New England Pool and Billiard Hall of Fame

T

tom mcgonagle

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This years class is ready to take it's rightful place among the many other to already grace the walls of Snooker's Billiard and Cafe in Providence, Rhode Island.

I'm sure many of you will question why certain players or people that have contributed great things to the game, aren't going in or are not already in. My only answer is, BE PATIENT.

Here is a link that will provide you with more information. Please come out and support this years inductees.

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163193703734710
 
This years class is ready to take it's rightful place among the many other to already grace the walls of Snooker's Billiard and Cafe in Providence, Rhode Island.

I'm sure many of you will question why certain players or people that have contributed great things to the game, aren't going in or are not already in. My only answer is, BE PATIENT.

Here is a link that will provide you with more information. Please come out and support this years inductees.

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163193703734710
 
IT would be nice to see a large gathering for this event. There will be a trick-shot show also. It will feature: Bruce Barthelette, Andy Seigel, and MIke Massey.
 
AtLarge said:
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You do have to be on Facebook to see the Facebook page, even though it is a "public" page. Here is the Snookers web page: http://www.snookersri.com/events.php

Snookers was featured in one of the pool mags a year or so ago as one of the top new rooms in the country. It is a terrific poolroom, and seems to be a model of success, and they have a very nice permanent hall of fame display on the high walls of their main tournament room. They have about 15 tables in total, and a lot of highly competitive talent in there regularly, (including Mike Dechaine, formerly of Maine, who moved to Providence because this is such a great room). They also have a very active sports bar with great food and friendly staff. Ray Macnammara handles the tournaments from a well designed observation booth with projected brackets and a sound system. I was there on a Wednesday night once, and they happened to be having one of their weekly 9-ball tournaments; they had over 50 players on a weeknight!!!

One of the players being inducted this year is the 2006 US National Champion three cushion player, Mazin Shooni. Also Palmer Byrd -- one of the original WPBA founding players. And a few other notables from the New England pool and billiards scene over the years, including me, which I consider to be a heck of an honor.
 
The New England Pool & Billiard Hall of Fame was originally started by the late Ray Dessell and long-time New England champ, Tom McGonagle. It was hosted at Mike X's poolroom in New Bedford Mass until it had to go into storage for a few years after that room changed/closed (I'm not sure of the history of that room). With the new Snookers location in Providence, the room owners, Steve & Regina Goulding incorporated the HOF display into their plans for their main tournament room. As one of the top new poolrooms in the country, it makes a great location for the display.

It was kind of strange for me to be on the "other side" of a Hall of Fame experience -- thank you Tom McGonagle, Steve & Regina Goulding and the NE P&B HOF. I was even on the other side of the camera, because my wife had to take over that job with me up there, but she did alright :)

The permanent display at Snookers Billiards in Providence is pretty darn nice -- they do a little framed collage of photos/ephemera for each inductee along with a really big & beautiful restored antique cue rack that they have converted to hold brass name plaques for the inductees (and for the winners of the weekend's Hall of Fame tournament they host there).

The inductees were an eclectic lot representing everything from table mechanics and league operators to pool and three cushion champions:

Bruce Barthelette
Steve Booth
Palmer Byrd, She started the WPBA
Bob Dennis
Dave Fernandez
Bob Grudzinski
Kevin Kefalas
Mark Kulungian
Kris Landry
Mazin Shooni
Jay Spielberg
Dave Van Lockern

I uploaded a gallery of photos from the inductions here:
http://www.poolinaction.com/NE-Pool-HOF/NE-Pool-Billiards-HOF-2011/16562169_sapuw

1247312073_WCmc8-M.jpg
 
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Thanks to everyone that came to support the game and or friends of an inductee. Special thanks to Jamie Grey, Andy Seigel and Mike Massey for their trick shot show after the show.
 
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Thanks for the info everyone, and the pics are great Steve! Rep to you both.

Congrats to Mazin! And all the others, but I can't believe Palmer Byrd is in New England. I was just talking about her and wondering if she was still around. We played out of the same room in Oak Park, Mi (Cushion & Cue) in the early 70s when I was a young pup and played a couple of times, although I mostly play 3-cushion. Please say hello to her for me, if she even remembers me?

Dave Gross
 
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