Hidden Gems Of Connecticut

STORRS, CT — A campus monument that honors Olympians with ties to the University of Connecticut is the latest Hidden Gem destination.

It is located on The main UConn campus in Storrs, and pays respects to alumni and coaches who have been part of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The monument is located on Hillside Road, just north of the Jonathan statue and across the street from Fairfield Way.

There are about 60 names on the monument from basketball stars like Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi and Rebecca Lobo to coaches like Dee Rowe.

But it's not all about hoop. Track and field stars like hammer thrower Andy Bessette and steeplechase runner Donn Cabral and field hockey legend Tracey Fuchs are also on it.

Names of future Olympians with UConn ties will be added as they qualify for their respective teams.

The concept for the monument came from Bessette, a Class of 1975 member who was on the 1980 United States Olympic Team. Bessette said he saw similar acknowledgements at other college campuses and at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. He then worked with Director of Athletics David Benedict to make the UConn monument a reality.

In coordination with the Division of Athletics, the monument was designed and constructed by the Office of University Planning, Design and Construction – Site Planning & Landscape Architecture.

UConn’s Olympians have won a cumulative 27 gold medals, a silver medal, and seven bronze medals. They have represented 14 different countries and Puerto Rico, and participated in 15 different Olympic and Paralympic sports.

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The Hidden Gems series features out-of-the-way mom and pop restaurants, small specialty stores you may have never heard of, little-known historical markers or beautiful nature spots that may be a bit off the beaten path, all located within Connecticut.

Columns in this series in 2022 include:

• The Mazz Pizza Company Truck
• The "Keyhole" Tunnel
• ANTIQ'S
• Broad Brook Opera House
• Bart's Luncheonette
• Frankies Catering Truck
• Great Captain Island
• The Willington Common Bell
• Chez Ben Canadian Diner
• Farmington Canal Aquaduct
• Grave of Civil War Casualty William Goodell
• Riverfront Park Boathouse
• The Connecticut Freedom Trail
• The David Smith Bridge
• Wadsworth Atheneum
• Southwest Cemetery
• The Polish Plate
• Ferry Grill & Chill

• Osborne Homestead Museum
• Lacrosse Unlimited
• The Holy Land Cross
• Jefferson Fry Co.
• Hartford History Center Suffragist Sculpture
• Windsor Locks Canal Irish Workers Monument
• Utsav Indian Cuisine
• The Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route
• The Rein's Reuben
• Frontier Airlines at Bradley
• Munson's Chocolates
• Connecticut River Valley Wildlife Museum
• LobsterCraft
• Center Springs Park
• MLK Monuments
• The Connecticut Historical Society

Columns in this series from 2021 include:

• The First Decorated Christmas Tree
• Bolton Notch Trail Bridge
• Civil War Drum
• Civil War Powder Keg
• Mile 4, Manchester Road Race
• The West Hartford Armory
• The Capitol's Nooks and Crannies
• Wickham Park Aviary
• 55 West Main, New Britain
• Fox Hopyard Golf Course
• The Dodd Center For Human Rights at UConn
• Manchester Ropes Challenge Course
• 4-H Education Center at Auerfarm
• Fuego Picante Food Truck
• The Amistad
• 9/11 memorials
• Club Champion Golf Fitters
• New England Civil War Museum and Research Center
• Avery's Soda
• Salt 2.0 Restaurant
• The Grave of Jonathan, The Original Husky
• Golden Gavel Auction House
• Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut
• The Cogswell Temperance Fountain
• The Old State House
• BouNom Bakery
• Union Pond Park/Jay Howroyd Fitness Trail
• The Submarine Force Museum/USS Nautilus
• The UConn Dairy Bar
• Grove Hill Cemetery, Vernon
• Backwoods Smokin' BBQ
• The Ranch House
• Connecticut State Police Museum
• Berlin Historic District
• Connecticut Parachutists Skydiving Club
• Tail Winds Ice Cream Shop
• The MLK Mural
• The Hilltop Restaurant and Bar
• Fork & Fire
• Lena's Italian Kitchen
• The Benedict Arnold Trail
• Swank Pearce
• Vernon Depot Historic Park
• Farr's Sporting Goods
• Robs Drivin Diner