A blog on UConn
women's basketball.
The
weekend was supposed to be one of celebration but instead it ended as merely a
reminder of how precious life can be and how quickly it can be taken away.
On Saturday I attended the wedding of a good friend and former co-worker and it
was a thoroughly enjoyable day spent in Litchfield watching
two wonderful people begin the next chapter of their lives. My Sunday
was spent relaxing and drawing such joy from seeing my beloved Tampa Bay
Buccaneers beat
Then a few minutes ago I logged onto the Register's site to update my blog and was stunned by what I saw. The four-word headline
"Sportscaster Gonillo Found Dead" prompted
me to shriek an incredulous "WHAT?" probably to the dismay of my
downstairs neighbors.
I clicked on the link and read the short news story written by the Register's
columnist Dave Solomon who wrote that long-time News12 Sports Director Bill Gonillo was found dead at his home at the age of 44. Even
as I type those words, I find it hard to believe. Bill was the most jovial
person I ever came across in this business, he always
had a playful smirk on his face and would fill a room with laughter (often with
the jokes coming at his own expense).
Make no mistake, our business is competitive. On the UConn
beat, the writers are always trying to top each other, be the first to get the
latest on a UConn recruit,
come up with a different story angle or put together a compelling feature.
During the winter I will spend more time with Rich Elliott of the Connecticut
Post and John Altavilla of the Hartford Courant than
I will with my own co-workers. I still remember attending a farewell bash at
the urging of Rich Elliott's predecessor on the UConn
women's beat. Rachel McLoughlin, who now goes by her
married name of Rachel Rice, was throwing together a party for her roommate and
former Connecticut Post photographer Stacey Porter. I knew only a handful of
people there but Rachel was there with her then-fiancee
Chris and a couple of times when Rachel introduced me to somebody, I jokingly
said I was "Rachel's other fiancee." It got
a good laugh and it was partly true with the exception of the extravagant piece
of jewelry on the third finger of Rachel's left hand - that was most certainly paid
for by Chris.
Rachel and I carpooled to UConn practices and games
and we knew everything that was going on in each other's lives. There is a bond
formed not only with people from your own shop but with those at opposing
papers and media outlets. We take the loss of legends very hard. I still feel
numb when I think of the passing of former Hartford Courant high school sports
editor Bo Kolinsky and more recently a Register icon Tom McCormack was also
taken from us. The loss of Bill will be felt just as heavily by members of the
media across the state.
I can't remember when I first met Bill, but I am sure it was at a high school
football game back in the late 1980s when were were
both just starting out in the business. Over the years, we would also run into
each other at Amity softball games, Brakette games,
the Pilot Pen,
I am sure tributes will be filling the newspapers and airwaves in the coming
days and there will be enough Bill Gonillo stories
circulating to last another 44 years.
All I can say is that the