(Above) Phil Reavis Sr. and Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne stand on the newly dedicated Reavis Field. (Above right) Reavis family watches the dedication. (Right) A placard honoring higlights from Reavis’ college career.

A ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for new Philip Reavis Sr. Field at Somerville High School was held on October 19. Somerville native and future Olympian Phil Reavis began making history in the 1950s as a master of the high jump, breaking records at Somerville High School and moving on to Villanova University, where he broke a world record and won the AAU high jump title in 1956. He made the cover of Sports Illustrated in February 1956 as “Villanova’s High-Flying Phil Reavis” before competing in that year’s summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. He went on to give back as a teacher, mentor, family patriarch and public servant.