Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Summer 2009 | Page 9
Bishop Nelson ’43 also graduated
from Thornton Academy.
While Nelson will continue to sit
on the board, he has stepped down
as its president. At a meeting on July
16, the Board of Trustees voted for
Eric A. Purvis ’81 to fill this role (see
story on page 9). Nelson and Purvis
have been working together to ensure a smooth transition. Purvis says
that Nelson has “served the school
tirelessly” over the past 30 years.
TROJANS GET THE GOLD BALL
Residence Hall Named
in Honor of Nelson
To recognize his many years of
dedicated service to Thornton Academy, the Board of Trustees voted
unanimously in July to name the new
residence hall on campus in honor of
James E. Nelson ’67.
The vote was taken in his absence
to keep the news a surprise, so Nelson heard about the development
along with a select group invited to
an open house for the residence hall
on July 16.
The announcement left him “totally shocked,” Nelson said, adding
that it is a huge honor to be recognized in this way by his peers.
“I am so gratified to know that my
hard work and dedication to Thornton has not gone unnoticed,” he said.
“This means that I have made a positive difference in the lives of those
who have passed through the school,
and for that I am proud.”
Eric Purvis ’81 is the board’s new
president (see story on page 9). That
night, he told the audience, “Jim has
spent countless hours working with
trustees, Carl and his staff, and faculty members. Through his leadership, Thornton Academy has grown
and flourished, becoming the kind
of school that students, teachers,
parents and alumni are proud to call
their own.”
Help us Celebrate TA’s
History
Thornton Academy’s bicentennial
year is 2011, and we need your
help to prepare for this momentous
occasion. We are seeking materials
and information about the school, its
students and faculty. Perhaps you,
a family member or a friend have
pictures, film reels, scrapbooks or
other memorabilia to share. To learn
more, call Cathy Coffman at 207282-3361, ext. 235 or e-mail cathy.
[email protected].
Photo courtesy of Bruce Haskell Photography
It was a historic day on Feb. 28 when the boys basketball team won the
state championship and captured the gold ball trophy.
For the first time, the Thornton Academy boys basketball team
won the Class A state championship tournament.
The 54-52 game against Edward Little High School on Feb. 28 was
played before 4,600 fans at the Augusta Civic Center. It was tense as
TA trailed for much of the game but a 3-pointer with 1:53 remaining on the clock made by Ian Barwise ’09, the Portland Press Herald
wrote, started a landslide that Thornton rode the last two minutes.
The team’s success required a lot of hard work, Head Coach Bob
Davies said.
“Nothing in the game of basketball has ever come easy. We knew
we wanted to compete in the playoffs. The kids bought into being
a team and did what the coaches asked. They realized it was about
more than going after those individual statistics in order to bring
home the gold ball.”
Members of the basketball team were greeted with great enthusiasm by students, faculty and staff at a TA rally in March. The City of
Saco bestowed them with a key to the city. The team also traveled to
the capitol in Augusta to receive a Legislative Sentiment. State Legislators Rep. Linda Valentino ’74, Sen. Barry Hobbins ’69, Rep. Donald
Pilon, Rep. Gary Connor and Sen. Nancy Bowie Sullivan ’67 presented
the honor to the team members. Gov. John Baldacci was also present. He and state leaders congratulated the TA students and Davies;
Assistant Coaches Craig Agreste, Braden Clement and Ron Cote; and
Athletics Director Gary Stevens.
The basketball team members on the championship team are, in
alphabetical order: Luke Barkhuff ’11, Ian Barwise ’09, Michael Guerin (co-captain) ’09, Tomas Littlefield ’10, James Morse (co-captain)
’09, Colb