Forni Forever: School Dedicates New Field to Recently Departed Teacher

The first retired number at our school was for the legend James Forni. Vincero means “I win” and that is a motto the school proudly represents. Hundreds gathered to honor Forni and remember the man who was a friend to everyone.

   Principal Eric Backman spoke at a home game to retire James Forni’s number on the field. Math teacher Melinda Maderious went to the game and ceremony.

   “I thought it was a really sweet gesture for him and his family. It was a good way to dedicate the new field; it all made sense to do it together. It is nice to have something to remember him by,” said Maderious.

   Before kickoff, Backman talked about Forni’s influence on campus.

  “He was not only one of the best mentors, but a dear friend, and a coach,” said Backman. The retiring of the number four was to honor him and his inspiring values. As Backman spoke of Forni, tears filled his eyes and there were brief moments where he had to pause to collect himself.

   “When in his presence you became a better person. I am a better person because of James. We all have more integrity, self respect, are happier, willing to give someone a second, third and fourth chance, value your opponent, appreciate the day and moment, try again, work harder… we are more courageous because of James. Casa is a better school. Petaluma is a better town. Because of him, we are better human beings,” said Backman.

    Although the varsity team lost the game, senior Frank Gawronski was proud to dedicate the game to his former coach.

   It touched Mary Forni’s heart to see all of the people who gathered to honor her husband.

   “I was completely blown away by the ceremony. It was one example of how James is being honored,” said Forni.

   “The game was huge and coach Forni had a huge impact. [Forni] never made it about himself; even when he was sick, he cared about others. As a coach he didn’t just want to make them better players but wanted to make them better people. He always went above and beyond,” said Gawronski.

   Junior Isaiah Gerber-Kai had Coach Forni as his freshman physical education teacher and was happy to hear about the retiring of his number.

   “They are paying respect to him. In baseball they retired Jackie Robinson’s number: 42. It was a really big deal because it showed that major league baseball actually cared about him. So retiring his number shows that we care about Mr. Forni,” said Gerber-Kai.

   Mary Forni is very appreciative of the kindness she has been shown throughout the years.

   “Looking out and seeing so many people wearing Vinchero shirts, I just feel like the support is overwhelming.It is such a blessing. It brings tears to my eyes to feel the amount of love and support that I have received from the school, from the community, from family. I can not put it into words how much it truly means to me.”

   As the speech was concluding, the crowd wiped their eyes, some embraced others, and then stood up applauding for the person who will never be forgotten.