Positioned to Succeed
For Jack Piatelli ’86, it all comes down to family.
Family is why, as a high school student, he toured Springfield College (he wanted to be close to hometown in Brookline, Mass., to help out his mother, as his father had recently passed away). Family is what sold him choosing Springfield College and its lacrosse program (the warm, community atmosphere he felt after talking to the players and staff). Family is the word he uses to describe his former teammates, whom he stays in touch with after all these years.
“They’re good people and good role models as parents and husbands,” he said.
When it comes to his own family, lacrosse is one of the ways he stays connected to his three children. His daughter, Julianne, played at Endicott College, while his two sons, John and Brian, currently play at Cornell University.
“It’s not so much that they played the game, the blessing for me is the love and passion they have for the game like I do,” Piatelli said.
With this understanding, it should come as no surprise that family is what led Piatelli to make a $25,000 commitment to the Bugbee Family Pavilion, a multi-use facility being constructed to honor Coach Keith Bugbee and his family. For Piatelli, the importance of family took on a completely new meaning with the untimely and tragic passing of Bugbee’s oldest daughter, Lindsay Bugbee Crosby ’08.
“I’ve had some tragedies in my own life and, with the loss of Lindsay, I felt it was my time to give back to the school because I wouldn’t be in this position that I am in today without Springfield College,” Piatelli said.
Piatelli played for Bugbee when he first became an assistant coach during Piatelli’s first year at Springfield College. The two have kept in touch ever since.
“Not only did he get the most out of you, but he also put you in positions to succeed and knew what your strengths and weaknesses were as a player,” Piatelli said.
Piatelli is just one of the hundreds of players put into a position to succeed by Coach Bugbee during his nearly 40-year career at Springfield College. Dozens more have committed to honoring their coach with a gift to the Bugbee Family Pavilion.
For those looking to make a gift, there will be several naming opportunities at the pavilion, which also will feature a Leadership Wall recognizing donors who pledge a minimum of $2,500, payable over two years.
To learn more about the Bugbee Family Pavilion or how to make a gift, contact the Office of Development staff at (413) 748-3124 or development@springfield.edu.
