John R. Branca

John Ralph Branca (July 14, 1924 – July 17, 2010) was an American Democratic politician who was elected to two terms in the New York State Assembly, and was appointed as Chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission in 1983, where he sought to implement changes to enhance the safety of boxers and wrestlers.

Branca was born on July 14, 1924. He grew up in Mount Vernon, New York, where he played baseball with his younger brother Ralph at A. B. Davis High School. In an obituary in The New York Times, his brother Ralph, who played in the major leagues for the Brooklyn Dodgers, said that "He was better than me at that point". He served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After completing his military service he attended New York University where he earned a bachelor's and master's degrees.

He was a coach and teacher at the local high school and served as Mount Vernon's recreation commissioner from 1962 to 1980. In 1962 he was appointed Commissioner of Recreation for the city of Mt. Vernon a position he served for 19 years under five different administrations both Democratic and Republican. As Commissioner, Mr. Branca pioneered the approach of providing needed services and activities for senior citizens, the handicapped and mentally challenged who might have had to seek institutional settings Mr. Branca received national awards for his initiative approach to recreation and programs He greatly expanded and improved the summer youth programs as well athletics and recreation programs. John also over saw the management of Memorial Field the field he played on as a youth, he constructed the first indoor tennis bubble in the state of New York, giving citizens access to tennis 24 hours a day 365 days a year. John also built a one of a kind indoor bocce court at Hartley Park as part of the Senior Citizen Center. John also attracted headliner entertainers to Mt. Vernon such as Bob Hope, The Jackson Five, Pat Cooper and Ella Fitzgerald. Memorial Field was cited as the most active field in New York State by Governor Hugh Carry in the mid 70’s. John also received a Humanitarian Award from the B’Nai B’Rith and was inducted into the Westchester County Sports Hall of Fame in 1977. John served as Secretary of the Executive Committee of New York State Recreation and Parks Society as well as President of the Westchester County Recreation and Park Society. He also served as Chairman of the Budget Committee on Programs and Services for Handicapped in Westchester County. He also served as coordinating council of the Westchester Mental Health Board and task force chairman for the development of recreational facilities for the handicapped.In addition to Commissioner of Recreation, in 1972; John became a Radio Sports Announcer – WVOX broadcasting the Pepsi High school Game of the week: Basketball, Football, Baseball and Hockey.

...
Wikipedia