caption:

 

Signing

Front row, left to right: Wayne Aho, Rachel Aho ’15, Pamela Aho. Back row: Assistant Athletic Director and varsity girls’ basketball coach Lauren Moore, Athletic Director Eric Gustavson, girls’ basketball coach Charlie Baron. Courtesy photo.

 

 

 

By Ron P. Coderre

Marianapolis Prep, which is noted for sending its men basketball players on to prestigious colleges, announced Nov. 14 that one of its female players will be moving on to the college ranks at the conclusion of this school year.

Surrounded by her family, school coaches and administrators, as well as friends, Rachel Aho, a second-year student at Marianapolis Prep, signed a National Letter of Intent to attend Providence College beginning in September 2015.

Aho, a noted player in Massachusetts and AAU circles, came to Marianapolis Prep last season where she is coached by Lauren Moore.  Aho and Moore had previously known each other through basketball circles.  During the 2014-2015-season Aho, a 6-foot, 3-inch strong forward, averaged 11.9 points and nine rebounds per game, while making 51 per cent of her shots from the floor.

Following a visit to Providence College, Aho said she “really enjoyed the family atmosphere when I got the chance to hang out with the Providence team and staff.”

“I chose Providence because they compete at an extremely high level and ever since I was a kid I had dreams to play at the highest level possible,” said Aho.  “Providence is also phenomenal academically so I know that they will provide me with four amazing years of basketball along with an excellent college degree.”

The Providence College women, coached by Susan Robinson Fruchti, who is in her third year as coach of the Providence team, are members of the Big East Conference.  Aho is one of four recruits recently signed by the Lady Friars.

“Rachel is a versatile player, who can play with her back to the basket and hit the three as the trail.  She is a very good passer in the low game.  Rachel will also give us strength in the rebounding and defensive facets of the game,” said coach Susan Robinson Fruchti in a Providence College website release.

Aho is the daughter of Wayne and Pamela Aho of Holden Mass.

 

A warm farewell 

to a great lady

By Ron P. Coderre

As adults we can look back and think of individuals who played a significant role in our lives as we grew up.  There may be a number of people who have had an impact but certain individuals seem to stick out more than others.

Sr. Doris Berube of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit died peacefully Nov. 7, surrounded by other sisters and friends, all who loved her dearly.

How do I know she died peacefully, because thanks to a phone call I received shortly before her death I was able to visit Sr. Doris and thank her for the positive impact she had on my life.  Although she was in an unconscious state I was able to speak with her, while holding her hand, and tell her I loved her for the impactful role she played in my life.  And although her breathing was labored and she was perspiring as she was passing into the hands of her Lord, I know she heard every word I said.

I was a seventh grade student at St. Mary’s School in Putnam the first time we met.  It was September 1953 and I was assigned to her classroom, where she would be my teacher for the entire school year.  Her sisterly name at the time was Sr. Therese Thomas.  I believe she took that name in honor of St. Therese of Avila and St. Thomas. As a teacher she was one of the smartest people I’ve ever met in my life.  She was in charge of her students, and there were upwards of 30 in her class.  Some might say she was strict but I remember her as being fair, kind and loving with every student regardless of their ability.  She taught us religion, mathematics, history, geography, English, French, spelling and on Friday afternoons, it was music and art.  

Midway through our school year two students from Lithuania moved to Putnam.  Thanks to Sr. Therese Thomas’ international flare, she welcomed those students and integrated them into this foreign class by having them teach us all songs in Lithuanian.  It’s a memory I’ll never forget.  She made them feel welcome and made all of us aware and appreciative of another culture.

I moved on in life after St. Mary’s and so did Sr. Doris.  Eventually she became the director of the International Institute at Annhurst College and a professor in the education and English departments until the college closed in 1980. Sr. Doris was not the type of person to sit around and do nothing.  In later life she continued to actively help people by serving as the CCD coordinator at St. Mary’s and then as secretary at Hawkins House in Danielson.

Over the years, I’d run into Sr. Doris on various occasions and she’d always greet me as “my Ronald.”  Her memory of her students and their names was fantastic.  When we’d meet I never failed to tell her how much the education I received from her and all the Sisters at St. Mary’s had helped me through my undergraduate and graduate work in college.  In her own humble way she’d be amazed that she and others like her had had such an impact, not only on me but on the hundreds maybe even thousands of young boys and girls who came under her tutelage.

As she lay in her casket in the Chapel at the Daughters of the Holy Spirit Provincial House and sitting through her Mass of Christian burial officiated by another of her students, Father Edward Dempsey, many thoughts went through my mind. There will never be another Sr. Therese Thomas, a dedicated teacher.  Did she leave her earthly dwelling believing that she was simply doing her sacred duty?  And did she realize how many lives she had positively impacted?  And many of those influenced by her teaching continue to pass on her doctrine to others in the way they carry on their lives today.

Her effect on the world may have appeared minimal in her eyes but in the eyes of those who knew her and were students of hers, her influence was exponential.

Sr. Doris Berube, aka Sr. Therese Thomas, is certainly now at the right hand of God, where she continues to spread herself for the benefit of others.  God bless you, Sister Doris Berube.  With love from your seventh grade student, Ronald P. Coderre.

 

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By Ron P. Coderre 

In this week’s post-Veterans Day issue our RPC sporty shoutout is sent along to former Putnam resident Bernard “Benny” Auger.  Following his graduation from Putnam High School he joined the U.S. Air Force on August 10, 1959.  He received his Honorable Discharge in 1963 at the rank of Staff Sgt. – E5.

The membership of the Putnam Rotary Club Veterans Day program  Nov. 11 featured Thompson historian Joe Lindley.  The author of two books on Thompson individuals, Lindley previewed his latest work, “Forgotten Hero” that is currently at the publisher and readying for publication.

“Forgotten Hero” is the story of a Putnam resident, the late Calvin Heath.  In relating the details of Heath’s life, Lindley delved back to the young man’s past growing up in Putnam and took the audience through Heath’s military tour and later to his death in 2013.

Heath grew up in a large family in Putnam, which was unable to care adequately for its children forcing young Calvin and some of his siblings to be moved to foster parent situations.  Although young Calvin wasn’t a “bad” child, he didn’t particularly enjoy going to school.  As Lindley so explicitly details, Calvin left school at age 16 and shortly thereafter joined the U.S. Army.

Calvin’s entry into the military was at the most intense time of the war that was being waged in Vietnam.  The Reader’s Digest version of Heath’s story relates how his company, affectionately known as the “Clerks and Jerks” because they were assembled from a mélange of backgrounds, is ambushed by the Viet Cong.  In the ambush action Heath and members of his squad suffer severe wounds and are given up for dead.

Alive and wounded, Heath plays dead as the Viet Cong do everything but finish him off.  Following 24 hours removed from his main unit, he’s rescued and airlifted to a military hospital.  Eventually, Heath is discharged and due to poor record handling leaves the military under dishonorable conditions.

It isn’t until more than 30 years later, when members of his unit who are still alive come forward with the true details of the occurrences in the jungles of Vietnam.  Heath is finally awarded his due justice when he’s presented the Silver Star and Honorable Discharge.  But as Lindley so delicately relates, Heath suddenly is afflicted with a brain tumor, most likely from Agent Orange and in 2013 succumbs a “Forgotten Hero.”   

Lindley’s research efforts, which took him throughout the country interviewing the officers and men who served with Heath, is a truly heroic effort that is a labor of love for a man, Calvin Heath that Lindley befriended on the softball fields of Putnam.  The heart wrenching story is one that needs to be told and read.  Lindley’s depiction of Heath is one of a humble American hero who lived in our midst.  Calvin Heath, “Forgotten Hero” look for it on Amazon and in book stores soon.

Women’s College Hoops

The Assumption College women’s basketball team traveled across Worcester for an exhibition contest against Holy Cross Nov. 5.  The results weren’t the greatest for the NCAA Div. II Lady Greyhounds, who were beaten badly by coach Bill Gibbons’ Div. I Lady Crusaders. 

There was a Northeastern Connecticut connection in the game as one of the referees was Danielson resident Corey Pothier.  A member of the IAABO Eastern Board, Pothier has become recognized as one of the area’s premier women’s basketball officials.  Although he still does some high school contests, his schedule is pretty much filled with college games.

Lady Knights Wear The Crown

The Marianapolis girls’ soccer team, which posted a sparkling 18-3-1 record this fall, recently captured the championship of the Southeastern New England Prep School conference.  The Lady Knights secured the crown with a thrilling 1-0 shutout of second seeded Wheeler School.

Caroline Soucy, who has rattled the nets at an alarming rate this fall, scored the game winner in the first half and the Marianapolis defense did the rest.  The goal was Soucy’s 40th of the season and came on a long pass from Jenna Tetreault.  Freshman Jordan Desaulnier posted the shutout, her eight of the season.

Rookie of the Year

A tip of the RPC sports fedora to Eastern Connecticut State University freshman Emily Becher who was named the Little East Conference Rookie of the Year.  Becher, a former Woodstock Academy soccer standout, who hails from Brooklyn, finished the season for the Lady Warriors as the team’s leading scorer with 17 goals.  She had an unbelievable finish to the season, scoring a goal in each of the last seven games played by ECSU. 

Caddy Draws Attention 

at Raceway Golf Club

The Raceway Golf Club in Thompson is known for its year-end tournaments, the Turkey Shoot and Snow Flake.  Throughout the season the course also hosts a number of skins games that have a huge following from throughout Southern New England.

The Nov. 5 skins game was graced by a gentleman from Southbury who drew the attention of the golfers involved in the competition.  Joe LaCava created quite a stir with his presence in Thompson.  LaCava is a caddy on the PGA Tour and is currently carrying the bag for Tiger Woods.  In his career as a caddy, LaCava has toted the leather for such notables as Freddie Couples, Davis Love III, Justin Leonard and Dustin Johnson.  Caddying for Woods has brought him the most notoriety.  I wonder why?

Former Clipper in College Ranks

The local college hoop preseason previews recently hit the wires and a former Putnam High School Lady Clipper made the news.  Cynthia Briere is listed on the Anna Maria College roster as a freshman forward and promising newcomer.  She joins coach Kevin Bigelow’s team, which last season posted an 11-14 record, the best in recent years for the AmCats.  According to the prognostications, the team showcases four returning starters and welcomes four new student athletes to the roster.  Briere is among the crop of newcomers.  Anna Maria, located in Paxton, Mass., is an NCAA Div. III school that plays in the GNAC.

Basketball Legend Spotted at XL Center

The newly renovated XL Center in Hartford, which was recently spruced up to the tune of more than $35 million, hosted the National Champion UConn Huskies against the visiting Div. II Assumption College Greyhounds.  The game was played Nov. 9.

As usual, when the Huskies play there were a number of celebrities in the audience, including Pomfret’s Jim Calhoun, who was seated on press row with UConn Athletic Director Warde Manuel.  Also on hand was the legendary Donald “Dee” Rowe, one of college basketball’s true gentlemen.  

Rowe was the long-time successful basketball coach at Worcester Academy.  He was lured to Storrs where he served as the Huskies basketball coach from 1969 to 1977 before assuming the position of assistant athletic director for Development.  He’s been called the link between the Husky teams of the 1940s and today’s teams.

We enjoyed the opportunity to chat with Rowe prior to the game.  As usual whenever we meet, he always asks about Putnam because he has a warm spot for our town, having graced a number of speaking engagements here.  He talked about his fight with cancer, which has affected the nerve endings in his right eye.  But to quote Rowe, “I feel much better than what I look.”  Always positive, even at age 85, he continues in his love for the game, which all started for him in his hometown of Worcester at the Boys & Girls Club.

Also spotted in the crowd of more than 8,000 was former Putnam High School Principal Nelson “Buzz” King, a local legend in his own right.  Also on hand was Joe Carlone, president of Linemaster Switch, and Tim Connolly, former Norwich Bulletin writer, current public relations person for the Worcester County District Attorney and a former Assumption College player.

Following the game, at an Assumption College reception we met former Woodstock resident Geoffrey Kromer, who is an Assumption graduate working in guidance in the Dracutt, Mass., school system.

By the way, the final score – UConn 68 – Assumption 59.  A moral victory for the Greyhounds.

RPC’s Closing thought For the Day: Belated Happy Birthday for former Putnam and Connecticut First Lady Mary Dempsey.  On Veterans Day she celebrated birthday number 96.

(If you have news worthy sports information email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

 

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