Dear Global Doo Wop Coalition Music Hall of Fame,

I'd like to thank each and every one of you for the honor bestowed upon my late husband Ronnie I. Ronnie dedicated half of his life to the music he loved and it's wonderful to know that his efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Ronnie never worked a day in his life when it came to this business. He'd awaken every morning looking forward to his day at the shop and the planning of an upcoming UGHA event. Every Monday night he'd head out to the studio to work on the production of a new CD. Even when he was done with a full day's work at the store, he'd come home, have dinner, and retire to the TV room for an evening of sports and a slew of projects he brought home to work on. So yes, one can say Ronnie pretty much worked around the clock and didn't mind it at all.

You see, Ronnie wanted to give back to the vocal groups who brought so much joy to him through their music. He didn't want their sound, their contribution to music history to be forgotten. It was his mission to find and bring back as many of these groups in order to present them and honor them for their music. Many of these groups were at this point considered obscure and thought themselves forgotten. Ronnie wanted them to know that not only were they not forgotten, but their music was appreciated by many...young and old.

This was his mission. To bring back the music of his youth to those who remembered and loved it as he did, and also to introduce it to a newer generation. Most importantly, he wanted to bring back the groups, most of whom relied on Ronnie to get them work. I'll leave you with this example. While at the shop one day, I happen to answer the phone..."Clifton Music, can I help you"...the person on the other end..."Hello? Sandi? It's Rudy. Just calling to see if Ronnie has any work coming up for us." On the other end of that phone call was the legendary Rudy West of the Five Keys. And that is only one example of a day in the life of Ronnie I. and the impact he had on the industry and its groups.

By the way.. Wally Roker,I'm sure you know by now that the Heartbeats were Ronnie's favorite group. Meeting you and having the group honored at UGHA was a dream come true for him. It meant so much..thank you.

He'd be humbled at receiving this award. He was just a regular guy who got to live his dream. I wish he was here to accept it. I wish everyone here tonight would have had the opportunity to know him. Thankfully his spirit will live on through the music he loved so much.

Thank you...from my heart.

Sandra Italiano