By JOHN HOWELL

Tom Lynch got into a bidding war on April 9, 1983.

“The crowd roared at every bid, while urging Lynch and Morretti to keep on bidding,” reported the April 12 edition of the Warwick Beacon. Finally, to the dismay of the crowd, Morretti dropped out of the bidding at $705, giving Lynch the basketball.” Morretti is Joe Morretti and Lynch was a State Senator at the time.

Lynch was in the Beacon office Tuesday with the basketball signed by the 1983 Bishop Hendricken state champs, the very ball he won in the live auction at the sixth annual Epoch. That event raised more than $80,000 for the school. Lynch also brought along a hand knitted blanket in the school’s colors and bearing its crest. That too, was an auction item from the 1983 Epoch. Lynch remembers his high bid was about $400. Now both prizes will be on the auction block again.

Lynch is donating them to this year’s Epoch to be held at McNally Gym at the school on April 30.

“I have such fond memories of that night. I thought I would donate it (the basketball) back,” Lynch said.

Lynch has more than a casual acquaintance with the school. He is a member of the Class of 1964 and both his sons are alumni. Patrick graduated in 1998. He watched the ceremony by satellite TV from a hospital in Seattle, Washington where he was undergoing a bone marrow transplant in a fight for his life. His younger brother, Tim accepted his diploma.

Lynch has always maintained close ties with the school, serving in various capacities and addressing classes about government. Fact is, he would like to go back to the school as a teacher, a quest he intends to explore with Father Robert Marciano, school president and pastor of St. Kevin Church.

Could they afford him?

“I’ll take a dollar,” he says with a smile.

Lynch would like to teach a course in state government, a topic he is well versed in after serving 19 years in the state Senate. There’s a story to the 19 instead of 20 years. One of his reelection campaigns coincided with a redistricting of the district that basically covers Warwick Neck, Oakland Beach and Buttonwoods. The redistricting was challenged and a judge ruled election results invalid and ordered a special election to complete the term. William Pearson won but only served for one year before losing to Lynch in the next general election.

Lynch believes a course in government would bring understanding and generate dialogue.

“We need more moderates in government rather than extremists,” he said. He sees the course as covering constitutional law as well as the practical side of politics such as how to run for office.

Peter Thomas, director of advancement and development at the school who is coordinating this year’s Epoch said this year’s live auction will feature a number of unusual items such as tickets to Fort Lauderdale, a scooter, “cigars under the stars with Fr. Marciano and a week on Nantucket. The Lynchs are making their island home available to the winner.

Thomas said this is the first he’s heard that auction items have made a return appearance. And who knows they could even make a reappearance.

Lunch said if the championship ball and the hand-knitted blanket don’t fetch reasonable prices, he’ll be bidding for them again come April 30.