Trustees Name Tennis Complex for Ron Cuppernull
Ronald Cuppernull's legacy in the Huntington School District was always secure, but now his name will be front and center for years to come. The Huntington School Board voted 6-0 to name the high school tennis court complex after the longtime coach who passed away suddenly last October.
A formal naming ceremony is currently being organized for later this spring. It is hoped that many of Mr. Cuppernull's former players can attend. "We will always remember Ron as a class act who gave his students and players everything he had," said Georgia D. McCarthy, district director of athletics. "He was a trusted friend and a valued colleague."
Known for his wit and wisdom, Mr. Cuppernull coached the Blue Devil boys' and girls' varsity tennis teams for decades and was an iconic figure in local sports circles. Born February 10, 1935 in the upstate New York town of Oswego, Ronald Brennen Cuppernull went on to earn three varsity letters with the Brockport State college basketball team.
Shortly after being hired as a Huntington physical education teacher, Mr. Cuppernull began to make his mark. He developed an outstanding basketball team at Robert L. Simpson and later at J. Taylor Finley Junior High School, where he established a close working relationship with fellow teachers Peter Sansiviero, Aaron Littman and Charlotte Coronato. He taught and coached thousands of teenagers over the course of three decades in the district and sent his own children through the district.
The Blue Devil tennis program grew into a force to be reckoned with under the direction of Mr. Cuppernull, a talented player himself, who won his fair share of titles in local competitions. He founded Huntington's girls' program and year-after-year always managed to put a competitive team on the court.
After retiring from teaching in June 1990, Mr. Cuppernull turned over the Huntington girls' program to his junior varsity coach, Jamie Fishlow. He continued to coach the Blue Devils' boys' team through the 1999 season. Several years into his retirement, he returned to the courts for one more season when Mr. Fishlow was in dire need of an assistant coach.
Messrs. Cuppernull and Fishlow maintained a tight bond through the past two decades. Mr. Cuppernull frequently stopped by to see how Huntington was faring and to keep abreast of the team's current players.
"We are looking forward to the naming ceremony as our way of honoring Ron for all he did for the young people of Huntington," Mrs. McCarthy said.