Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Bill Gonillo Remembered
I never saw Bill Gonillo on tv. I never got his channel. But I saw him everywhere else. And that made a lasting impression that I will never forget.
Name a big Connecticut sporting event and there would be Bill, camera in hand, smile on his face, making someone, usually everyone laugh. We lost Bill on Sunday. And there will never be another person quite like him.
Some will remember Bill as the Sports Director at News 12. I will remember him as much more. No matter how much sweat was dripping from his face or how tired his shoulder might be from carrying a camera (everywhere), he could share a conversation and make you walk away feeling good about yourself. It was never about him. It was always about everyone else: The athletes he was shooting. The stories he was telling. The laughter he was creating.
On NBC 30 Monday, a place where Bill worked for a time back in the 90's, I said this of him: In a sports world that is becoming increasingly more serious, Bill was serious about covering local sports, but never took himself too seriously.
To me, that will always be one of his lasting legacies. For the type "a's" of the sports world like me, Bill teaches us to stop what we are doing, engage those around us and share a laugh. LIfe really can be that simple. The story we are covering is important, but not as important at that moment as our colleague's story. Bill always had a story. And he always left me smiling.
My last time seeing him was at the Pilot Pen last month. He tried to get in one final question from the back of the room for James Blake, but was promptly cut off by a woman running the tournament. She made it clear, one more question, and in her mind, that one question did not belong to Bill. Meantime, all Bill wanted to know was if Blake was serious about another player doing his laundry. Well, as it turned out, as the news conference ended, Blake looked to the back of the room at Bill and said, "yes, he really does my laundry." We all let out a huge laugh. James Blake didn't make it that funny. But somehow, because it was Bill, we all cracked up. He had that way of keeping the mood light. This week it is somber.
We lost a great person in Bill Gonillo. Connecticut sports will never be the same. No one cared more about the athletes, coaches and teams he covered. No one spent more time on High School sports. And no one could have ever done all that he did while making everyone smile.
I only wish we could have one more laugh.
Name a big Connecticut sporting event and there would be Bill, camera in hand, smile on his face, making someone, usually everyone laugh. We lost Bill on Sunday. And there will never be another person quite like him.
Some will remember Bill as the Sports Director at News 12. I will remember him as much more. No matter how much sweat was dripping from his face or how tired his shoulder might be from carrying a camera (everywhere), he could share a conversation and make you walk away feeling good about yourself. It was never about him. It was always about everyone else: The athletes he was shooting. The stories he was telling. The laughter he was creating.
On NBC 30 Monday, a place where Bill worked for a time back in the 90's, I said this of him: In a sports world that is becoming increasingly more serious, Bill was serious about covering local sports, but never took himself too seriously.
To me, that will always be one of his lasting legacies. For the type "a's" of the sports world like me, Bill teaches us to stop what we are doing, engage those around us and share a laugh. LIfe really can be that simple. The story we are covering is important, but not as important at that moment as our colleague's story. Bill always had a story. And he always left me smiling.
My last time seeing him was at the Pilot Pen last month. He tried to get in one final question from the back of the room for James Blake, but was promptly cut off by a woman running the tournament. She made it clear, one more question, and in her mind, that one question did not belong to Bill. Meantime, all Bill wanted to know was if Blake was serious about another player doing his laundry. Well, as it turned out, as the news conference ended, Blake looked to the back of the room at Bill and said, "yes, he really does my laundry." We all let out a huge laugh. James Blake didn't make it that funny. But somehow, because it was Bill, we all cracked up. He had that way of keeping the mood light. This week it is somber.
We lost a great person in Bill Gonillo. Connecticut sports will never be the same. No one cared more about the athletes, coaches and teams he covered. No one spent more time on High School sports. And no one could have ever done all that he did while making everyone smile.
I only wish we could have one more laugh.
Posted at 8:24 PM by kevin
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