In honor of Black History Month, the Times will be bringing you feature stories over the next few weeks about some people of our past. All stories were compiled by Roberta J. Vincent.

Fredrick Augustine DeBarros

March 7, 1914 – Sept. 8, 2000

Fredrick, known as Freddie, attended NFA; he then worked at Sears in Norwich for many years. After his retirement he was a janitor at Bishop School. Fred was inducted into the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame in 1988 for his basketball and baseball prowess. On that night, Fred stated that he stole a quote from Yogi Berra and “thanked everybody for making this night necessary.”

He was the first Black umpire in eastern Connecticut; a pioneer of the American Softball Association. He is a past president of the Norwich Softball League and played with the Colored Giants and Yergens Baseball Teams.

He played baseball with Martin Dihigo of the New York Cubans. Martin was the first Cuban-born inductee in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and he remains the only person to be inducted into the Baseball Halls of Fame in Cuba, Mexico and the United States.

Freddie also played on championship teams; Colored AC, Paramount Tavern Team, Cips Grinders and Garvey’s Racketeers in the Groton League. He helped coach all-stars of the Norwich League against the World Champion Dow Chemical Team from Midlands, Mich., in the days of fast pitch. In 1957, at the age of 43, he won the batting title while playing for Sears with a .382 average.

Freddie was a member and Elder in the Eastern Pequot Indian Nation; a Lifetime Member of the Sportsmen’s Athletic Club; and a member of the Cape Verdean Santiago Society,

He also was a member of the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame Committee and in the year 2000 was the oldest living member of the American Legion Color Guard. He was an avid Yankees fan.

Freddie was known to amaze us with his astonishing “slide” on the dance floor; he loved all types of music. Fred passed away at the age of 86, leaving a wonderful legacy for his family, friends and the community of Norwich.

Joseph Alexander DeBarros

April 3, 1917 - June 2, 1988

Joe, aka “Gracie,” was in the graduating Class of 1937 at NFA and participated in four years of basketball and track; “N” Club Minstrel, and was athletic editor of the Mirror in his senior year.

From the yearbook: “Flashing along the cinder track, explaining to Mr. Bitgood why he missed that shot, getting caught in any mischief in English class, ‘Gracie’ has won a big place in our liking. Miss Anderson likes to have him wash boards. Mr. Cohen enjoys his legal explanations; Mr. Cranston tells him to chew his gum more artistically, he’s a teacher’s favorite. Miss Coughlin still defends him, even though his excuses were not authentic.” Joe is noted for his “agreeable manners” and his highest ambition was “to break high jump records”

Although they lost to CT State Frosh in track, NFA collected seven first places with two records being broken, as Joe leaped over the bar at 5 feet, 8 inches to set a new school record. Against Chapman Tech, Joe, lithe NFA jumper, established a new school record when he cleared the mark at 5 feet, 9 inches, smashing his own record which he set in the first meet by one inch.

Against CT Interscholastic, the NFA relay team composed of Debarros, Kervin, Pratte and LaBonte unofficially broke the school record.

He served in the U.S. Army, participating in basketball. After WWII, Joe played fast-pitch softball with the Colored AC; winning the league batting title in 1954. He also played for several years with Cips Grinders softball team; in fast pitch. Joe played on various softball teams, such as the New London Colored Elks.

He played with several City League and semi-pro basketball clubs. At the age of 51, he broke an ankle playing softball and his career in athletics was over.

Joe worked at Progressive Pants; then Electric Boat, where he was a foreman in the paint department for 22 years. He ran for the EB Track Team for three years and competed throughout Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

On April 25, 1981, Joe was the trigger man as the USS Submarine Corpus Christi slid into the Thames River at Electric Boat.

Because Joe was considered one of the city’s top athletes in a number of sports, including track, baseball, basketball and softball, he was inducted into the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame on April 29, 1978.

In later years, Joe served as a sheriff in Norwich and also as a monitor on the school bus. He was a member of the American Legion Post #4 Color Guard and a member of the Cape Verdean Santiago Society.

Joe passed away at age 71 in 1988.

Roberta J. Vincent lives in New London, where she is president of the St. Anthony Chapel Foundation. She is also a member of the Norwich Arts Center Board, NFA Alumni Board and Norwich Lions.