Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Fall 2018 | Page 6

FOR THE WIN
The history of Linnell Gymnasium
T
he major indoor athletic and convocation center
at Th ornton Academy, William Shepherd Lin-
nell Gymnasium has served the school’s stu-
dents and the greater community since its opening in
1963. In addition to acting as a practice and competi-
tion venue for Th ornton Academy basketball teams for
the past fi ft y years, Linnell Gymnasium has also been
utilized as a classroom space for wellness and dance
classes, for school assemblies, and as an alternative
facility for Th ornton’s spring commencement exercises.
Linnell Gymnasium also plays a major role in the life
of the greater Saco community as well as hosting a va-
riety of events such as the Kerryman’s Pub Road Race/
Mary’s Walk, the Children’s Winter Carnival, and the
annual college fair. Given his service to Th ornton Academy and the larger
community, Linnell was a logical choice for naming
the new gymnasium built on the eastern end of the
Th ornton Academy campus in 1963. Th e growing
student population in the late 1950s had rendered
the much smaller George Addison Emery Gymnasi-
um as inadequate for the school’s athletic needs, and
Th ornton’s trustees, under the leadership of Mr. Lin-
nell, approved the building of a new space. While the
facility was being erected, Th ornton Academy basket-
ball teams utilized off -campus facilities, including the
Saco Armory and the Hanson Gymnasium in Buxton
for contests. Known as “Th e Orphans," these Th ornton
Academy teams fi nally came home for good in the fall
of 1963 with the opening of the new Linnell facility.
Th e facility is named in honor of William Shepherd
Linnell, a 1903 graduate of Th ornton Academy. Lin-
nell, who later graduated from Bowdoin College and
George Washington University Law School, was a
senior partner at Linnell, Perkins, Th ompson, Hinck-
ley, and Th axter, a Portland law fi rm, where he began
practicing law in 1911. A major supporter of education
in the state of Maine, Linnell was a member of the
Board of Trustees at Th ornton Academy from 1933 un-
til his death in 1968 serving as president of that group
beginning in 1947. In addition, he was a trustee of both
Bangor Th eological Seminary and Westbrook Junior
College and was president of the board at the latter
school. A dormitory at Westbrook Junior College, now
part of the University of New England, is named for
him. One individual who made a major impact on the
completion of the facility's construction was James R.
McGaffi n who, during his 27 years at Th ornton Acad-
emy, served as a teacher, coach, Head of Buildings and
Grounds, Athletic Director and Submaster. McGaffi n's
grandson, Kyle Bolduc '96, recalls the stories handed
down from his family and his own memories of the
gym.
In addition to these activities, Linnell was a major civic
leader in the greater Portland area and throughout the
state of Maine. He was president of the Portland Gas
and Light Company (now Northern Utilities) from
1927-1963 and documented the history of that com-
pany in 1950. In addition, he represented Maine at
the 1936 Republican National Convention and was a
Republican national committeeman. He also was presi-
dent of the Portland Chamber of Commerce and was a
Mason and a Shriner. In 1960, he received an Honorary
Doctorate of Laws from Bowdoin College.
"When I was a kid, I remember my grandmother
pointing to Linnell Gymnasium and telling me: 'that’s
your grandfather’s building. He built that gym; it
wouldn’t be there without him.
"My grandfather recognized the need for Th ornton
Academy to have a bona fi de gym and he led the
charge to make it happen. Th e school had outgrown
the small gym in the Emery Building and teams oft en
had to host games at off campus venues. Prior to Lin-
nell’s construction, the basketball team was nicknamed
'Th e Orphans' because they didn’t have a home court,"
Bolduc said.
Featuring a parquet fl oor reminiscent of the Boston
Garden, Linnell Gymnasium has been the scene of
some of the greatest moments in the school’s athletic
history. For the past fi ft y seasons, some of the fi nest
athletes to don the maroon and gold have played their
6 Story by Gary Stevens · Interview by Haley Thompson · Photos Courtesy of Thornton Academy & Kyle Bolduc '96