Spartico "Kief' Malara went beyond the typical duties of a coach during five decades of service to the young people in Utica. Remembered especially for his 35-year term as the executive director of the Utica Boys and Girls Club, he managed to serve the club in some capacity until he was 80 years-old. Although he never coached in high school or college, he was a genuine role model who shaped young lives by giving them firm guidance on and 0ffthe playing fields.

Born in Utica on July 20, 1910, Malara passed many hours at the Newsboy's Club, the forerunner of the Utica Boys' Club. In 1928, he became a volunteer leader of "the Buddy Boys" at the Newsboy's Club. He reportedly earned his nickname, "Kief," because he was a fan of an oldtime Cincinnati Reds manager.

In 1935, he was hired as physical and program director of the West Utica Boys' Club. He later became a unit director, during which he supervised 10 employees, planned programs for members between the ages of 10 and 18, and raised funds for the club's operation. He helped organize the East Utica Boys' Club. He also was a director of the Butler Lake summer camp, assistant executive director, and served as executive director of both the East Utica and West Utica Boys' Clubs.

From 1935 to 1990, he coached or organized teams for thousands of local teens in basketball (including popular three-man tournaments), touch football, swimming, horseshoes, table tennis, billiards and bicycle racing. Along the way, he taught his players the values of sportsmanship, dedication and teamwork.

In the 1935-36 season, he invited Utica's black youth to form a basketball team (known as the Destroyers), and gave them playing time at the Boys' Club. He turned to coaching the American Legion's Utica Post 229 junior baseball team to the state semifinals in 1937.

In the mid-1940s, he organized boxing tournaments among Boys' Club members to entertain injured World War II soldiers at Rhoads General Hospital in New York Mills.

As an athlete, Malara excelled in bowling, carrying a 189 average, and won the City Doubles Championship with Mario Allesandrinia in 1955-56. He played semi-pro football and basketball with the Rockies Athletic Club and was a member of the Roberts Hardware city championship baseball team. He also spent many years as a softball and football umpire.

At a 1969 testimonial dinner presented by the Utica Sports Boosters, Malara received the Five-Star Service Bar from the Boys' Clubs of America. It was observed then that many of "Kiefs boys" had grown up to become prominent executives, attorneys, doctors, engineers, and even priests.

The Boys' Clubs Professional Association presented Malara with its Distinguished Achievement Award in 1971 at the National Boys Convention in Atlanta, GA. He also received the Boys' Clubs of America Bronze Keystone Award.

In 1984, the two Boys' Clubs were renamed the Spartico Malara Boys And Girls Clubs of Utica, Inc. He was inducted into the SUNY Institute of Technology Hall of Fame in 1993.