Lucien O. Lavoie*

Coach [1957 - 1977]

Soccer - Hockey - Lacrosse

Lucien Lavoie was born in St. Basile, New Brunswick, Canada. His family moved to Gardner, MA during the Depression, where he attended the Holy Rosary School. Following school, Lucien entered the Order of the Marist Brothers in Poughkeepsie, NY from age 14 to 21. Lucien then enlisted in the United States Navy for four years during World War I. He attended the U.S. Naval School of Photography in Pensacola, FL, and then served as a photographer aboard the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt aircraft carrier. After his discharge from the Navy, Lucien attended Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, majoring in Art Education.

In 1954, Lucien began his teaching career at Tabor Academy where he stayed for 40 years. During his tenure, Lucien coached hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and was a dorm master for 23 years. As one of the founders of Tabor's Art program, Lucien played an essential role in solidifying the visual arts program at Tabor. Coach Lavoie was instrumental in bringing organized hockey to Tabor. From his Canadian heritage where hockey was paramount, he was the first coach on Tabor's Converse Rink, built in 1962. Although the rink was outdoors, the hockey program grew quickly and developed a regular schedule of prep school tams to compete against. Saturday night hockey games under the lights were attended by the entire school and many townspeople. The success of the program led to the construction of a covered rink, the Howard Johnson Arena, built in 1977. Coach Lavoie brought out the best in his players by enforcing discipline and hard work while still being fair and humorous in his teachings. Coach Lavoie not only contributed to hockey at Tabor but also to hockey in Eastern New England.

In addition to hockey, Lavoie coached Varsity B soccer from 1957-1975 and JV lacrosse from 1958-1964. As an accomplished sculptor, Lavoie created two athletic trophies, the welded metal Varsity B soccer "Fickle Foot of Fate" award and the carved mahogany hockey "Lavoie Coaches Award" displayed in the athletic trophy case today.

"They had learned from Mr. Lavoie that the essence of the game, any game, is in the playing of it-that the fun comes from giving everything you have, that satisfaction comes from knowing you have never given up. If a game is approached in that way, losing was never a matter for shame, and winning was a bonus. That was Coach Lavoie."

- Tom Buffington, Athletic Director [1958 - 1980]