By Ricky Rieckert
Dear readers,
This week, I am continuing with Sacred Heart Parish in Aurora, and my teenage years.
At age 17, and an East Aurora High School graduate, I began working a full-time job in Aurora.
I was a parishioner at Sacred Heart and became involved with the Holy Name Society which would hold functions to raise money, for charities and help out the Parish. It was a men’s ministry in parishes, that eventually were replaced by Knights of Columbus Parish Councils, or ceased operations.
Meetings were once a month and included a meal, refreshments, and the old timers would play cards, sometimes until midnight. There would be between 30-75 members, in attendance.
I joined with a grade school friend’s older brother, where I enjoyed belonging and helping. From there, I was asked to help at bingo, on Tuesday nights and I worked with the dads of guys I went to grade school with and old timers. I was the youngest, by far.
We would empty trash, check bingo cards, and clean up at the end of the night. Then the whole group of around 10 individuals would have Tombstone Pizza, refreshments, and tell stories on various topics.
Frank Anderson who ran bingo is the father of three girls I went to school with. He said he needed a coach for the fifth and sixth grade basketball team. He eventually convinced me to give it a shot. He went to the first practice with me and helped set everything up. The rest was in my hands.
Truthfully, I wasn’t very good in basketball when I was their age, and wasn’t a great coach, either, but I taught them discipline, to love their mothers and fathers, go to church on Sundays, graduate high school, and be somebody.
Eventually, three of the eight players became police officers, including Alvin Soto, a retired detective and Police Officer of the Year in Aurora, a few years ago. In addition, I coached Reynaldo “Rey-Rey” Rivera, an Aurora police officer, who was the first officer on the scene at the Henry Pratt mass shooting February 15, 2019.
I always wanted one of them to go to the NBA, but, while talking to retired Aurora police officer, Wayne Biles, a few years ago, at the Phoenix Club, he agreed that while that would have been nice, “How many guys can say you coached a guy that was “Policeman of the Year” in the town where you were born and raised.” I told Wayne, I never thought of that before.
I learned a lot from them, as they did from me. I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. We won some games, and people filled the visiting stands to watch Lil’ Alvin dribble under an opponent’s legs and come out on the other side of the player and make a layup.
I was approached on a Thursday night from the principal about two players who couldn’t play on Saturday because of academic problems.
I asked her, “Why didn’t you tell me on Monday?”, I’ll go to their home and tutor them. At the next practice, I told them, “I’m not in this for me, but for the school, and any person that went here. You’re in school to learn, if you need help, I’ll help you, but academics are more important than basketball, and if you’re good, you can do both.”
I never had to tutor them and after that, nobody missed a practice or game. I always told them, that they were the last of a great generation. In the 1980s, drugs and gangs were present in Aurora.
At the time I was coaching basketball, I was asked to be on the school board. I was told I would be good for it. I refused at first, but they convinced me.
One thing I stopped from happening at the time, would have slipped away in a heartbeat, was when Ted Sharpenter, owner of the Old Style beer distributorship passed away, he left $1,000 to every Catholic School in Aurora for athletics.
At a board meeting, members wanted to reallocate the $1,000 to pay heating bills.
I voted against it, because it was earmarked for athletics and would probably never get paid back, by future boards.
After a lengthy discussion, the Board was able to find money somewhere else. It felt good to preserve what Mr. Sharpenter did, from the kindness of his heart and as sports-minded as he was.
At Catholic smoker/stag events, he would always donate a keg of beer. He was a great man. I’ve been friends with his son Rich Sharpenter for more than 45 years now.
Okay, I jumped around, but back to Frank Anderson and bingo. Bingo was adopted by Catholics to offset heating bills around the Parishes. It is gambling, but it was made legal and nobody got paid, not even the person in charge. All volunteers.
At Sacred Heart, bingo was held in the basement of the new school with the overflow going to Simard Hall, to the east of the eastside School playground, where they had helpers and a PA system.
Bingo was always a great time. I stuck with it until Jim Reiland’s father, Ed, passed away. He was always the one who called the bingo ball numbers.
Upon his passing, Frank Anderson, approached me and wanted me to take over for Ed and call the numbers.
I told him no way! I would be afraid of calling a wrong number and the ladies who played bingo would tear me apart.
A couple of the old timers passed away and I didn’t want to call bingo, so I quit going.
I helped with maintenance around the Parish with Dick Groom, who was very talented. He was a Deacon at Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s. I learned a lot from him and hung around with his children through the years.
Have a great week.