Three to be inducted into Pueblo Hall of Fame 2023 class
The Pueblo Hall of Fame will add some new names this week.
Mike Cafasso, Scott Richards and Ralph Williams will each be inducted into the Pueblo Hall of Fame on Feb. 18 in the Fortino Ballroom at Pueblo Community College as part of the 2023 class.
The Pueblo Hall of Fame, established in 1991, “honors individuals who by their extraordinary effort have contributed to the betterment or enhancement of Pueblo,” according to the Pueblo Community College Foundation.
The trio will join a group of 90 former inductees. Their selections were made by a panel that consists of community members and one PCC trustee and mark the first inductions since 2020, following a hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mike Cafasso honored for leadership of St. Mary Corwin Hospital
Cafasso, the CEO of St. Mary Corwin Hospital, was named Citizen of the Year by the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce in 2018 and has “provided leadership and direction to the hospital and outpatient clinics pertaining to patient care” during his time as CEO, the PCC Foundation said in a news release announcing his selection.
He is a current member of the Pueblo Board of Water Works and was reappointed by Gov. Jared Polis to the Colorado State Fair Board of Authority.
Scott Richards earns posthumous award for preserving Pueblo Community College history
Richards is being honored posthumously. He died of cancer in June 2022 after completing a near 30-year-run as coordinator of media production at Pueblo Community College.
During his time there, he was a “teacher, mentor, friend, writer, producer, director, and purveyor of all things visual,” the foundation said. He also helped broadcast high-profile sporting events at Dutch Clark Stadium such as the Bell Game and CHSAA state championships.
His work helped create “lasting memories and helped preserve Pueblo’s history on screen” and “captured the sights and sounds of a generation of Puebloans,” the foundation said.
Ralph Williams awarded for philanthropy, service
Williams has captured numerous awards during his time in Pueblo, served on multiple advisory boards and is a member of the Pueblo Urban Renewal Authority. He retired in 2020 after 56 years in the insurance industry.
According to the PCC foundation, he helped raise $13 million through the Founding Members of Friends and Football organization to return football, wrestling and women’s track and field to CSU Pueblo. That money also helped build the CSU Pueblo Thunderbowl stadium, which has since hosted NCAA Division II athletics championships.
“Williams has had a tremendous impact in many areas of our community,” Louie Carleo, a friend and business associate, said in the release.
Proceeds from the ceremony benefit the PCC foundation.
For more information about the event, call the Pueblo Community College Foundation at 719.544.0677 or send an email to martha.simmons@pueblocc.edu.
Chieftain reporter Josue Perez can be reached at JHPerez@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @josuepwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Three to be inducted into Pueblo Hall of Fame 2023 class
