Miss Gentile honored during memorial service

    Family, friends and campus community members gathered on Oct. 8 to pay tribute to Caroline D. Gentile, the University’s longest-serving faculty member and a legend in the physical education field.     Gentile passed away peacefully at her home on Friday, Sept. 19. She had served the University for 59 years, built a Health, Physical and Recreation program that has gained a reputation for excellence around New England, and given $500,000 to help build the wellness center that now bears her name. In honor of her lifetime of service, University officials held a memorial service in Gentile Hall to recount the legacy Miss Gentile left behind.
    Tributes were delivered by Nan Amodeo, UMPI professor emerita of English; close friend Fred Getchell; professors and colleagues Dr. Christine Standefer and Dr. Theodore Shields; nephew and godchild Gerard Cedrone; Jo Dill, executive director of the Maine Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance; and President Don Zillman.
    Recollections included Gentile’s legendary driving abilities, her dedication as a professional, her devotion to her family and the expectations she had for her students. Jo Dill recalled the bonfires that Miss Gentile would build so that when her students were done swimming in a frigid local lake in order to earn their water safety certification, they’d be better able to warm up and peel off the bloodsuckers. Probably a memory very close to Miss Gentile’s heart was the time in November 2006 when she was honored with the MAHPERD Highest Praise Award. During the presentation, the master of ceremonies asked those present to stand up if they had Miss Gentile for a teacher. Half the room of a crowded Samoset banquet area rose to their feet.
    Music during the service was provided by Jan and Evelyn Kok, Peter Parker and Kenny Pelkey.
    Following the formal tributes, Pres. Zillman welcomed brief messages and stories from members of the audience. The University plans to compile all tributes in a book that commemorates the life and legacy of Caroline Gentile.