There was a Celebration of Life and Tribute for Edna Fraser, who passed away earlier this spring, on Sunday, June 23. The celebration was held at the Edna L. Fraser Gymnasium at Foran High. It began with a girls’ basketball game.
“The celebration was a great testament to Edna Fraser,” said Fraser protege Julie Johnson, currently the coach of Foran’s volleyball and softball teams. “So many people came out to share stories and remember her passion for athletics and her commitment to keeping Title IX alive. The committee did a fantastic job organizing an event attended by so many of her friends, teammates, colleagues and family members.”
April Hunt, a three-sport athlete at Foran High, was master of ceremonies.
Guest speakers includer Fraser’s great niece Allie Ponzio, Milford Mayor and Foran High alum Ben Blake, Debbie Chin, retired Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation at the University of New Haven, Cindy Hitchcock, President of the CT. Women’s Volleyball Hall of Fame, Dorothy Franco-Reed, a three-sport athlete at Milford High, Susan Hunt Oravetz, a two-sport athlete and former assistant basketball coach at Foran, and Duffy Lynch, a three-sport athlete at Foran. April Hunt read a letter from Fraser’s brother Bob.
Fraser founded the interscholastic athletic program at Foran. She was the Lions’ former volleyball, basketball and softball coach. She guided the 1975 volleyball team to the CIAC Class M state championship.
She received many awards over the years. She was named to the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1986) and received a Gold Key, symbolic of overall athletic achievement, from the Connecticut Sportswriters’ Alliance in 1996.
Fraser was an all-star center fielder and two-time batting champion, as a Raybestos Brakettes softball standout for 12 years from 1953 to 1965.
The Edna L. Fraser Scholarship has been established. For more information, contact Kellie Salito at kelliesalito@aol.com.