By Ron P. Coderre

It was like a shock wave slicing through Putnam as word of the death of political activist Peter Serafin slowly filtered its way from person to person and throughout the community.  His death came as a surprise to many as Serafin remained active on many committees even at the age of 83.

Mention the name Peter Serafin and most people react with an image of an elderly person involved in the Putnam community, many times on the opposite side of the political equation.  Although he may have been viewed as oppositional, Serafin by nature was a fiscal conservative.  His opinions often emanated from his attempts to save money for the community from what he often saw as wasteful spending.

Despite his often contrary nature, Serafin wasn’t always wrong.  As a man who did his research on issues, he always came armed with material and facts to back his arguments, even if most didn’t agree with his thinking.

But there’s another Peter Serafin that most citizens of Putnam don’t know about or even realize.  At a different time in our country in the mid-1940’s Pete Serafin, much like many others of his generation was a regular high school student at his alma mater, Putnam High School.

During his four years on the campus of PHS, which was located on the corner of Providence and School Streets (where Owen Tarr Field is currently situated), Serafin and his classmates formed a pretty formidable football team.  In the days when players played both ways, offense and defense, Serafin anchored the left side of the line from his tackle position from 1944 until his graduation in 1948.

“Pomfret was sending many students to Putnam in those days.  Our teams ran the single wing offense and we were the weakside tackle and end,” said Pomfret resident and classmate of Serafin’s Stan Sheldon.  “Peter was a tough lineman.  He never gave in to the opposition,” concluded Sheldon.

Although Serafin was not one to attend Clipper sporting events in his adult life, he once refused to accept a season pass to Putnam sporting events, there was a period when he was often spotted in the crowd at Clipper basketball games.  He was there to watch his grandson, John Lamiotte, who was one of Putnam’s top players.  Never one to boast, Serafin did have a special aura at those games.

An instructor at H.H. Ellis Technical School, he also found time to serve his community.  Never one to shirk his community duties, he was a long standing member of the Board of Education and up until the time of his death he served on the Board of Finance and various facility and building committees.  He was a veteran of the Korean War and a member of the Mayotte-Viens American Legion Post #13 of Putnam.

Peter T. Serafin died of natural causes in Rhode Island on January 8, 2014.  He leaves his daughter, Deborah Lamiotte and her husband Joseph and three grandsons.  He was predeceased by his wife, Shirley of 56 years.

Although most people didn’t always agree with his political stances, one thing can be said of Peter T. Serafin, when he believed in something he fought for it to the end, probably a lesson he learned on the football field at Putnam High School.  When the fight was over, win or lose, he was a big enough man to accept the verdict.  His legacy and devotion to Putnam will be remembered for many years.

 

 

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