LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring the 2014 inductees of the Rome Sports
Hall of Fame and Museum

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and pay
tribute to those exemplary athletes, coaches, and administrators who
have distinguished themselves and their schools through outstanding
commitment, attaining unprecedented success and the highest level of
personal achievement; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor the
2014 inductees of the Rome Sports Hall of Fame and Museum; the 38th
Annual Induction Ceremony will take place at the Hall on July 27, 2014;
and
WHEREAS, The six distinguished inductees are: Tom P. Zmudosky, Paul
Adey, Milton J. Burkhart, Derek F. DeCosty, Steven W. Evans, and Marge
Meiss VanSlyke; and
WHEREAS, The late Tom P. Zmudosky established himself as one of the
best high school baseball players to ever come out of the Mohawk Valley,
compiling a 9-1 pitching record and a .390 batting average in his senior
year while earning all-league honors; he would go on to sign a pro base-
ball contract with the Utica Blue Sox, and was drafted by the Oakland
Athletics, spending several years in the minor leagues; after his play-
ing days, he served as a volunteer pitching coach for Smith Post and
participated in numerous baseball clinics; and
WHEREAS, Paul Adey was a three-sport athlete at the Rome Free Academy
High School (RFA) where as a center on the football team he never lost a
game; although a knee injury ended his playing days after high school,
after graduating from Utica College he began teaching and coaching at
RFA; he became the offensive coordinator at Hamilton College where he,
more than three decades later, oversees 17 sports teams as the head
strength and conditioning coach; and
WHEREAS, The late Milton J. Burkhart, one of Rome's all-time leading
golfers, won the City Amateur Golf Tournament as a 17-year-old in 1932,
and earned two more city golf crowns the next two years; after serving
in the United States Army during World War II, he built and operated a
driving range on Oriskany Road and, 20 years later, opened the Oriskany
Hills Golf Course which he and his family operated from 1962 until his
death in 1986; he was also a golf instructor, encouraging youngsters to
take up the game by offering free lessons; and
WHEREAS, Hockey player Derek F. DeCosty is regarded as one of Rome's
most talented players, having led RFA in scoring for two years, and
helping the Black Knights win the New York State Division I championship
during the 1985-86 campaign as a senior; he finished his high school
career with over 60 goals and 60 assists, and earned a full scholarship
to play hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he finished his
career as the school's seventh all-time leading scorer; he then embarked
on a pro career, including five seasons in the East Coast Hockey League,
two years of pro roller hockey, and playing overseas in Great Britain's
Premier League; and
WHEREAS, Steven W. Evans left his mark on the high school level as a
standout basketball player at RFA where, in three years as the starting
point guard, he scored over 1,000 points; this team captain and all-star
honoree was also a gifted baseball player, leading RFA with a .365
batting average in his senior season; he went on to be a four-year
basketball starter for Union College, setting a single-season assist
record; since 2000, he has been head coach at Le Moyne College in Syra-
cuse and, in 2014, the Dolphins reached the NCAA Division II tournament

for the first time in 17 years; he is second on Le Moyne's all-time win
list, and he was at the helm in 2009 when the school upset neighboring
Division I power Syracuse University in an exhibition game; and
WHEREAS, Marge Meiss VanSlyke is credited with helping to push forward
girls sports in the city, having been among the founders of the Rome
Girls Softball Association; in the 1950s, when girls sports in Rome were
still in the building stages, she established herself as one of the
city's top female athletes as a Junior Olympic speed skating champion,
and she played multiple sports during her high school years at a time
when they were available only on a limited basis; after she graduated
from RFA, she played and coached in the Adirondack Softball League,
coached for the Rome Girls Softball Association, and became an avid
bowler; one of the softball fields at the Bell Road complex is named in
her honor and, in 2011, she was named to the Rome Women's Bowling Asso-
ciation Hall of Fame for her contributions as a bowler and league offi-
cial; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor the 2014 inductees of the Rome Sports Hall of Fame and Museum; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the aforementioned honorees.