To the Editor:

I have followed the efforts by Potsdam High School alumni to have the school track named after former coach Bill Lewis, and I understand this naming would be a huge gesture, not made lightly. I also know Bill’s accomplishments were 40-50 years ago, unknown to many people now.

That track was a magical place for Bill’s athletes. Yes, they won nine sectional titles and at one point 85 dual meets in a row. But boys also learned who they were, what they could do, and how a champion team is made of many parts and some sacrifices. Bill did that. He was Lions Club president and Methodist lay leader. But he was a teacher above all else, in a tumultuous time.

I often think of three Saturdays in spring 1972. First, Potsdam lost to Tupper Lake in May, ending that 85-meet streak. The guys were crushed and angry, but Bill said he’d never been so proud. He acted as if nothing catastrophic had happened, simply saying that the team had to regroup for the sectional meet.

Two weeks later, Potsdam won its eighth sectional title by a half-point over Tupper. As the boys held the trophy toward the sun, they knew their title had come not just from first place finishes. A Stoner who disliked running agreed to run the 440 and placed third. A Stoner who disliked pole vaulting offered to compete in it all spring, and placed fifth that day. Boys beat foes they had previously lost to. This was part of Potsdam track, as Bill often coaxed boys to new levels of ability, and often asked boys to sacrifice by entering events where they might not win but the team needed points. Or, they would offer to do what was best for the team.

Next, the state meet on Long Island showed me a wider world. Bill persuaded School Superintendent A.A. Kingston to let me go as manager, and among other things, I remember how Bill tried to coach the Section 10 team as a whole. He wanted boys from opponent schools to succeed, although they were not his, which was a new concept to me.

Bill touched so many lives. As an Athletic Hall of Fame member and 1973 alumnus who benefited from Bill’s influence, I hope the track comes to bear his name.

Scott Conroe

Potsdam