PRUDENCE PIONEER
Wednesday December 17, 1986
NEWS LOCAL
Memorial Fund Announced for Luciano ‘Ricky’ Pardo
By Brett T. Calhoun
Luciano ‘Ricky’ Pardo, the Prudence Academy basketball star who suffered serious head injuries breaking up a street fight in Allston early on the morning of Sunday October 12, died that day from a cardiac arrest while he was listed in critical condition at the Tufts-New England Medical Center.
Pardo suffered extensive brain damage from a lack of oxygen after he was inadvertently struck in the melee. He then fell backwards and was further injured when the base of his head was impacted on a raised curb.
The entire Prudence Academy basketball team served as pallbearers at the funeral service held October 20 at St. Crispin’s Church in Prudence. Head coach Rod Thomas Smyth delivered a powerful eulogy that served as a rallying cry for this grieving community. Family members estimated that nearly 400 people attended the service.
A memorial and scholarship fund has been established by Mona Pardo for students attending Prudence Academy who have been accepted to attend St. John’s University in New York. Ricky had made verbal commitments to play for the Catholic University’s basketball team this September and was planning to sign a formal letter of intent in November.
Prudence Academy Headmaster Charles LeGrand will administer the fund. He said yesterday that “Ricky encapsulated the spirit of the Leathermen. His hard work and good nature brought out the best in our learning community. His senseless and tragic passing will be felt not only by his senior class, but by generations of Academy students. It’s our mission, the Academy’s mission, to make sure that he will never be forgotten.”
Teammate and fellow class of 87’ member Chap Butler added that Pardo was “A distinguished young man. Someone everybody else looked up to. He was very centered on his success as a student and as an athlete. We could all learn a thing or two about success from him.”
Another teammate, who asked not to be identified, wished “People would remember Ricky this holiday season and give [to the memorial fund] instead of buying more presents that everyone ends up returning to the mall the week after Christmas is over.”
Pardo’s girlfriend at the time of his passing, Rachel Stevens, said yesterday that “Ricky always gave the best of himself. The least he deserves is some good from us. We need to support his mother and his family. The best way to do that right now is to support his scholarship [fund] and make it worthy of his name.”
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