Boardman philanthropist donates $50K to A’town schools
Boardman philanthropist donates $50K to A’town schools
AUSTINTOWN — It’s the house that Richard L. Copolla built.
And thanks to a little help from a longtime friend, the Austintown Fitch High School baseball stadium will be named in honor of Copolla, who coached the baseball team for 37 years.
During his time as coach, Copolla helped build the stadium’s dugouts. He also compiled a 453-198 record with his teams winning 13 Steel Valley Conference championships, 11 district titles, four regional titles and four of his teams made it to the state semifinals.
The Austintown Board of Education approved a proposal today to name the stadium for the former coach, who retired in 1996.
“How can it be any better than this?” asked Copolla. “It’s the greatest. To have this honor bestowed, it doesn’t get any better.”
To honor Copolla, a friend for 50 years, Tony Lariccia of Boardman, a local philanthropist and businessman, donated $50,000 to the Falcon Forward Campaign, a newly formed group raising money for the school district’s athletic fields.
For the complete story, see Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.