Angelo "Sam" Pompei
1918 – 2011

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Angelo "Sam" Pompei, 92, died Sunday in a local nursing home. He was born, to his Italian immigrant parents Sabino and Maria (Rufini) Pompei, at 37 Heywood Avenue in the Deadline Section of West Springfield, and still lived at the same address. He was educated in the public schools of West Springfield and was a 1936 graduate of West Springfield High School. While in High School he served his apprenticeship at the West Springfield News, now The Record; covering both sports and general news beats and became the paper's Sports Editor. After graduating from High School, Sam became a correspondent for the Springfield Daily News and the Sunday Republican Newspaper; covering mostly sports, especially the hockey games at the Eastern States Coliseum for the years 1936 – 1941. Pompei spent almost 5 years in the U.S. Navy during World War II and reached the rank of Gunner's Mate First Class. During his enlistment he was awarded the following medals and ribbons: Asiatic Pacific with seven stars, Presidential Unit Citation with one star, Commendation Ribbon, American Area Ribbon, Victory Medal and the Good Conduct Medal. His Ship; the U.S.S. Converse (DD209), was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 23, which was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for a series of heroic actions in the Solomon Islands Area of the Pacific; under the command of the Legendary Commodore Arliegh Burke, who boldly led the group of naval destroyers which were known as "The Little Beavers". The Converse fought in the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay, The Battle of Cape St. George and the Landings at Guam, Saipan and other Japanese' strongholds. In 1946, he returned from the war and went on to work at the Coliseum in West Springfield as a Rink Hand by day and a Publicity Director by night. In 1948 he joined the Springfield Daily News as a Sports and West Springfield reporter and later became a full-time Sports Writer. In 1957, he and his longtime associate and friend; Jim Regan, were named Co-Sports Editors. They shared this position until Sam retired from the Springfield Newspaper in 1974. He was a former member of the West Springfield Legion Post 207 and the Agawam-West Springfield Lodge of Elks. He was a Charter member of the Springfield Press Club, The Exposition Deadline Gang, a lifetime member of the Dante Club, a communicant of the former St. Ann's Church and a former coach in the Greater Springfield Junior Amateur Hockey League. He also founded and served as President of the U.S.S. Converse and Desron 23 Alumni Association. He was awarded First Honors in Straight-Reporting of College Baseball in America in 1955 by the American College Baseball Coach's Association. He was awarded the John L. Sullivan Appreciation Award in 1971 for his service to youth sports in The Springfield Area. The Matty Ryan Award for service to High School and Youth Hockey was given to him in 1974. IN 1976 he was awarded the Agawam-West Springfield Elks Award for service as a newsman to young Americans. Sam was inducted into the Springfield Hockey Hall of Fame in 1998 in the Builder's Category after his 70-plus years of service to the sport of Hockey which started at the age of 10 as a stick and water boy at the Coliseum where he tended to such future National Hockey League Hall of Famers as Earl Siebert, Ching Johnson, Bill and Bun Cook, Toe Blake, and Frank Boucher. He later went on to write stories about them during his Journalistic career as a Sports Reporter. He recently was inducted for a second time into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Coliseum Rink Rat, making him the only person honored twice. After his retirement from the Springfield Daily News, he contributed many feature and sport stories to the West Springfield Record; where he started his career in Journalism. In addition to his many Journalistic contributions to the West Springfield Record, he also assisted in the publicity offices of the Springfield Indians, Springfield Kings, and the Springfield Falcons Hockey Teams. Mr. Pompei also served on the Springfield Hockey Hall of Fame Election Committee, since it's inception in 1996. Sam's wife Margaret K. (Curtis) Pompei, whom he married April 30, 1945 died in 2005. He is survived by his son Patrick J. Pompei and his wife Midge of Southampton and a daughter Sandra (Pompei) Keyes of Lancaster, PA; seven grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. Besides his parents, he was predeceased by a brother Silvio Pompei and sister Anita Kowalski. The family would like to thank the staff at Country Estates for their excellent care. The funeral will be held at the West Springfield Curran-Jones Funeral Home Thursday at 9:00am with Liturgy in St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church at 10:00am followed by burial in the Massachusetts Veteran's Memorial Cemetery in Agawam. Visiting hours will be held Wednesday from 4:00 – 7:00pm. For online condolences please visit curranjones.com. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Exposition Area Alumni Scholarship Fund P.O. Box 124, West Spfld, MA 01090.