Michelle also keeps a collection of some of her dad's photos (one alongside 'Boston Shorty') and magazine articles about his tireless research. I play in Corner Pockets in Plaistow or Jillians in Manchester," she said. "I remember running around the Golden Cue when I was 12," Michelle said. Michelle admitted being bitten by the pool bug that consumed her dad. He was one of the driving forces behind the Merrimack Valley Forty-Fives League. And so will his 45 buddies from the Colonial Lounge," she said.Īnother passion that consumed DeSell was the card game 45's. My father's sisters, some aunts, relatives and a bunch of my friends will be there, too. This is definitely a honor that makes us very proud. And now that he's gone, the award is named after him. It was a big goal for him to win the Sy and Dolly Award. She and her sister, Maree Werner, 34, of Sanford, Maine, intend to be there to accept the award on their father's behalf. "I'm going to get dad's dream fulfilled," said his daughter Michelle DeSell, 30, of Methuen. A group of proud family members intend to be there, too. His close friend George Rippe, the former owner of the Golden Cue, plans to be among local residents turning out for the induction ceremony. Tonight in Providence, there should be reminiscing about DeSell's days running the pool hall in Lawrence. He loved to dig up those old newspaper articles and photographs and bring some of these greats to life. He gathered information on people I never heard of. "I would have been happy with a couple of pictures on the wall," McGonagle said. DeSell contacted McGonagle and asked him if he were serious about the project, then offered his help. McGonagle floated the idea of starting a regional hall of fame in an article he wrote several years ago in the All About Pool magazine. McGonagle also credits DeSell with extensive research, which has led to a permanent display paying tribute to "the who's who" of pool and billiard players in New England. And Ray hounded the New England Sports Museum until they let him in," he said. In his prime, he was one of the top five pool players in the country. champion in three-cushion billiards several times. "'Boston Shorty' was the premier player in New England during the '60s, '70s, and part of the '80s," McGonagle said. The Hall of Fame, which initially was housed in the early years in ACCU-Billards pool hall in New Bedford, now includes 47 members after this year's induction ceremony.ĭeSell's claim to fame in New England pool circles was getting New England pool great Larry "Boston Shorty" Johnson of Somerville into the New England Sports Museum. So, we're honoring him by renaming it to the Ray DeSell and Sy and Dolly Award," he said. I had promised it to him (DeSell) this year because he did so much for the game. "We started that award to give recognition to people who devoted their lives to the game of pool. Open in the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City in the 1980s," McGonagle said of the Eckstadts. "At one time, they were probably the most prominent people in the sport. He did all the work," McGonagle said.ĭeSell, a native Lawrencian who lived in the city most of his life, died last year at age 69 without fulfilling a longtime dream of receiving the Sy and Dolly Award, an honor named after Sy and Dolly Eckstadt, a husband-and-wife team from Connecticut, who were well-known for promoting pool and billiards tournaments. Without him, we wouldn't have what we have today, plain and simple. "He was a more than adequate pool player, but is receiving a lifetime achievement award for his dedication to and promotion for the sports of pool and billiards. "A lot of people didn't know him because he did a lot of things behind the scenes," said Tom McGonagle, 59, of North Billerica, a former city resident who worked with DeSell to establish the Hall of Fame in 1994. in Providence, R.I., where DeSell will be honored posthumously along with 16 other pool and billiard greats from across New England. Tonight, March 12, at 6pm, 300 to 400 people are expected to attend an induction ceremony at Snookers Billiards and Cafe at 53 Ashburton St. The New England Pool and Billiard Hall of Fame he co-founded 16 years ago has established a tournament in his honor and added his name to its annual Sy and Dolly Award. But in death, the one-time manager of the old Lawrence Golden Cue on Hampshire Street is about to become a New England legend of the games he loved. The late Ray DeSell never fancied himself a great pool player.
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