Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2008 | Page 9

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Six More Inducted into Thornton
Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame
On Sept. 27, Thornton
Academy honored six individuals at its third Athletic Hall
of Fame induction ceremony.
The annual event celebrates
the long and distinguished
history of sports at Thornton,
which was founded in 1811.
The Thornton Academy
Athletic Hall of Fame was
founded by the Alumni Association and Board of Trustees
in 2006 to honor and recognize athletes, coaches, teams
and others affiliated with the
school who have excelled at or
contributed greatly to athletics at TA.
The 2008 inductees are
Fred Arno ’45, Coach George
Martin, Terrence McSweeney
’38, Roger Spaulding ’56, Athletic Director and Coach Philip
Curtis, and Amy Belliveau ’75.

also coached the varsity boys
tennis team, the junior varsity boys basketball team as
well as a variety of summer
recreational programs. Phil
coached 40 seasons at Thornton Academy and had an
estimated 250 wins.

Photo by Shawn Patrick Ouellette ’89

George Martin, Coach
Thornton Academy
reigned as one of the top
football teams in the state
during the nine-year tenure of
George Martin. With Martin at
the helm from 1935 to 1943,
TA won 70 games, lost only
nine, and tied seven times. TA
won four state titles under his
watch. Martin’s teams were
noted to be prolific on offense and stingy on defense
– Thornton racked up 1,884
points, nearly six times as
many as their opponents’ 316
points. George Martin, with
the help of his lucky hat, led
TA to victory over Biddeford
eight times with one tie, outscoring the rival team 198 to
12 in nine games. Because TA
did not have a mascot at that
time, the team during these
years was some times referred
to as the “Martinmen.”

Fred Arno ‘45
Thornton Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held on
Entering Thornton AcadSept. 27. Pictured in the back row from left to right are Philip Curtis, Amy Belemy in the fall of 1941, Fred
liveau ’75, Fred Arno ’45 and Michael Spaulding ’70, who accepted the award
Arno began his athletic career
for Roger Spaulding ‘56. In the front row from left to right are Sandra Macin a rush. Arno received his
Donald and Patricia Saucier who accepted the award for Terrence McSweeney
first letter playing left half’38. Missing from the photo is A. William Kany ‘49 who accepted the award for
back on the varsity football
George Martin on behalf of Helen Martin Freise.
team that fall. He earned his
second letter shortly thereafter by competing on the
indoor track team running the 40 yard dash, 300 yard run, high jump
and relay. He also competed in outdoor track in the 100 and 200 yard
Terrence McSweeney ‘38
sprints, as well as shot put, javelin, discus and relay. As a sophomore,
While at Thornton Academy, Terry “Touchdown” McSweeney was an
Arno earned letters in basketball and baseball. In 1943 he was a memall-around athlete. He earned an amazing 14 varsity letters. While he’s
ber of the varsity basketball team that won the York County Championmost prominently known as a football player, he also excelled on the
ship. Off the field, Arno was president of his class for three years. At
baseball diamond and the basketball court for four years and served as
the end of his junior year, in April of 1944, he enlisted in the Marine
the captain of both the baseball and basketball teams his senior year.
Corps and left for World War II. Returning t