To the Editor:

I am writing on behalf of a proposal to name the Potsdam Central School track after Coach Bill Lewis (1963-1974). There is no one more fitting this honor than coach Lewis and the Potsdam public should be aware of this effort to so honor him.

I was a captain on his team in 1970 and wrote a history of his teams in 1996. While researching that book, I came to a deeper appreciation of how much Coach Lewis meant to all of us. In June, we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of his teams' first Van Dusen (Section 10) championship. The team would go on to win the next 8. His 9 year streak is four more than the next longest streak by any other school's track team in Section 10, and, based on my research in '96, far more than any other Potsdam team. The likelihood of his streak being broken by another school in Section 10 is slim, the likelihood by a Potsdam team, virtually zero.

In a speech to the Potsdam Rotary Club in the mid-60s, Coach Lewis said about his track team that "it is a community that has each person concerned, each person pouring forth his talents, reaching out to his limits...concerned not only for his own results, but also he is there rooting for and inspiring, and helping each other in their concerns. This is the real value of a track and field team to our growth--a community of universal significance...of lasting value." He gave a variation of that speech to all his teams and that sense of community and concern informed our efforts.

Lasting value? A half century later, many of us will gather in Potsdam to honor his gift to us and his first Section 10 championship.

By naming the PCS track after Bill Lewis, perhaps some day a boy or girl in Potsdam will wonder "who was Bill Lewis?" And he or she will find his message and that message will inspire that teenager to reach out to his or her limits and inspire teammates to do the same.

Jeff Gardiner

PCS Class of 1970