By:Laura Mervosh
He served as Central Nassau's chief umpire and a role model for children
At every Central Nassau Athletic Association game for the past 20 years, one thing remained constant: the presence of a gray, diesel utility truck in the parking lot. Pat Volino, the truck owner and Central Nassau's chief umpire, was at every game to ensure that all went well for the children playing his passion, baseball.
"He would visit games every day,just to make sure there weren't any problems," said Steve Sloane, Central Nassau treasurer. "He did it all single-handedly and bent over backwards to make everyone happy."
On January 12, Central Nassau and the Salisbury community lost a dedicated man when Pat Volino died suddenly at age 56. More than 100 family members, friends, elected leaders and Little League baseball players gathered Saturday, May 5, at the Salisbury Baseball Field to honor Volino, a man often referred to as "the mayor of Salisbury." Zaino Nursery of Westbury donated all of the landscaping and prepared the grounds, where a memorial stone was placed as a constant reminder of Pat Volino.
Volino first became involved with Central Nassau in 1958 as a baseball player. After military service, he settled in Westbury. He got involved with the league again when his two sons, Jamie and Joe, played baseball. After his sons outgrew the league, however, he became even more involved.
"If a book were ever written on the growth of Little League over the last 20 years, Pat Volino's contribution would fill several chapters," Ron Landini, Central Nassau president, said at the memorial service.
As chief umpire, Volino made sure there was an umpire at each game, but he also handled any problems that might arise and patiently smoothed over possible administrative nightmares, such as rescheduling of rained-out games. On any given Saturday, he was always the first to arrive and the last to leave in the evening.
In the early 1980s, the league struggled financially. Central Nassau almost folded. Volino was one of the key people involved in restoring the league's fiscal stability.
"When I was president of CNAA in the early '90s, we only had 175 kids," Joe Maccone, a past president, said. "He was one of the people responsible for keeping the league going. We now have over 700 kids playing baseball."
When Salisbury Field was being built, Volino fought to make it a Central Nassau home field.
"Pat and I went to many meetings when they were building Salisbury Field. The East Meadow League wanted that field," Maccone recalled. "Pat kept saying that we really needed the field and that the right thing had to be done."
Volino was also responsible for getting the league's softball program for girls off the ground, as well. Over the years, it has flourished, now boasting as many participants as the boys baseball league.
"Pat even let some of the girl's alumni come back to the league to umpire. He thought that this would help some of the younger girls," Landini said. "The girls are as strong as our boys, and the league is now split 50/50 between them. It wasn't always like this."
Volino's dedication to the Central Nassau Athletic Association was marked by the fact that he continued to work hard for the league even after his own children had left it. "Pat's kids were out of it in 1985. He was there for the children of the community," Maccone said. "He loved working for the children."
This year, to honor Pat Volino, each child and coach will wear a T-shirt with the initials "PV" surrounded by a baseball, which will be etched onto their left sleeves.
"I guarantee that every umpire's shirt we ever make will have a "PV" on it," Landini said. "We are retiring the title of umpire and chief."
A scholarship fund has been set up, in keeping with the Volino's dedication to children. The Pat Volino Memorial Fund will award savings bonds each June to two children, a boy and girl, from the Bowling Green Elementary School, Meadowbrook Elementary School and Clarke Middle School. To qualify, the child must be a Central Nassau member, earn good grades, and be an achomplished physical-education student.
" We will miss the sight of Pat always smiling, helping and giving," Landini said at the memorial service. Maccone added, "But Pat's spirit is right here for the season watching over his children."
Engraved at the bottom of the memorial stone is a phrase that Pat Volino was fond of saying: "Let the children play." Owing in a large part to his efforts, Central Nassau's children will do just that.
