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Harold Alfonds' induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame is a heartening testimonial to a lifetime of contributions. Alfond has been one of the game’s most enthusiastic supporters since his life-long relationship began. He was an infielder playing short and third, occasionally in the outfield for Swampscott High School. In his senior year, Alfond was elected team captain. Following graduation, he continued to play with the town team in Kennebunk. From his earliest introduction, he has supported amateur baseball in Maine, especially at the Little League,American Legion and college levels. He has been responsible for the continuation of baseball clinics at all levels of amateur baseball throughout the state. For many years, he supported summer semi-pro baseball in Waterville and particularly the Augusta Millionaires which included Ted Lepcio, Haywood Sullivan and Harry Aganis. Alfond was among the founders and principal supporter of the beginning of Little League baseball in Waterville and has sponsored a team in that program since its foundation. He also similarly was involved in Norridgewock and was responsible for the development of baseball fields in that community, as well as other baseball fields in the State of Maine. Alfond has supported various amateur programs in Waterville with particular support to the American Legion team on which his son, William, was a member of the state championship team in 1964. The team was coached by John Winkin (Hall, 1975). Over the years Alfond has also supported baseball programs at Colby College and the University of Maine during the distinguished coaching tenure of Winkin. Alfond recently donated the office complex in the clubhouse at the University of Maine in honor of Winkin, his close friend. More recently, he contributed support for the new outdoor batting cages and pitching mounds at the University of Maine. For the last 10 years he has been a limited partner of ownership in the Boston Red Sox and has become a respected figure among all of the dignitaries of baseball -Peter V. Ueberroth, A. Bartlett Giamatti and present Commissioner Fay Vincent. Alfond has a particularly close friendship with Dr. Bobby Brown, President of the American league. Alfond has annually witnessed most All-Star games and almost every World Series, traveling with Winkin. There has been no more ardent baseball enthusiast or genuine supporter of amateur baseball in the State of Maine. His generosity made it possible for many programs to survive, develop and to serve many youngsters at all levels in Maine. From Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Alfond He has donated money to various institutions of learning to help improve their sports facilities; for example, the Alfond Arena and Alfond Stadium at the University of Maine, the Harold and Ted Alfond Sports Center at Rollins College, the Harold Alfond Center for Health Sciences and the Alfond Forum at the University of New England, the Harold Alfond Management Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Isenberg School, and the Alfond Center at Saint Joseph's College of Maine. In December 2003, five years after his $1.65-million donation for the athletic and recreation center, Alfond contributed $1 million to St. Joseph's towards the $10 million needed to build Alfond Hall, the college's primary academic hall. Harold Alfond and the Alfond Foundation have also been major supporters of Kents Hill School in Readfield, Maine. Kents Hill opened the Alfond Athletics Center in 2001 and the Alfond Athletic Fields - the largest turf complex in New England - in 2008 after receiving substantial gifts. In 2011, Kents Hill received a $2.3 million gift for the construction of its Akin Learning Center. Most recently in 2015, the school received a $3.5 million matching grant for the construction of a new dining hall. In 2007, having lived with cancer for 17 years, Alfond donated $7 million to a cancer care center at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta. The center is named the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care. The Alfond Scholarship Foundation introduced the "Harold Alfond College Challenge" in January 2009. Through the program, a $500 grant is given to every Maine resident who is enrolled before his or her first birthday; the money is intended to help Maine families plan for education beyond high school. As of July 2010, 5,500 babies have been enrolled in the program. Investments in sports In addition to his donations to colleges for improvements to their sports facilities, Alfond demonstrated his support of sports in other ways. In 1978, a group purchasing the Boston Red Sox was looking for a Maine sportsman to join them. Alfond was the obvious choice and ever since Dexter has been a limited partner in the franchise. When Dexter was sold to Berkshire Hathaway in 1993, the Alfond family retained its stake in the team, a stake that remains in the hands of two of his sons.

The Great Depression was a time most people would rather forget, but it was also a period when Franklin County baseball fans cultivated fond memories of an overpowering southpaw pitcher named Stanley Allen. Allen, now 78 and living in South Berwick, pitched five no-hitters during his career that peaked from 1925-34. The career, however, ended prematurely because of a knee injury. Possessing a baffling curve and a wicked fastball, Allen once struck out 94 batters in 52 innings in his senior season at Strong High School. He also pitched the first of his no-hitters that season when his earned run average was as skimpy as a burlesque queen’s outfit. after high school Allen went to Kent’s Hill Academy where he was captain of the baseball team. He sparkled on the mound, losing only one game his initial season. Semi-pro baseball then beckoned Allen. He overpowered opponents with his array of pitches and frustrated them further with pin-point control. He threw four no-hitters in semi-pro ball, pitching for numerous teams throughout Maine. Once Allen tossed a no-hitter on Saturday and came back to pitch a shutout on Monday. He owned a rubber arm, often pitching three games in a week —each time for a different ballclub. Allen, a legend in Franklin County, was always in popular demand by semi-pro ballclubs because he was best in important games. That’s what made Allen so tough. He displayed ‘‘grace under pressure.

Peter was born in Portland and grew up in the North Deering area. His mother Margaret and his father George lived on Edgewood Ave. He went to Lyseth Elementary School and Lyman Moore Middle School. He played Little League in 1968 thru 1972 for Portland LL#9. It is here, he first demonstrated outstanding skills as a middle infielder. His teams won 2 league championships and he was an all-star at age 11 and 12. They won the district championship in 1972 and finished 4th in the state. Peter went on to play Babe Ruth baseball for the city of Portland. He made two All-star teams while playing for Rollie McMillian, Tom Dibiase, and Lou Tripoldi. His teams won the State Championship in 1974 and 1975. Along with Dave Littlefield he was named Babe Ruth Player of the year in 1975. Peter went to Portland High School where he played for Edson Hadlock. During his three year varsity career, Portland won two State Championships. He was selected as an all Telegram League player as well as on two All- State teams. He played Legion baseball under Frank Archer and won three State Championships in 3 years. Andrews Post finished 2nd in New England in 1977 competing in Warwick, Rhode Island. He was selected to 2 All-Tourney teams and was offered multiple scholarships upon graduation from Portland High School. With no regrets, Peter chose to go to the University of Maine at Orono. As a Maine Black Bear Peter played for the legendary John Winkin. In the four years as Maine’s shortstop, they competed in the Northeast Regional’s three year’s and the College World Series in 1981 and 82. Maine finished 3rd in the country in 1982, behind the winner Miami and Wichita State. Peter was an All New England and North East Regional All-Star several times. In 1981 he received Honorable Mention as an All American player. Several teammates including his double-play partner Mark Sutton signed professional contracts. Outfielder Kevin Buckley and pitchers Joe Johnson and Billy Swift played in the Major Leagues. Peter played in the Portland Twilight League each summer during his college years. He played for Sportsman’s Grill. He once hit 4 homeruns in one game. In 1981 he played for the Yarmouth Red Sox in the Cape Cod league. After his professional career he helped Olympia Sports to the Twilight League title in 1984. In June of 1982 he was selected in the 20th round of the amateur baseball draft by the New York Yankees. Peter signed and was sent to the Oneonta Yankees in the New York Penn League. Peter played all the infield positions as well as catching a few games. He batted .319 his first year in the minor leagues. His manager that year was former major leaguer Ken Berry. One of his teammates was John Elway who later became the Hall of Fame quarterback of the Denver Broncos. In 1983 Peter played for the Fort Lauderdale Yankees. His coach was fellow Mainer and future Yankee manager Stump Merrill. Peter coached one year of high school baseball at Old Orchard Beach where they won the Southern York County Championship. They lost in the State semi-final in a close game. He is presently a member of the Western Maine Board Umpires Association. He has umpired regular season and state play-off, high school games for the last 10 years. Peter has worked for the United States Postal service for twenty eight years. He and his wife Lorrie live in Hollis Maine. Peter has 5 children and 5 grandchildren. For his many accomplishments in playing baseball at all levels including professionally, coaching and umpiring we congratulate Peter Adams and enthusiastically welcome him to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.

Vinnie Allen Allen, who died at age 28, twice was an All-Telegram league centerfield selection at Portland High, starred at the same position at Bridgton Academy and was All-Maine in college baseball at Colby. He captained baseball teams at each school. The long ball was his trademark, but it couldn't overshadow his consistency at the plate. He batted 352 as a high school sophomore, .428 as a junior and .476 in his senior year. One of Allen's biggest home runs came in the tenth inning against Westbrook High ace Harold (Ubbie) Craft. The strong right arm, respected by base runners, also came in handy on the football field. In addition to being a slashing two way end, Alien did much of the passing and all of the kicking for Portland High. Allen was baseball coach at Shead Memorial High, Eastport, before becoming teacher-coach at Gardiner High In September of 1942. He died February 3, 1943.

The career arc of Daniel Alvino, Sr. was forged on a strong Central Maine upbringing, an outstanding college athletic record at a major university and a return to his home state to enjoy a long and successful tenure as a coach and administrator. Danny Alvino was born in Livermore Falls, Maine in 1909 and graduated from Livermore Falls High School in 1928 where he starred in football, baseball, basketball and track. After a post-graduate year at Hebron Academy, Alvino entered Fordham University on a baseball scholarship. He earned letters in both baseball and football and his exploits on the diamond caught the attention of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Drafted by the Dodgers following his graduation in 1933, Alvino played several years in that organization, including a stop at Tupper Lake, New York where he was a teammate of Chuck “The Rifleman” Connors. When his professional playing days came to an end, Alvino returned to Maine and embarked on a lengthy and successful coaching career. In 1938 he was hired by the Winslow High School to coach baseball, football and basketball. Following up with a 3-sport coaching stint at Gardiner High School, Alvino won state championships in all of those sports. After coaching stops in Montpelier, Vermont and Quincy, Massachusetts, where his teams also attained championship status, he made a final return to Maine and accepted a coaching position at Sanford High School. While at Sanford, Alvino was a founder of that town’s first Little League organization and was also instrumental in starting or strengthening Little Leagues in Livermore Falls, Jay, Wilton and Farmington. Alvino continued to be an active ballplayer during his coaching career. He was a prodigious hitter and outfielder during the 1940’s for the semi-pro International Paper Company team in Livermore Falls and Bath Iron Works. In the 1950’s he was a player-manager for Goodall-Sanford, a very competitive semi-pro club. In 1956, Alvino moved from the coaching ranks into administration and served 13 years as principal of Jay, Livermore Falls, and Biddeford High Schools in Maine, Canton (Massachusetts) High School and headmaster of Newark (New Jersey) Academy. Alvino died of a brain tumor in 1969 at the age of 60. He was married to the late Anita DiBona Alvino of Quincy, Massachusetts. He is survived by his daughter Betty Ann Porcaro of Waltham, Massachusetts and his son Daniel Alvino, Jr. of Westerly, Rhode Island.

The year was 1940, the place, Yonkers, N.Y., the event, the birth of Will Anderson. Tonight, Will will be admitted to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame as being one who achieved in, or contributed substantially to, Maine baseball. Will’s love for the game of baseball began on the streets of Yonkers where he and his neighbors spent hours upon hours like Willie Mays playing stickball. From April to November it was always “baseball” in some form – including card collecting. In 1951, Will moved to Ardsley, N.Y. – 10 miles north of Yonkers but a more-basketball community. From 1956 to 1958 Will captained and caught for the Ardsley Panthers (“you did a lot of catching because the other team was just about always up”). From 1958 to 1962 Anderson attended Cornell in Ithaca. He tried out for baseball but didn’t make it. He became a softball fanatic and continues to play today. In March, 1987, Will moved to Portland, Maine to take up his literary pursuits. He is a writer of pop culture books. One of those books is Was Baseball Really Invented in Maine?. The work, published in 1992, includes every native Mainer to ever play in the bigs, plus Maine’s minor league history through and including the Maine Guides/Phillies of 1991-1992. The book ranks with Don MacWilliam’s (HoF ‘90) Yours in Sports as the two best Maine baseball histories. In January, 2002 Will was elected to the Board of Directors of the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance. In 1998, Will and his wife, Augusta native Catherine Buotte, moved to Bath where they reside today.

ANGELIDES ATTENDED the University of Maine for a semester in ‘42, then enlisted in the air force, where he remained until °46. Back at UM, he and catcher Bates catcher Norm Parent were the only unanimous choices on the ’47 all-state college team. While a .350 shortstop that summer for Dexter in the Tri-County League, he was signed by Phillies’ scout Chuck Ward. Harry was accustomed to fast company. Overseas, he.played with such. major league standouts as Enos Slaughter, Johnny Mize, Joe Gordon,. Howie Pollett, Birdie Tebbetts, Max West, Manny Fernandez and Johnny Sturm. Angelides played with future Portland Pilots Mike Romello and Jackie Cusick in °48. In 47 at Wilmington, he roomed with Phils’ mound great Curt Simmons. HARRY PLAYED ALL FOUR infield positions for Wilmington, Del., of the Interstate League, but his days became numbered. after an exhibition game with the Dodgers during spring training tn 1949. He came out second best in a collision at second base on a double play pivot, suffering a spine injury. A baseball smack in the eye the previous fall, also against a Dodger farm club, didn’t help, He returned to the Pine Tree State, tried out with the Pilots, realized he couldn’t get rid of the ball in a hurry, and returned to Orono to complete his education. Harry Angelides turned to golf for vigorous exercise. He whittled his handicap drastically and channeled excess energy into the administrative side of the game. He's Maine State Golf Association vice president. From Legacy Pages http://www.albert-burpee.com/obituaries/harry-e-angelides/ 94, August 25, 1923-June 13, 2018. After college, Harry played triple A baseball and In 1945 Harry was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies. An unfortunate accident during a preseason game ended his baseball career. Harry was inducted to the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame (1977) as well as the Lewiston Auburn Sports Hall of Fame (2006) for his accomplishments in Baseball.

Some people believe that things happen for a reason, and Chris Anton was one of them. Anton, a very spiritual individual, set up a nationally known candlepin bowling center, The Big 20, in Scarborough shortly after World War II. The bowling alley operated with Anton’s vigorous help for nearly half a century, and still operates to this day, despite his passing. When little league baseball started nationwide in the 1950’s, Scarborough was a farming, dairy and fishing town of only a few thousand. By the time of Anton’s death, however, the town had grown to more than 20,000 people. Anton’s generosity began in his hometown of Biddeford in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and spread to the Town of Scarborough where he relocated in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Fortunately for youth baseball teams, and any other imaginable type of athletic activity involving kids, Anton’s generosity grew with it. Little league baseball teams and their coaches learned in the 1960’s and 1970’s that if you had a financial need, you would hear somebody say, “Have you gone to see Chris?” Anton was a prolific contributor – whether the cause was little league baseball, out-of-state basketball tournaments for kids, or beginning Pee Wee football programs. A sports organizer or youth sports coach in urgent need of organizational funds would be dispatched to The Big 20 bowling lanes. They would approach Anton at the reception area of the bowling alley that almost took on an appearance of a judge’s bench. Anton, who could sometimes be gruff, would ask the person who they were and why they had come to see him. The person would be “cross examined” about the activity, how many kids were involved, where they would be playing, what the coach hoped to get out of the season or trip, and similar questions. At the end of this back and forth, inevitably, Anton would either reach into the cash register, or reach into his pocket, or step back into his office, and return to the lobby to chat with the solicitor again. “How about this?” he would ask, handing the person a small wad of bills. “Will this be enough to get you through and help the kids, do you think?” he would ask. Inevitably, the answer would be yes. The seeker of assistance would be most grateful, and the legend of Chris Anton would be increased yet again in the coastal community that became his home in the last two decades of the 20th century. Anton, who was the first Commissioner of the Maine State Lottery in the 1970’s, was not just a financial booster of sports. He was also an intensely loyal friend, and was a well known name and figure in Biddeford politics and sports in the 1950’s and 1960’s, His visibility in the political arena hit its high point in 1986 when his long time friend, Dave Redmond, a member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame also, ran for governor. Politics can sometimes be the intersection of government and sports characters. The Redmond campaign, with backer Chris Anton in tow, was no exception. Anton was a zealous booster of his friend’s political prospects and never missed a chance to turn somebody that he knew was a baseball fan into a Redmond supporter and ticket to the Blaine House. “Do you know what kind of pitcher Davy was at Portland High?” he would ask a listener, leaning in closely to make eye contact, perhaps grabbing a shoulder or elbow. “Let me tell you – the guy threw smoke. That’s all he knew. He has strike out records that still stand at Portland High School.” In Anton’s mind, success in sports, especially if the athlete was a leader on and off the field, equated with a persuasive set of reasons to vote for a person on the ballot box. “This guy’s a leader!” Anton would bellow, holding court in the bowling alley lobby. “This guy got the job done on the field. Ask anybody who played with him thirty years ago. This is what we need in politics – guys who can get the job done. Not talkers and yackers. People with accomplishments who can get along with other people!” Anton made the argument on behalf of many different people over the years. It was always important to him if a candidate for political office had a sports background. In his mind, if you did, that meant you were ready to lead, just like you may have on the diamond or the hard court or gridiron. Fellow Maine Baseball Hall of Fame member, Gene Hunter, who is also in the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, says Anton’s induction in the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame is long overdue. “Many little league baseball teams were outfitted with uniforms bought and paid for by Chris Anton” Hunter recalled. This was true in Biddeford and Scarborough, he said. “This guy just helped so many kids over the years, over decades. He was taken from us early due to cancer. The sports world lost a good friend.” Scarborough resident and sports booster Dan Warren said that Anton was one of the first people he ever met who exhibited a trait that a lot of great people with outstanding character exhibit when they attempt to assist others. “Chris never wanted any credit”, Warren recalls. “You’d ask him if he wanted his name in a booklet or with an ad. He would say no. You’d ask him whether he wanted a sign on the outfield fence of a little league field. He may or may not. You’d ask if he wanted to receive a thank you letter from a particular team or organization going on an out-of-state trip for a tournament. He never wanted his personal name mentioned. The bowling alley, maybe, because that was a family enterprise, but Chris was not in the sports organization game for personal credit. He really was one of those guys who just wanted to help kids. This was a real eye opener for me coming out of high school to deal with someone like Chris Anton. A real breath of fresh air that way.” Anton left a widow, Jane, of Scarborough. His funeral was a heavily attended event as would be expected of a man who helped so many for so long.

Robert Anthoine “Baseball enriched my life, expanded my horizon, exposed me to countless opportunities that would have been otherwise missed” - Bob Anthoine “Bob Anthoine taught several generations of baseball players to respect the game of baseball through proper preparation, how to compete at the highest level while fostering team work and commraderie” - Derek Soule It is no wonder that Bob Anthoine displayed a common thread of competitiveness, mastery of fundamentals and unerring respect for the game at each stop along his baseball journey (Deering, UMO and Greely) since he learned his baseball lessons early on from the masters – Freddy Harlow and Lou Tripaldi – took advanced classes under the legendary John Winkin, and put his personal stamp on the baseball “rule book” with his coaching career at Greely. Bob was the third of four sons born to Charlie and Ruth Anthoine, a family as close to Deering High School royalty as you can get. Though not the type to crow about it, Ma and Pa Anthoine took quiet pride in never missing an athletic contest in which their four sons participated during their junior and senior high playing days. Bobby followed older brothers Neal and Steve (and Billy followed Bobby) in leading the Rams on the gridiron and diamond and added the hardcourt for good measure. Bob captained all three of those sports his senior year and was an All-Telegram selection and baseball MVP his senior year. Bob pastimed in the summers for the Caldwell Post under Coaches Leon Freeman and Rick Piacentini. Coach Harlow bestowed the ultimate compliment on Bobby when he dubbed him one of the chosen few who had “the ole’ Mahuska.” As many talented and hungry Maine ballplayers did in those days, Bobby answered the persuasive call of Coach Winkin and trekked up to Orono on a full scholarship in 1977. He played sparingly his freshman year but soon developed into a reliable second baseman, holding down that position capably for the next three seasons. In 1978, Bobby was named to the All-Tournament team in the prestigious Riverside Invitational Tournament in California. The Black Bears’ tournament wins included victories over nationally ranked powers Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley. Bob said the chance to stay in Maine to play Division I baseball was the biggest factor in his attending UMO. “I was fortunate to play in an era when Coach Winkin believed in Maine kids and didn’t hesitate to put us up against the national schools. Every year I played, the core of the roster was from Maine.” Bobby also played for two Maine Hall of Famers during college – South Portland’s Bob Philbrick in the Portland Twilight League, and Merrill “Red” Wilson of Dennis-Yarmouth in the Cape Cod League. Following graduation, Bob entered the teaching profession and landed his first JV baseball coaching job under fellow 2015 Inductee Rod Choroszy, then head coach at South Portland. Then it was on to Foxcroft Academy where he taught physical education and served as athletic director from 1981-1984. From there Bob moved to his teaching and coaching sweet spot at Greely High School in 1984. Taking over as head baseball coach in 1985, Bobby turned around a struggling program with a firm insistence on instilling the core values of the game that had defined his own career: solid fundamental play, competing with every pitch and respecting the game and the opponent. In this 14-year coaching career at Greely, Bob Anthoine amassed 171 wins, including 20 state playoff victories, 2 league championships, 4 Regional titles and 2 Class B state championships. Bobby “retired” from his head coaching position in 1999 to follow the athletic careers of his children Travis and Kelly who were both forging their own illustrious chapters in Anthoine family annals, Travis enjoying a productive college baseball career at Wheaton College and Kelly being named field hockey captain at Portland High. For the past 8 years, Bobby has returned to the Greely diamond and assists Derek Soule, one of his former players, with hitting instruction and infield play. When asked to identify what sparks his baseball life today, Bob replied: “I love to teach the game, to show how baseball needs to be done the right way. I was inspired by some really great coaches in my life – Harlow, Tripaldi, Tom Dibiase, Winkin of course, and Ed Flaherty. I never missed one of his clinics and I used to pattern my practices and drills on what I picked up from him.” With the coaching spark still lit and burning brightly, there’s little doubt Bob Anthoine’s own coaching tree will be bearing a plentiful harvest.

ARCHER, a native of Bethel, Conn., played for the Portland Pilots in the New England League in ‘the late 40s. was catcher-manager of the Pawtucket, R.I., club in that-loop, was bullpen catcher and coach for the Boston Braves, pitched H. G. Pride to the Portland Twilight League title in 1958 and won the league batting title with a 423 average. He’s been a top umpire for more than 20 years.

“Gil was one of the most outstanding players I ever played with. He was our best pitcher for years. Gil was also a great person. His quite manner and friendly personality made him a person that everyone liked being around”. - Ron Marks “I played many games with and against Gil over a lengthy period of time and became aware of his ability as a multi-skilled baseball player. He not only was able to pitch and catch at a very high skill level, but could play other positions effortlessly”. - Terry Ordway “I played with Gil for the Merchants for many years and he was the best all-around athlete on the field. He was a fierce competitor, but I can tell you as a teammate that he was a gentleman and very humble”. - Dennis Libbey “Gil was the mainstay of an excellent Mattawamkeag baseball team of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. He was, in most people’s opinion, the superior pitcher, as well as an above average catcher and all-around player for his team and one of the best hitters of his era”. - HOWARD MCFADDEN “Gil was his team’s #1 pitcher and was an excellent catcher and solid hitter. He was a great competitor, but like others on the “Keag” team, kept a cool head and was fun to play against”. - BILL CORBETT “Gil pitched a lot of big games for Mattawamkeag. It was not uncommon for him to pitch game one of a doubleheader and catch the second game. He didn’t always pitch or catch. He played the other seven positions better than anyone on the team”. - Bill McCarthy Gilbert Arnold was born in the Northern Maine town of Island Falls, Maine on August 12, 1938. He was the second child of three born to Paul and Edith Arnold. His older brother, Paul, was five years older than Gil and served in the Korean War, while a younger sister, Nina Ann died at the age of four. He moved to Mattawamkeag in 1945 when his father became employed at Forster Mfg. Like most kids growing up in a small town, such as Mattawamkeag, kids played baseball from spring to fall and basketball in the winter. Gil was no different. He would play pick up baseball all day long until it was too dark to see. That sometimes meant playing wherever they could find an open area. In some cases it usually meant playing in pastures or hay field where the outfield fence was barbed wire and cows as spectators no doubt. This was not an uncommon “playing field” in Maine. Gil enjoyed a very successful high school athletic career from 1953 --1958. As a four year starter on the varsity basketball team, he scored 1,657 points for a 20.3 career average. Though he loved basketball, his best sport and passion was baseball. He “began” his high school career as an eighth grader where he became the starting catcher. His first year he hit .318. He followed that up with a freshman year that saw him hit .384 with 30 RBI’s in 17 games. It wasn’t until early in his sophomore year, when his coach, George Larlee, tried him out as a pitcher. Gil obliged his coach in his first start, by firing a one — hitter. He followed that up with a two-hitter and no-hitter. Both were against Sherman High. He finished that year with a .413 batting average while on the mound, striking out 94 hitters in 62 innings and giving up only 10 runs on 19 hits. His junior was even more dominant. He ended that year with a .521 average, pitched in ten games and won all ten. By his senior year, Gil was well established as one of the best all-around players in the area, especially as pitcher. He ended the year with a .631 batting average, while as pitcher, allowing only 8 runs on 12 hits and striking out 80 batters in 8 games. Oh, by the way, he won all 8 games. During the summer of 1955, Gil played Junior Legion baseball for the Burrill Post 77 team from Lincoln. That year the team won the Penobscot County championship with a big win over a strong Bangor team. They then went on to beat Milo to win the Piscataquis County title. Their streak ended when they lost to a tough Gardiner team in the state tournament. For his high school career, Gil would have a record of 28 0 as a pitcher and be part of 5 Katandin Valley League titles as well as a team record 30 game winning streak. His coach was quoted in an interview as saying of Gilbert, “He’s the best youngster I have coached and to my knowledge, is the best athlete to attend Mattawamkeag high School and that his record deserves this praise”. A year after graduating, he had tryouts with the San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins. Upon returning home, he married Opal McLeod in 1960 and began a family that included three children, Jay, Darcy, and Alison. He started his working life at Great Northern Paper Company and continued until retirement as a Mason after 30+ years. In “Keag”, he continued playing baseball in the semi-pro league with the Mattawamkeag town team “Merchants”. During that time, he played with fellow MBHOFer’s, Herbert “Junior”, Ken, and Dennis Libbey, Terry Ordway and Brian Gordon. Together, they formed a strong nucleus that dominated Northern Maine baseball from the 1960’s through the early 1970’s. The team was a constant fixture at the biggest tournaments of it’s time, including the Carlton Willey Tourney in Lamoine, Maine as well as Mattawamkeags own tourney, the Blue Ox Torney. Many of the best teams and players from around the state could be watched throughout an entire weekend. Like many men on his team and of his era, Gil would work all day and then rush home, grab his gear and head to practice or put on his uniform for a game that evening no matter where it was to be played. He worked hard and played baseball even harder. The way it was supposed to be played by giving his full effort. After his playing days of semi-pro baseball, he still played ball. This time it was in the form of softball. He played into his 50’s for local teams as well as for the “Elks” from the 1980’s into the early 1990’s. Throughout his life, he enjoyed many other hobbies such as camping, golf, hunting, and especially fishing. His favorite times were spent at his camper at Pete Pray’s campground at the base of Mt. Katandin. He also enjoyed John Wayne westerns, Dean Martin shows and boxing matches involving Muhammad Ali. Gilbert passed away on May 15, 1998 in Millinocket, but left a strong lasting legacy, especially in the form of athletic genetics. His daughter, Darcy excelled in all sports and finished her high school basketball career with over 1,300 + points. His granddaughter, Ashlee carried on that legacy of ability by scoring over 1,100 + points in her high school basketball career. All of the Arnold children and grand- children participated in some form of sports for every season. Gilbert was a very humble, loving and giving family man. He always believed that his success was a team honor and not an individual one. Many of Gil’s former teammates and contemporaries wrote wonderful letters of support for his nomination in which they used phrases such as “best all-around athlete”, “most outstanding”, “multi-skilled”, and “great competitor”, but the one letter that best summed up Gilbert Arnold was from a teammate, Eddie Rideout. The context of the letter is as quoted, “We didn’t use this word back then, but he,(Gilbert), taught us all by modeling. We were encouraged (without even realizing) to be like Gilbert, to want to be as good an athlete and person as Gilbert. He never acted as if he were better than the rest of us and he set examples for all of us to be good enough to win gracefully”. This excerpt exemplified not only Gil Arnold the athlete, but more importantly as a man, husband and father.