The Seafood Industry Research Fund (SIRF) will be hosting its annual Gorton Cup hockey game on 12 March in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., in conjunction with the 2023 Seafood Expo North America, as a fundraiser for the Peter Cardone and Stephen Thompson Scholarship Fund.
SIRF provides funding for scientific research projects and studies that benefit the seafood industry. Cumberland Foreside, Maine, U.S.A.-based Jim Bonnvie, one of the game’s organizers, said the game features a “host of industry all-stars” from the United States and Canada.
The game has been played annually for more than 25 years. It will take place at 6 p.m. at the Walter Brown Arena, 285 Babcock St. in Boston
Cardone, the founder of New Hyde Park, New York, U.S.A.-based Harbor Seafood, passed away on 21 August, 2021, at the age of 76.
“The seafood community has lost a pioneer, a leader, and a truly charitable soul,” the late NFI President John Connelly said at the time. “[Cardone] built his vision into a company that sources globally and continues to innovate. He did so while helping others and an industry that he loved. Few NFI members could resist the ‘Cardone Call,’ when he would telephone asking if they [would] support a charitable cause.”
Cardone was a recipient of the NFI Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Those of you that knew Pete understood he was the kind of person who had no agenda, no ulterior motive, and no self-interest,” Harbor Seafood said in a statement. “He took pleasure in helping all of us to grow and succeed, while never seeking praise or anything in return. He was honest, reliable, and dedicated to making other people’s lives truly better. He embodied the true spirit of giving and was known for supporting numerous charitable organizations, such as the March of Dimes and the Joe Namath Foundation. Pete is truly irreplaceable and will be missed dearly.”
Stephen Thompson, Harbor's director of seafood quality assurance, sat on NFI's board of directors. He died on 15 November, 2020, at the age of 67. He was also a member of the NFI Crab Council representing Harbor Seafood, and served on the board of directors of the Seafood Industry Research Fund.
“The seafood community has lost a technical giant and brilliant smile,” Connelly said at the time. “Stephen Thompson was a seafood veteran who could solve any regulation implementation or food safety problem … and do it with wit and good-natured spirit showing through his iconic moustache. He will be sorely missed.”
Photo courtesy of Seafood Industry Research Fund
