NJSHPA  INSTITUTES  STATE  HALL  OF  FAME

The presentation and induction ceremony took place at our annual State dinner. The following presentation speech was made by our moderator, Art Scolari:

"Success and achievement has never meant to me a large bank account or a lot of ringers. It's something more than that; it's your relationship to your fellow man, how you play the game- how you encourage others to learn, love and live.
And, when you set up that kind of live equation-and, when your Hall of Fame Committee sought "The Horseshoe Man" of this state to honor as the first inductee to it's "Hall of Fame" , they did not seek nor did they select
                        - the first State Champ nor
                         -the winner of more State Championships than anyone else nor
                        - the youngest champion, nor
                         -the record holder of the highest game or highest tournament average"

But they sought that man who for forty years was equally at ease with a shoe or a shovel, or a pitch and a pencil
                         -that man who formed, nurtured and pitched in the horseshoe leagues of the thirties
                         -that man who kept the game alive and vital during the war years of the forties
                         -that man who picked up the loose ends and promoted the game in the State back to health and expansion in the fifties
                          -that man who with so many of you in this room worked so hard in the sixties to expand the game on the State level,                                                culminating with your 1971 World Championship at Middlesex
                         -that man who built or caused to be built, more horseshoe courts in the State than any one or group of men
                         -that man who spent more hours with beginners than all of us put together, teaching, talking and encouraging
                         -that man who enjoyed the right blend of strength and kindness and used it to his personal hardship and to the benefit of                            the community of this State
                         -that man who helped me personally to grow into manhood and whose kindness, guidance and attention to the youth of                            this State in the thirties and forties, is an immeasurable factor and whose influence is incalculable.
                            
There are now, and there have been in the past, so many of us in the last forty years who have and still can, whomp him on the courts- but your Committee was hard pressed to find anyone in the State who did not pale in his shadow.
                             
He has cast in his lifetime  his shadow across the game in this State that will be long remembered and hopefully, never forgotten.
                             
It is for these many reasons expressed and so many more that time does not permit recounting or relating that your Hall of Fame Committee has chosen to honor as their first and only inductee for this year, our dear friend:  PAUL PUGLISE

Tonight, the NJSHPA officially opens its doors to it's “Hall of Fame" and I've been privileged and honored by your Hall of Fame Committee to make the opening address and first induction.
                    
Let me first introduce to you the members of the Hall of Fame Committee:
                                       PHIL ZOZZARO- your association President for the last three years.
                                       HARRY SCHMIDT- the veteran Jersey City Flash, who feels that the more horseshoes you throw, the greater                                             are your chances of making a ringer.
                                       BILL KOLB- a stellar performer in and out of the State for almost forty years, the recent winner of the Class D                                            World Championship
                                       SOL BERMAN- another stellar performer for the last thirty years years and the best horseshoe pitching                                                      pediatrician in the world.
                     
Your committee advises me that the concept and philosophy of nomination and election to the Hall of Fame is not and will not be to merely honor excellence in performances, but also dedication and contribution to the game, not just in pitching but also pitching-in.
                     
We are proud of our Paul Puglise, and would appreciate the use of your magazine to further herald his achievements and perhaps inspire others to strive to equal his accomplishments.