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PARAMOUNT HONORS FRANK J. ZAMBONI WITH A SCHOOL IN HIS NAME
PARAMOUNT, CALIFORNIA (June 9, 2006) – The Paramount Unified School District recently paid tribute to the inventor of the world’s first ice resurfacing machine. The Frank J. Zamboni School, with students attending from kindergarten through the eighth grade, was officially dedicated on June 9, 2006, with many of Frank’s family members (his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, cousins and extended family) on hand.
The event was led by the Paramount Unified School District, with the Superintendent, the Paramount City Council and many other community leaders in attendance. The school is named in memory of the Paramount resident whose innovations brought ice skating to the community and smooth ice to the world. Frank Zamboni came to Paramount in 1920, not knowing that his innovative spirit would change the surface of ice rinks around the world. He engineered and patented a unique ice floor in 1939, and in 1940 he and his brother Lawrence and a cousin opened Iceland in Paramount, California – one of the largest ice rinks in the country with 20,000 square feet of skating surface. Since its opening, Iceland has since been host to millions of skaters, recreational, professional and Olympian alike.
While the engineering and determination which brought Iceland to life was impressive, Frank’s work on his most recognizable accomplishment began after the opening of the ice rink. He realized that to be successful in the ice business, he would need to reduce the amount of time required to resurface the ice sheet. Frank started to experiment with the concept of a machine which would simplify the resurfacing process. After years of effort and numerous attempts, the Zamboni ice resurfacing machine became a working reality and shortly thereafter a necessity at ice arenas around the world. The resulting Model A ice resurfacer was the world’s first self-propelled ice resurfacing machine. This machine was fully restored in 1998 and is on display at Frank’s original ice rink.
Frank had a natural ability with mechanical objects, and although he did not complete his formal education, he received 15 patents during his lifetime. His engineering genius was recognized by Clarkson University in Potsdam, N.Y. on May 15, 1988, when he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering. Frank Zamboni was inducted into the Ice Skating Institute’s Hall of Fame in 1965 and the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in February of 2000 and the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2006.
Frank Zamboni was instrumental in unifying the towns of Hynes and Clearwater as the City of Paramount and lived with his family in the city until he passed away in 1988 at the age of 87.
With a history that spans over 50 years, the Zamboni Company preserves its founder’s legacy through continuing innovation and its support of the ice sport industry. As the leader in ice resurfacing technology, Zamboni remains the overwhelming choice for ice rink operators throughout the world.
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