(Updated, May 8, 2023, 4 p.m.) EAST PROVIDENCE — One could say the tennis complex on the new East Providence High School grounds is once again whole after a plaque memorializing the life of former Townie player Scott Gorham was put back in place at the courts during a ceremony Wednesday afternoon, May 3.

Gorham was killed in a car accident on July 26, 1997. He was survived his parents, Ted and Suzanne, and his twin sister, Sarah, all three of whom were in attendance last week along with a host of family members, friends, former classmates, coaches and administrators as well as the 2023 edition of the East Providence High School boys' tennis team.

At the time of his passing, a plaque recognizing the younger Gorham's loss was placed at the old EPHS courts, which sat in front the former Career and Tech Center. When the old school and the surrounding area were razed and graded, it was put into storage with several other pieces of memorabilia.

District Facilities Director Chris Murphy, who came to his post well into the new EPHS project, found the old Gorham memorial to be in disrepair and not worthy of being displayed again. He initiated the exercise of having a new plaque made and putting into place at the new Townie Tennis Center.

Current EPHS principal Bill Black served as master of ceremony for the unveiling, which preceded the Townies' match against East Greenwich. Manny Vinhateiro, the EPHS principal at the time of Scott's untimely passing, offered up remarks as did his tennis coach, Dave Shadrick.

Vinhateiro explained the origins of the old plaque, noting the EPHS community was "devastated by the untimely loss of such a promising young man." He said after some time the idea of a memorial plaque to be installed in the garden adjacent to the tennis courts was proposed. Former EPHS teacher Jim Rose, who still to this day makes awards as side project, created the plaque. He also credited Murphy for taking the initiative to replace the memorial.

In closing, Vinhateiro said, "in true Townie fashion we are here to say to Suzanne, Ted, Sarah and his uncle Sandy—that Townie Pride never sleeps...it is as strong today as ever and the Townie community remembers its past."

Shadrick reflected on knowing Scott both as a tennis player and as a young man.

"We knew Scott both on and off the court. He was a great friend of my daughter Kelley and he was a great friend and teammate of my son Dave. He was special to us. He was at my home all the time," said Shadrick. "And I also knew Scott on the court...that smile. He was full of everything. He was full of life. He was a great athlete. He was a great young man and he was from a great family."

Gorham's presence as a performer and a leader led Shadrick to name him as team captain during his junior, an honor most often bestowed upon a senior.

"Scott just had that quality," Shadrick explained. "People were drawn to him. He became my first and only junior captain, and that was a tribute to him."

Ted Gorham, along with his brother Sandy legendary student-athletes and later coaches at EPHS over the last 50 years, spoke on behalf of the family. He thanked Murphy, Vinhateiro and his wife Stephanie, and Shadrick.

Ted admitted at first to have mixed emotions about the updated plaque and ceremony as it rekindled all of those emotions he and his family have been dealing with for the past almost 26 years.

"This really hit me hard," he said of how he felt upon learning of what was planned. "It took me a few days to absorb it."

Gorham continued of the past quarter century, "I'm astonished by it. I can't believe all of those years have gone by."

Ted said the word that repeatedly came to mind after Scott's death, the emotions and the affect it had on his family was "overwhelming...It's still overwhelming 26 years later to have gone through what we've gone through."

"You don't get over something like this. You simply able to adjust to it," he added, before concluding about the plaque and ceremony, "It's quite an honor. It really is. We thank you. We really appreciate it."

Black closed the event with the following: "As I have heard from a number of friends of Scott’s this week through text messages. The one that stuck with me the most was, 'There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of Scott.' What a great quote about someone who made such an impact on many lives."