard of community involvement while each season acknowledging and rewarding the outstanding high school baseball players in the borough.
Robert Smith — Robert has spent nearly 30 years volunteering for charitable causes on the Island, most notably with the CYO track and field program, and especially at St. Joseph-St. Thomas. Prior to his work with the track program, which began in 1995, he was an assistant soccer coach, a coach in the basketball program and basketball program treasurer for eight years. In addition to those posts, he has served on the parish sports council, and headed the parish Holy Name Society. For the past 10 years he has served as the President of the SI CYO track and field/cross country league. He was the recipient of the CYO Outstanding Contributor Award in 2017 and SITRAC community service award in 2019.
Helen Settles — Helen has long been involved with the youth of Staten Island, especially on the North Shore. An integral part of many organizations, including the NAACP, the Special Olympics, Project Hospitality, the Universal Temple of the Arts and Seniors of the North Shore, she has brought her passion and energy to each group. In addition, the retired educator has coached basketball for more than five decades, and this year received the prestigious Jr. Knicks Coach of the Year Award from the Hospital for Special Surgery.
The Warren Jaques Memorial Committee — The group, which this year celebrated its 75th anniversary, has been educating and advocating for the advancement of the Staten Island athletic community since 1948. Among its many achievements each year is the presentation of the Singleton Basketball Trophy to the Island’s basketball champion team and the Warren Jaques Award to the top male and female high school players.
Rolling Thunder Chapter 2 NY — Although its major function has been to publicize the POW-MIA issue by educating the public about those men and women, the group has come to be equally well known for its many charitable works and events. The Staten Island Chapter of the national organization includes, but is not limited to, veterans — many of whom ride motorcycles. The group was honored with the prestigious Albert V. Maniscalco Award in 2020. Named after the former borough president, the award celebrates “the civic mindedness and tireless energy of individuals and organizations that work to help community members in need and make SI a better place to live.”
For further information, purchase tickets for the event ($85) or take out an ad in the commemorative journal, please contact either of the events’ co-chairs: Lou Bergonzi (lbergonzi@verizon.net) or Derek Alvez (dalvez11@gmail.com).
