BINGHAMTON, N.Y.
Reporter Christy O’Neil from WICZ FOX 40 was on hand to interview Rick and Bob and air a feature on the Ely Celebration on the evening news.
Among three other honorees recognized at the fourth “Ely Park Celebrations”, Ricky Mauro, a man who wore many hats throughout his 37 years of contribution to the golf course.
Bob Steiner, who was also honored for his great contributions to Ely Park Golf said, “Ricky came to work for me the very first year and we spent 13 years together here, then after I left, he inherited the job as the golf professional”.
WICZ FOX 40 Reporter Christy O’Neil interviewing Rick Mauro at the Ely Celebration!
Beginning work at 16 years old, Mauro not only learned the ‘ins and outs’ of the golf business’, he reached nearly impossible feats in the sport itself.
“Golf was in my blood, there’s no doubt about it”. “Hey, I golfed from six years old to fifty, how many people can say that?” said Mauro. “I got three consecutive Eagles, now I’ve never heard of that being done and I don’t know if it’s even ever been done…but I did do that and that’s the best achievement I had,” he said.
WICZ FOX 40 Reporter Christy O’Neil interviewing Bob Steiner at the Ely Celebration!
And despite all of his achievements in golf, Mauro says he takes the most pride in his work as a teacher.
“There’s nothing’s better than having a kid come back to you later in life and tell you, you helped them and they thank you for it. That means more to me than any achievements I did… I won my share of tournaments but the kids were the most important thing. I dedicated most of my career to teaching.”
After a cancer diagnosis that led to the loss of a limb in 2011, Mauro hopes now to recover and come back to golf once again.
Quite a few folks came out to celebrate Ely Park on a beautiful sunny morning!
“I’m trying to be able to walk again and hopefully I’ll hit a golf ball again, that’s my goal. I’m driven and as an underdog, I try to overcome. I’m very positive, I always taught the positive and I’m positive I can do it,” he said.
“I fulfilled everything that I wanted to do, the only thing I would’ve liked to have done is teach a little more and if I get healthy enough, I can beat the odds on a few things They’ve read me my last rights several times and I’m still here… and I’m coming back stronger than ever I think.”
With Mauro, three other men were recognized for their contributions to Ely Park: Bob Steiner, Andy Reisetter Sr. and Ronnie Simkulet.
If you’d like to visit the Ely Park Golf Course website, click here: Ely Park
CLICK HERE for the original article by Christy O’Neil on the WICZ FOX 40 Website.
CLICK HERE for “Ely Celebration No. 4 Honors Mauro, Steiner, Simkulet, & Reistetter Sr.
Pictures from the 4th Ely Celebration on August 4, 2017:
Recent Comments