By STEVEN JUPITER
PITTSFORD—A cold, gray day couldn’t keep the people of Pittsford from coming out on Saturday to honor two of the town’s most hardworking residents: Randy Adams and Joe Pomykala. The parking lot at Pittsford Rec was at capacity as folks came to witness the dedication of two playing fields to these two gentlemen.
Both Mr. Adams and Mr. Pomykala devoted years of service to the Pittsford Recreation Department, turning it into one of the area’s most admired programs. Mr. Adams was the longtime Rec Director while Mr. Pomykala maintained the immaculate grounds at the Rec facility on Furnace Road.
The dedication began with the National Anthem, sung beautifully by Otter Valley senior Miley Lape, who has become the local go-to girl for the Star-Spangled Banner.
Current Rec Director Liz Alvarado then spoke admiringly of her predecessor, Mr. Adams, and how the decision to dedicate the baseball field to him seemed natural. The field had been called the Pittsford Memorial Field, dedicated to the memory of Bradford A. Holden, Thomas Turner, George Hendee, Doris Wheeler, Paul Wheeler, Joseph Eugair, Helen Pelkey, Josh Erickson, Adam Day, and Ashley Fitzgerald. The plaque in their memory will remain alongside with the new plaque honoring Mr. Adams.
Robert Ketcham took the mic and expressed his thanks for all Mr. Adams did to make Pittsford Rec such a great program.
“It was wonderful to have someone to go to to say ‘what can we do to make things better around here,’” he recalled. And he heaped praise on Mr. Pomykala as well, noting that the Rec grounds were so well maintained “it looks like Fenway Park.”
Brandon Rec Director Bill Moore praised Mr. Adams for his commitment to Pittsford Rec and joked about the friendly rivalry between the neighboring towns.
“It was clear Pittsford Rec was his passion,” Moore said. “Randy gave his life to his town. When he retired, we saw an opportunity to rename the baseball league after him. Baseball was his passion. Thank you for being a mentor to me. Randy and Joe, you guys deserve this.”
Mr. Pomykala himself addressed the crowd, saying that his goal had always been to make Pittsford Rec “a place where people wanted to come back. And we accomplished that. The biggest reward for me was getting the feedback from people that they wanted to return. Coaches want to play here rather than at their own fields.”
Ms. Alvarado then presented two ceremonial plaques to Mr. Adams and Mr. Pomykala, for their personal collections. Permanent plaques have been installed on the baseball field for Mr. Adams and on the softball field for Mr. Pomykala.
Congratulations, gentlemen! Thank you for your years of dedicated service to the town of Pittsford!
Pittsford Rec honors Randy Adams and Joe Pomykala
