Oxford is a little darker place now that it no longer has Andrew ‘Andy? Vascassenno’s smile to brighten it.
But it’s also a much better place because of all the lives he touched and the selfless contributions he made to the community and its youth for more than four decades.
‘We need more Andy Vascassennos in the world,? said Oxford Football Coach Bud Rowley. ‘He was just the kindest, most good-hearted man that you could ever meet in your life.?
‘What a marvelous man he was,? said Helen Smith, a longtime athletic booster, former school board member and 1952 Oxford graduate. ‘He’s the kindest man I ever knew. He was always there to help the kids. He was there to help anybody.?
Vacassenno, a fixture in Oxford sports from 1966 to 2009, passed away on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014, just two days after his 93rd birthday.
‘He was definitely a true Wildcat,? said Paul McDevitt, head coach of the varsity wrestling team and principal of Leonard Elementary. ‘He’ll be missed by many of us in the school community.?
‘No one has done more for Oxford athletics than him,? said former OHS Principal Mike Schweig. ‘They’re not making them like that anymore.?
Vascassenno’s association with Wildcat sports began in the fall of 1966 as a volunteer member of the chain crew at home football games.
Over the next 43 years, he did everything ? literally.
Vascassenno was the football team’s equipment manager, responsible for repairing equipment and transporting it to and from games.
He also helped set up and take down equipment for volleyball matches, basketball games and wrestling meets. At track meets, he served as a judge for the pole vault event.
Many Wildcat fans will remember Vascassenno as the smiling, friendly gentleman who was at the gate or at the door, taking tickets or stamping hands for athletic events.
‘He did so much for so many years,? McDevitt said.
His contributions to the athletic department were immense and immeasurable.
‘He was invaluable,? said Leaton Noftz, Oxford’s athletic director from 1970-92. ‘Anytime you needed him, he was there. I can’t think of anybody that put in more time than he did. He was definitely one of the most loyal people that I ever ran into.?
Noftz could always count on Vascassenno to be exactly where he was needed and get the job done. ‘I never had to worry,? he said. ‘If I was planning on him, I knew he was going to be there. It wasn’t something that he had to do. He didn’t need to show up and take tickets. He didn’t need to show up and help set up for events. But he was always there. I could always depend on him.?
It may sound cliche, but Vascassenno truly did it all for the kids.
‘He loved kids and they loved him. There’s no question about that,? Noftz said. ?(Whenever he was taking tickets), there was always a bunch of kids around Andy, talking to him. He really loved being around the kids and they loved him. He’d do anything for them.?
‘The members of the football team loved him,? Smith said. ‘I don’t know how they could not.?
‘He just wanted to be part of something that was good and solid, and he made it good and solid because he was part of it,? Rowley said.
Vascassenno was Rowley’s right-hand man.
‘No matter what time of day (it was), no matter what we needed to be done, no matter where it was, he did it,? the coach said. ‘Whatever you needed, Andy Vascassenno would accommodate you.?
And he did it without grumbling or uttering a cross word.
‘There was nothing too small or too big for him,? Rowley said. ‘He was the kind of guy that you would want in your corner. Good, bad or indifferent, he would be there.?
To show his appreciation, Rowley would often kiss Vascassenno on the forehead and tell him, ‘You’re worth your weight in gold.?
The relationship between Vascassenno and Rowley went well beyond football. They were close friends, who truly cherished and respected each other.
‘I loved the guy,? Rowley said. ‘He took care of me.?
Rowley said they ‘hit it off? immediately when they met in July 1973.
Vascassenno was the second person Rowley met in Oxford after the district hired him to be a teacher and the junior varsity football coach.
‘He and I just clicked,? Rowley said. ‘I had his back and he had mine.?
‘I’m a lucky guy and one of the biggest reasons I’m a lucky guy is because of Andy Vascassenno,? he added.
That feeling of affection was mutual.
In a September 2010 story in the Leader, Vascassenno praised Rowley.
‘People don’t realize it, but he is a gem and that is what kept me motivated,? Vascassenno was quoted as saying.
Oxford never failed to recognize all that Vascassenno did or show its appreciation for his dedication. In 2003, the now-defunct Oxford-Orion Community Coalition honored him with an Unsung Hero award.
Later that year, he served as the grand marshal for Oxford’s Christmas parade.
In 2008, the Wildcat Athletic Booster Club presented Vascassenno with his very own varsity jacket.
But the ultimate honor came in 2010 when he became a charter member of the OHS Athletic Hall of Fame.
McDevitt will never forget seeing Vascassenno all dressed up with former players and coaches gathered around him, talking, laughing and snapping photos.
‘He just seemed so happy and so proud,? he said.
‘He was a true blue Wildcat and that’s what we need more of in Oxford,? Rowley said. ‘He bled blue and gold.?
McDevitt was always impressed with Vascassenno’s vast knowledge of Oxford sports and his genuine interest in all of them.
‘He would surprise us, as coaches, (with) just how much he would know about this year’s team, the players that were on it and how good you were,? he said. ‘He really knew his Oxford athletics. He was not just a ticket-taker, he was a fan.?
Beyond his involvement with the athletic department, Vascassenno was the sort of guy that people just naturally gravitated toward.
‘It always gave you a warm glow when Andy was around,? Smith said. ‘I always smiled when I saw Andy. That’s the kind of person he was. I always saw him smile, too. I never saw him frown. He was always smiling.?
‘He treated everybody, the first time he met them, like they were his best friend,? Schweig said. ‘He was the goodwill ambassador.?
‘He was always upbeat and he was just a pleasure to be around,? Noftz said. ‘I never heard the man say anything bad about anybody.?
Schweig said he’ll always remember Vascassenno as a ‘true patriot? and ‘a charter member of the Greatest Generation.?
He was referring to Vascassenno’s service during World War II. He was part of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and was one the brave troops who stormed the beach at Normandy on June 6, 1944, a date the world would come to know as D-Day.
Schweig once talked to Vascassenno about his involvement in the invasion of Europe and the humble old veteran told him, ‘I was a lucky one. The real heroes didn’t make it.?
Every year, Vascassenno enjoyed sharing some of his military/war experiences with the fifth-graders at Leonard Elementary, who host an annual Veterans Day celebration.
After the war, Vascassenno, who was a native of Detroit and 1938 graduate of Denby High School, worked at Fischer Body in Pontiac. He married Judy Valentine, of Oxford, in July 1964 at Immanuel Congregational church and soon began working as a custodian for Oxford Schools. He spent more than 20 years with the district and retired as a head custodian in the mid-1980s.
The couple lived in Lakeville for 32 years.
He spent his last years in Lake Orion.