To anyone who’s followed local sports over the years, the names B.J. Surhoff, Art Monk and Saniya Chong are legendary.
Surhoff, a Rye native, was a 1985 MLB top draft pick who went on to a standout 18-year career culminating with induction into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.
Monk, a White Plains High School football standout, starred for the NFL’s Washington franchise during a Hall of Fame career.
Chong, who broke scoring records at Ossining High School, won three national championships with UConn’s Huskies before joining the WNBA’s Dallas Stars.
The three are slated to become part of “Legends of Westchester,” a series of documentaries being produced to tell the stories of notable county residents who got their starts here.
Wayne Anderson, a public relations, marketing and storytelling pro from White Plains with roots in the sports world, says his yet-to-be-launched “Origins” platform will make the documentaries available to the public following an invitation-only September premiere.
The premiere is a one-hour documentary about Surhoff that charts his rise from Little League to the Majors including footage shot at Camden Yards and interviews with Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, a Rye High School classmate of Surhoff’s. It also covers Surhoff’s involvement with the nonprofit Pathfinders for Autism.
“B.J.’s story is about much more than baseball,” Anderson said. “It’s about family, resilience, service, and the relationships that continue to inspire people long after the final game is played.”
He’s hoping to obtain permission to host a screening at the Westchester County Center.
“This is kind of like a love letter that says, ‘We remember you, you contributed to the community and to others,” Anderson said of his Legends series. “And then the big aspect of that is, how that community was an aid in raising them; you have teachers, you have coaches, you have a community that represents a part of that dynamic engine, if you will.”
Anderson brings his own athletic background to the material. He was a two-sport standout and team captain at White Plains High School, earning All-County honors in football and wrestling. On the gridiron, he was coached by Brent Wintersteen, who also coached Art Monk, a 1976 White Plains graduate.
Anderson went on to become an All-American football player at the University at Albany and was inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame.
While the inaugural season focuses on athletes, Anderson’s long-term plan is to expand into other areas of community leadership, highlighting influential figures in business, education, public service, the arts, healthcare and philanthropy.
Anderson, who runs Manderson PR Productions, has worked with NBA icon Julius “Dr. J” Erving, and Grammy Award winning singer Chaka Khan. He developed “Closing The Gap,” a documentary series exploring healthcare disparities and the social factors that influence community health.
Of Origins, his new endeavor,he said: “We hope this platform becomes a lasting way to honor extraordinary individuals whose impact reaches far beyond their professions.”
