The City has officially dedicated its new Hall of Fame Plaza at the Division Street Entrance to the Derby Greenway. Jack Walsh, chairman of the Greenway Committee, served as master of ceremonies, evoking a sense of pride in seeing the history of one of the country's smallest and oldest cities brought to life through its connection with the Greenway and Hall of Fame. He introduced Mayor Anthony Staffieri, who spoke briefly about the significance of the project and thanked all those who played a role in making it happen. State Representative Linda Gentile brought along the congratulations of the Valley's legislative delegation, which secured funding for the local match of federal funding required to complete the project.

The inductees in the new Hall of Fame were formally announced by members of Venture Crew 1762, Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts were dressed in colonial garb as they worked with the Derby Historical Society. They read the names of the 11 inductees and the inscriptions on each of their bricks. Walsh reported that the full story of the accomplishments of the inductees will be available on the city website.

The Plaza also includes two trees, which are part of a city-wide tree planting program sponsored by individuals, which began a year ago with the installation of trees on Founders Commons.

Walsh then thanked City Engineer Mike Joyce for his design work, R Jaffer Masonry for completing the brick installation, and Alderman Ken Hughes for completing the landscaping. He pointed out that in addition to the Hall of Fame, the plaza includes more than 125 bricks bought by people from as far away as Australia to commemorate their families and ties to Derby. He noted that in addition to the Plaza, the city was also dedicating 13 benches along the trail He urged those in attendance to walk the trail and read the engravings on the benches for the inspiring messages that can be found on them.

Mayor Staffieri and Representative Gentile then cut the ribbon, and the Mayor threw a switch that started the water running through the restored fountain after more than fifty years!

Derby Hall of Fame Dedication

This article was originally posted on ElectronicValley.org by Jack Walsh on an September 1, 2007 and lightly edited in December, 2025 by Kayleigh Mihalko.