Bocce

BERNIE COSTELLO & BOCCE AT DAVENPORT
You may have noticed a plaque that hangs on the tennis court fence facing the middle of the Bocce court which reads:

I have been asked by Past Davenport President Frank Conroy, if I knew Bernie Costello, and just what was his attachment to Bocce that earned him the honor of this plaque. Well, I did not have to delve too deeply into my 45 year memory of Davenport to come up with a treatise on Bernie. He and wife Ramona joined Davenport in the early 80’s. It was during a transitional time for Davenport. Membership was low, budgets were tight and debt was ever escalating. Bernie was an accountant and joined us on the Board. He served as our Treasurer during those lean years. If we needed a dollar out of 99 cents, Bernie was the magician that could do it. Bernie and Ramona were most dedicated Davenporters. Romana operated the family business, a Baskin and Robins ice cream parlor in New Rochelle. They frequently would donate tubs of ice cream to our kid’s events, annual swim team parties, celebrations and the like. Ottavio DeVivo, Patsy Giacomo, Bernie and a few other oldtimers, began to play “lawn bowling” as Bocce was originally callled. They played in the flat lawn area behind the baseball field backstop and the beachfront cabanas.
Believe it or not, Bocce Ball was first documented in a 5,200 B.C. A painting of two boys playing the game is depicted in an Egyptian tomb. In 600 B.C. Bocce was picked up by the Greeks and passed to the Romans. It was played everywhere, from churches and castles to the city streets. People from all walks of life could play the game, young or old, men or women. Greek colonists brought Bocce to modern Italy where it became immensely popular. In 1896, the first Bocce Olympiad was held in Athens Greece. Bocce has been part of the international sports scene ever since. So perhaps the advent of Bocce at Davenport was a natural event.
As we all know, the grassy area where the game was first being played at Davenport was prone to flooding. Ottavio, Bernie and the other bocce aficionados developed a plan and lobbied to create an actual Bocce court where a little used hoeseshoe pit was situated on the side of the tennis courts. Plans were drawn up for a legitimate court. However the cost was prohibitive. Remember, our financial picture was bleak, scheduling a $15,000 bocce court project was pretty far down on the Club’s priority list. Bernie and then President Mike Armiento, implemented some creative financing and managed to scrape up a few thousand dollars. Octavio is a professional woodworker. He, Patsy Giacomo and Bernie, along with Miguel our then resident handyman, actually built the new bocce court. Originally, the base was comprised of red clay which had to be sprinkled frequently with water to keep the dust down. Some 30 years ago, Rob Morgan, a Davenport Member still, and himself a juried artist, was quite inspired by the new red clay court that had just been pocked by a rain shower. He photographed it backed then. Two years ago, Rob came across his old photo of the red court and decided then and there to use it as an inspiration for an oil painting. This painting of the original court hangs in the LaRosa Restaurant in New Rochelle. How’s that for a bit of trivia. A photo of Rob’s painting appears below. The original court has since been converted to a hard green base replacing the original red clay. Once the court was completed and play was inaugurated, the popularity of Bocce at Davenport proliferated like no other activity in its history. Bernie had heath issues that prevented him from engaging in strenuous activities. Bocce was the perfect sport for him, and he loved the game. Bernie was also instrumental in the location and construction of the first beach bar which was located on the side of the snack bar facing the bocce court. Soon after the construction of the new court was completed, our beloved Bernie passed away, and Davenport had indeed lost a true benefactor. As a fitting tribute to Bernie’s involvement in the design, financing and construction of both the bocce court and beach bar, the Board decided to dedicate the new court to Bernie’s memory. “So now you know the rest of the story!”

Respectfully tendered,
Robert J. Mele