Maine Principals’ Association in partnership with
Lifetouch School Portraits Recognizes the 2020 Maine Principals’ Association Hall of Excellence Inductees
~ May 27, 2021 (Virtually) ~
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Mary Cady
Jeanne Crocker
Art Greenlaw
David Halligan Jr.
Dennis Kiah
Leroy Patterson
Allan Snell
Meredith Bradley Bickford
Suzanne “Sue” Weatherbie
Rod Wotton
Program
6:00 p.m. Welcome
6:15 p.m. Recognition of Inductees
7:30 p.m. Closing Meredith Bradley-Bickford
Ms. Meredith Bradley-Bickford graduated from Skowhegan Area High School in 1993. She then attended the University of Southern Maine where she earned her Bachelor of Art Degree in Communication and then her Master of Art in Leadership Studies.
Meredith has spent most of her adult life surrounded by sports. She has spent the last 20 years coaching at the youth, middle, high school, and collegiate levels. Her tenure at the University of Southern Maine in- cludes assistant coach of field hockey and softball and was the head coach of women’s lacrosse. She was also the Assistant Director of Ath- letics and Associate Director of Athletics. Currently, Meredith is the assistant field hockey coach and the head girl’s lacrosse coach at Gorham High School.
Between the years 1989 and 1993, Meredith was on the KVAC All Conference Rookie Team, was a USA Field Hockey Futures participant, was on the KVAC All Conference 2nd Team, a USA Field Hockey Junior Olympic Team Member, Amateur softball association state champion, KVAC All Conference 1st Team, All state field hockey, USA Field Hockey National Tournament, Maine Sports Hall of Fame for State Field Hockey Game Performance, Skowhegan High School Field Hockey State Champion, Amateur Softball Association State Champion, Sports Illustrated “Faces in the Crowd” All State Field Hockey, Morning Sentinel Player of the Year, Skowhegan Field Hockey State Champion, Skowhegan High School Softball State Champion, and Skowhegan Female Athlete of the year.
Her accolades include Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Player of the Year, USM Collegiate Field Hockey/ Softball All-American, USM Husky Hall of Fame Inductee for Field Hockey and Softball, recipient of USM Outstanding Faculty/Staff Involvement Award in 2005 and 2007, Skowhegan Area High School Hall of Fame Inductee Field Hockey, Mrs. Maine-America, and the recipient of the NADIIIAA Emerging Athletic Adminis- trator Award.
She lives in Gorham with her husband Matt and her two children, Landon, and Hannah.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Meredith Bradford-Bickford into the 2021 MPA Hall of Excellence Mary Cady
Ms. Mary Cady attended Holton High School in Holton, Kansas where she gradu- ated in May 1967. She then went on to the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan- sas, and the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications where she graduated July 1971, with B.S. in Journalism (News Editorial). She was the First female sports reporter for the University Daily Kansan during the 1969 fall semester.
She also shot on the Kansas University Rifle Team for 4 years and was the Big 8 Conference Women’s Rifle Champion in 1970 and runner up in 1971.
Mary attended numerous Army schools since commissioning in July 1971, to in- clude - the prestigious Department of Defense Information School (DINFOS) which included officers from all branches of the U. S. military, civilian leaders from government agencies, and foreign military officers and then took the Information Officer course at Ft. Ben in Harrison, Indiana, where she earned a diploma in May 1972. She also attended the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, and completed the Command and General Staff Officer Course, in August 1982.
Mary has Directed and organized track meets for 30 years. She started with Orono High School spring meets in 1988. In her early days, she dealt with entries/results at finish line, recorded paper results, and called them into newspapers. She also trained new officials and workers for the meets. She directed Old Town High School meets when they built their new track. She also directed PVC, Orono, and Old Town Cross Country meets as well as, directed PVC League track meets and MPA Regional and State (outdoor and indoor) meets.
She has worked PVC-EMITL indoor meets since 1990 and was league director from 1994 to 2017. Mary directed all meets, coordinated with the University Athletics Department and the PVC Athletic Directors and coaches to create the meet schedules, hired officials (and trained them), and coordinated with the media.
Mary has announced/scored Orono High School football and ice hockey games, as well as announced Washington Acade- my football games for five years and coached the Orono High School golf team for 11 years earning two State team runner -up awards and one individual state champion.
When she stopped directing track meets, she has worked with Brewer Timing Services as a Hy-Tek computer operator - taking entries, seeding, and doing results for middle school, high school, prep school, and college meets.
Mary is an NCAA, High School, and USATF Master Level Certified Official.
While serving in the military she was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in July 1971; a Public Af- fairs/Information officer on Active Duty for three years. She continued her service in the Army Reserves, retiring as a Lieu- tenant Colonel after 20 years. Mary is a Vietnam Era Veteran. We thank you for your service.
Her accolades include the MIAAA Distinguished Service Award in recognition for distinguished service to interscholastic athletics and who is outside the field of Athletic Administration in 1996 and in 2005; the Larry LaBrie Award in recogni- tion of outstanding contributions to the MPA Interscholastic Division in 2015; the MIAAA Distinguished Service Award for service to the local community (PVC Conference) in 2017; the 2016 Maine USATF Presidential Award for many years of dedication and support to the sport of Track and Field and was inducted into the Orono High School Athletic Hall of Fame - 2020-21 for service to Orono High School as track and field official and meet director, announcer/scorer for football and ice hockey games, and golf team coach.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Mary Cady into the 2021 MPA Hall of Excellence. Jeanne Crocker
Ms. Jeanne Crocker Graduated in 1972 from Watertown High School in Watertown, MA. She then attended Colby College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish and French. From there she went on to graduate with a master’s in educational leadership from the University of Southern Maine in 1979.
While working for the South Portland High School, Jeanne developed a new leadership team structure, grade level teams, block scheduling, and an innovative schedule that allowed for common planning during the school day. She was also responsible for creating a Home Base Advisor program and a robust Honors Recognition Ceremony.
Jeanne was the Maine High School Principal of the Year in 2003, received the Colby College Outstanding Edu- cator Award in 2006, and is a USM Wall of Fame Recipient in Educational Leadership.
She served our association as President before becoming an assistant executive director for the Maine Principals’ Association, a role she held for three years. While working for the MPA, Jeanne was a co-leader of the MPA Great Beginnings Program for new principals, the founder of Women Administrators of Cumberland and York (WACY), the Founder of Regional Superintendent cohorts, and she created the summer leadership conference for school teams.
After leaving the MPA, Jeanne served as interim Superintendent, the Director of School Management, and then Assistant Superintendent all for the Portland School District.
It is with great honor that we induct Jeanne Crocker into the 2021 MPA Hall of Excellence. Art Greenlaw
Mr. Art Greenlaw is 1966 graduate of Belfast Area High School where he partici- pated in football, basketball, and track. He then went on to Southern Connecticut State University where he graduated in 1970 with a degree in Health and Physical Education. In 1990, he graduated from the University of Maine with a master’s in educational administration.
Art began his teaching career at Skowhegan Area High School where he taught sci- ence and biology for two years before moving to health and physical education where he was department head and then athletic director.
In 1976, Art started teaching at George W. Stearns High School in Millinocket, where in 1991 he became the co-assistant principal until he became the principal of Millinocket Middle school, a role he served in until 2003. Art was a member of the MPA serving on the tennis, professional development, football, interscholastic management, and professional management committees. He was the chairman of the IMC, as well as President of the MPA.
During his career, Art was an assistant and head coach of the football team, co-head coach and then coach of the boy’s track team at Skowhegan Area High School.
He was the head football coach for Stearns, leading his team to the state championships where they won in 1982, 1984, 1987, and 1995. He was the Assistant Coach for the East Team for the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl and then the Head coach for the East Team in 1991.
Art was the Assistant Coach and then Head football coach for Mattanawcook Academy in Lincoln as well as the Assistant Football Coach at Husson College.
In addition to serving the MPA, Art was the vice-president of the Maine Football Coaches Association and was a representative for three years at the Sports Done Right Institute at the University of Maine.
Art was recognized as the LTC Coach of the year in 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1987.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Art Greenlaw into the 2021MPA Hall of Excellence. David Halligan Jr.
David Halligan Jr. David graduated from Falmouth High School in 1970. From there he attended the University of Maine Portland -Gorham and graduated from the University of Maine Orono in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education. He then went on to earn his Master’s in Education also from the University of Maine in 1978.
Mr. Halligan coached several sports including JV Boys Soccer for both Greely and Cape Elizabeth High Schools; Freshman Girls Basketball for Deering High School; Varsity Boys Soccer in Cape Elizabeth and Falmouth High Schools; JV Boys Baseball, Assistant Boys Baseball and Varsity Girls Softball all at Falmouth High School. David has been recognized as the National Soccer Coaches Association National High School Coach of the Year in 1998; NSCAA Regional Coach of the year in 1998 and 2010; the Maine Soccer Coaches Coach of the Year in 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2009; the Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram Coach of the Year in 2020; The Falmouth Forecaster Coach of the Year in 2003, 2006, 2012, and 2019; and the NFHS National / Region- al / and State Coach of the year in 2020. That same year, Mr. Halligan was inducted into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame. This year, NFHS recognized David as a National Coach of the year.
He has led teams to 12 state soccer championships, 13 regional championships and 14 league championships.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome David Halligan Jr. into the 2021 MPA Hall of Excellence. Dennis Kiah
Mr. Dennis Kiah graduated from John Bapst High School in 1965, the University of Maine with a BS in Education and then his master’s in ed- ucation administration in 1993. He taught at both Foxcroft Academy and Brewer High School for a combined 19 years before moving in ad- ministration.
In 1990, Dennis was the Assistant Principal of Hermon High school for three years before he became the athletic administrator of Brewer High School from 1993 – 2012. Six of those years he also served as assistant principal.
Dennis has been the Assistant Varsity Football Coach for Brewer and Foxcroft Academy, as well as head varsity coach at Foxcroft Academy. He has been the Assistant Varsity Basketball coach for both Foxcroft and Brewer High School, as well as head varsity basketball coach for a year at Brewer High School. Finally, he also coached varsity baseball for Foxcroft Academy and Brewer High School.
Dennis has served on multiple committees including: as a director for the Dover-Foxcroft Kiwanis Swim Pro- gram, the Baseball Coaches Liaison to the MPA, Maine Coaches Association Executive Committee, the Maine Athletic Administrator Executive Committee, MIAAA Executive Committee Retired Athletic Administrators Liaison, MIAAA Executive Committee Second Vice President, MIAAA President, MPA Ad Hoc Ice Hockey Committee, President of the Penobscot Valley Conference, MPA Status and Welfare Committee, MPA Ad Hoc Committee New England Participation, Sports Season Policy and Baseball/Softball committees. He has also served on the MPA Athletic Administrators Advisory Committee and the MIAAA Athletic Administrators Men- toring Committee.
Dennis has received many accolades including: Maine Baseball Coach of the year, Athletic Administrator Dis- tinguished Service Award Winner, NIAAA State Award of Merit, KVAC distinguished Service Award, MIAAA/ Bob Lahey Athletic Administrator of the Year, Retiree Service Award, NFHS Citation – State of Maine Nomi- nee, Gerry Durgin Excellence in Leadership, 2012 Maine Sports Legends’ Hall of Honors, NFHS Regional Award Winner, Martin E Ryan Award of Excellence, Brewer High School Athletic Hall of Fame, Larry LaBrie Award Winner, and he was inducted into the Brewer High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
In honor of Dennis, the 2012 Brewer High School Yearbook and PVC Baseball Player of the Year are both in his name.
It is with great honor that I welcome Dennis Kiah into the MPA 2021 Hall of Excellence. Leroy Patterson
Mr. Leroy Patterson graduated from Bangor High School in 1962. LeRoy Patterson was one of Maine’s greatest all sports athletes. He led the Ban- gor Rams in basketball under legendary coach Red Barry. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound forward, earned second-team all-state honors as a junior, then earned first-team recognition as a senior when he led Bangor to the 1962 Eastern Maine Class LL championship.
Patterson finished his basketball career with more than 1,000 points, a rel- atively rare feat at the time for players at the Class LL (now Class AA) lev- el.
LeRoy accepted a football scholarship to the Univ. of Cincinnati and was named Most Valuable Player on his freshmen team. Upon returning to Maine, LeRoy further established his basketball bona fides by dominating the active semi-pro circuit for the next ten years.
LeRoy worked for 30 years with the University of Maine Public Safety. He was a longtime umpire, official/ referee and a volunteer for youth basketball, football, and baseball sports.
He was inducted into the Maine Sports Legends and the Maine Sports Hall of Fame and the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Leroy Patterson into the 2021 MPA Hall of Excellence Allan Snell
Mr. Allan Snell graduated from Madison High School in 1961. He then went on to attend the International College in Copenhagen and graduated with an associate de- gree in World Studies. From there he attended Ricker College, earning a BA de- gree in History and Government. In 1973, Allan graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a Master of Science in Educational Administration and then earned his CAGS in Educational Administration from the University of Maine in 1985.
Allan’s first employment in public schools was as a Teaching Principal at the Quimby School in Bingham, in February 1967. He then became Supervising Princi- pal of the Orland Consolidated School in 1970. In 1977, he was the Principal of Brewer Junior High/Middle School. From 1980-96, Allan held various assignments with the Brewer School Department including: Principal of Washington and Capri Street Schools, Director of Instruction, Personnel Manager, Assistant to the Superintendent and then Superintendent 1996-2001. All then was the Superintendent of Schools in Orrington, Orland, and Dedham, and then Interim Supt. of Brewer School Department in 2015 and 2019.
He has been involved with the creation of the Madison Youth Football program and served as a Head Coach from 1967- 70. He coached basketball at the Orland Consolidated School and was a founding father of the Brewer PAL football pro- gram which resurrected the defunct Pop Warner Program and served as its Commissioner from1992-97. He coached and served on the Board of Directors of the Brewer PAL Basketball program from 1989-96 and was manager of the Brewer Falcons American Legion baseball team from 1997-2008.
Allan has been a staff member of the MPA Eastern now Northern Maine Basketball Tournament since 1977 and serves currently as Co-Director and member of the Basketball Commission. He has been a high school football official since 1981 and has served as the Maine Association of Football Officials (MAFO) secretary/treasurer and liaison to the MPA football committee since 2000. Allan has officiated multiple MPA state championship football games and three Shrine Lobster Bowl games.
As President of the State Elementary Principals Association, Allan was involved with the creation and development of the Maine Principals Academy in 1980 and was a participant in 1981 and subsequently served both as a staff member and Chair of the Board of Directors for 10 years. He co-wrote a federal grant which funded a graduate Principals Academy and a Principals Planning Strategies for Secondary School Education for the 90's Workshop held in Tennant's Harbor in 1989.
Allan coached little league as well as, junior and senior league baseball for 8 years and has been a selectman for the Town of Orrington for 7 years, the most recent three years he has been their chairman.
He has earned many accolades including Maine Elementary Principal of the Year, the National Distinguished Principal, Milken National Educator Award, SGMA Heroes Award, Larry LaBrie Award, Penquis Superintendent Service Award, State Superintendents’ Association Service and Leadership Award, Maine Sports Legends Hall of Honors, and the Nation- al Football Association Officials Recognition Award recipient.
Allan has served as President of the State elementary Principals’ Association, President of the northeast Regional Elemen- tary Principals’’ association, National Representative to NAESP and served on the MSSPA/MEPA merger committee.
Allan has been married to his wife Cheryl for the past 42 years and together they have three adult children: Yvonne, Jeff, and Ryan and eight grandchildren.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Allan Snell into the 2021MPA Hall of Excellence. Suzanne “Sue” Weatherbie
Ms. Suzanne “Sue” Weatherbie attended Wellesley High School in Massachu- setts, Williamsville High School in New York and then graduated from Cape Eliz- abeth High School in 1964. After high school, she attended the University of Maine.
While in high school, she was a football cheerleader and played varsity basketball, softball, field hockey, track and field, and was a member of GAA, and was recog- nized as a Western Maine Field Hockey All Star in 1963 and voted most Athletic in 1964.
After high school, Sue received her local field hockey official’s rating and her Field Hockey Sectional rating and MA Board of College Officials. In 1975, Sue officiat- ed the inaugural Field Hockey State Championship Game.
Sue was a founding member of Maine Field Hockey Coaches’ and Officials Association, the umpire liaison to MPA Field Hockey Committee and the assistant director of STIX Field Hockey Camp from 1982 – 1994. In 1986 Sue became the director of Cape Elizabeth Community Services. She also worked with the Cape Elizabeth High School’s Field Hockey Varsity Team as the Assistant Coach and then Head Coach.
Sue’s accolades include officiating the NCAA Division 3 College National Field Hockey Championship Game; received the Maine Field Hockey Association President’s award, the CE/SP Rotary Club Service Above Self Award; the Paul Liscord Award for contributions to field hockey growth in Cape Elizabeth; the National Federa- tion of Girls’ and Women’s Sports Exemplary Professional Award, inducted into the Maine Field Hockey Hall of Fame and received the MPA Unsung Heroine Award.
Since 2009, Sue has been the Western Maine Field Hockey Umpires’ Assignor. She was the State Girls’ La- crosse Umpires’ Assignor from 2010-2018. In June 2008, Sue retired as the Cape Elizabeth Community Ser- vices Director after serving in that role for 22 years. From 2008-2019, Sue participated on the Maine Senior Women’s Basketball team, competing in 5 national tournaments, winning 1 bronze and 1 gold medal.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Suzanne “Sue” Weatherbie into the 2021 MPA Hall of Excellence
Rod Wotton
Mr. Rod Wotton is a 1957 graduate of Spaulding High School in Roches- ter, New Hampshire. He then attended the University of New Hampshire where, in 1961, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education with a concentration in Physical Education and Math. He played football, bas- ketball, and baseball all four years, and was the captain and named MVP for all three sports. He was also the student activity treasurer, the Class Vice President, was in the Key Club, played for the Tri-City Chargers, and played in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl Football game.
Rodney has an overall record of 343-78-3 with 21 state titles, 17 in Maine in all 4 classes and 4 in New Hampshire. He has been inducted into the Manchester Union Leader Football Hall of Fame and was named the New Hampshire Coach of the Year twice.
In 1988, he was inducted into the Rochester Sports Hall of Fame, and then in the Maine Athletic Hall of Fame and named Coach of the Year in 1989. The following year, he was the Head Coach in the first Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl followed by being the Assistant Coach in the second Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl. Rodney then received the Outstanding Coach Award at the Maine Scholar Athlete Ban- quet. In 2006, Rodney was named the Division IV Coach of the Year in New Hampshire. In 2007, he was in- ducted into the Joke Yukica NH Chapter National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame. Also in 2007, he was inducted into the Maine Legends Sports Hall of Fame as well as being declared as the Winningest Coach in New England.
In 2020, he was honored as the 1st “GOAT” Maine Coach of Football by the Bangor Daily News.
As an example of Rodney’s character, at one point at Marshwood, the Hawks held the longest winning streak in the nation in high school football at 45 games. Coach Wotton found it necessary to suspend several his starters for rules violations for the championship game. Marshwood lost that game and then went on the reel off another 33 straight victories. Building character and playing within the rules was more important to Coach Wotton than building his won/lost record.
In 2001, Rodney was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease but continued coaching for 10 more years. He retired in 2011. While he and his wife, Norma, have three children, Peter, Wendi, and Jeff, and 7 grandchildren, Rod- ney considers his players and past coaches as part of his extended family.
It is with great pleasure that we welcome Rod Wotton into the 2021 MPA Hall of Excellence.