OSWEGO – Dedication of the Jack R. Bobbett Memorial Street Hockey Rink took place last night at Shapiro Park in Oswego.
The hockey rink was dedicated to Jack R. Bobbett, an 11-year-old boy who died tragically on July 24, 2019, in the City of Oswego.
“He had a huge heart and lived every moment of his life to the fullest,” said Maureen Bobbett, Jack’s mother.
Jack was an avid hockey player and sports fan, the city wanting to honor his memory by giving his family and the community something near and dear to the young man’s heart, both on and off the ice.
“He was a very well known hockey player; he played for Oswego Minor Hockey, and was also the school announcer at his elementary school at Fitchy [Fitzhugh Park Elementary School] where he was on the speaker every day,” Mayor Billy Barlow said. “And he just had a lot of friends and a lot of supporters in the Oswego community through his sports and just going to school. When he passed away, there was a lot of support, a lot of mourning, and it was truly a loss for the community.”
The idea for naming the park came as the mayor and city counselors looked at ways to improve various recreational areas within the city.
“Around the same time last July, we started identifying projects we wanted to do the next summer, and the street hockey rink was on Councilor Corradino’s to-do list. He kept mentioning to me the need to get this done…so that was really his big push,” Barlow said. “So, we scheduled that to get done this summer and we thought it was appropriate to name it after Jack because he was an avid hockey player, loved sports, [and] had a lot of friends. And we hope that those same friends use the rink that is now named after him.”
“Everything came out perfectly,” Ryan Bobbett, Jack’s father said. “They announced it in March at the State of the City Address, and then at the end of that week, quarantine started, so it’s been a process waiting for it, but I think it all came out very well… I think it’s a great honor for him. It’s hard to find something for all the kids to do outside. I think this is a perfect fit for everybody involved.”
The ceremony ended with a roller-blade hockey game taking place inside the newly dedicated rink, Jacks memorial sign overlooking the doorway leading into the park.
“Jack was an individual that we need more of in Oswego, in this country, in the world right now, quite frankly,” Barlow said. “I’ve never heard anyone say a negative word about him. He was just known as kind and caring and generous; and on the sports side of things, a very hard worker. So that’s why we thought it was appropriate. He was just a great kid and it’s just a big loss for the community.”
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