Ralph Scozzafava has never forgotten his roots. He’s currently serving as CEO of the multinational furniture giant Furniture Brands International in St. Louis. Having had a long string of professional successes, including stints at prominent positions in companies with household names like Johnson & Johnson, Wrigley, and Campbell’s Soup, Ralph Scozzafava nonetheless retains vivid memories of his time at good old Immaculate High School in his hometown Danbury, CT.

Perhaps Ralph Scozzafava’s fond memories are not misplaced, seeing as how his name is on the school’s Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments all those years ago. The school has not forgotten Ralph Scozzafava, and Ralph Scozzafava has not forgotten the school. Still an avid athlete, Ralph Scozzafava maintains a healthy interest in sports and staying active, happily recalling his glory days on the field and on the court.

“I used to play it all as a kid,” Ralph Scozzafava says of his high school sports career. “Football, baseball, basketball… but I just couldn’t get enough of basketball,” he says with obvious pride. “No matter what I have accomplished since those days, I don’t think you can ever forget where you came from. I made lifelong memories at Immaculate and I will carry them with me my whole life.”

On this, the anniversary of Ralph Scozzafava’s high school graduation, he has ample opportunity for nostalgia, but doesn’t get too sentimental about things. He looks back fondly but without regret. “I have come a long way since those days, as well,” Ralph Scozzafava says. “Sure, they were great times, but I am also incredibly proud of what I have been able to do since those years.”

What Ralph Scozzafava has been able to build includes a very successful career in business, rising up the corporate ranks at a steady clip to become CEO of one of the largest furniture companies in the world. And he isn’t done yet.

“I don’t ever like to think that my best days are behind me,” Ralph Scozzafava says. “I’m always looking forward to the next achievement I can set my sights on. That’s what keeps me going, that’s what fuels my fire.”