The Maine Sports Legends Hall of Honors will add four members representing Aroostook County during a banquet taking place Oct. 7 at the Alfond Boys and Girls Club in Waterville.
These individuals are being recognized for their extraordinary commitment and work behind the scenes in helping students both academically and athletically. The 2012 class includes Woodrow “Woodie” Dunphy of Linneus, Charles “Charlie” Lockhart of Fort Fairfield, David Maxcy of Mapleton and Ralph Sweetser of Presque Isle. Both Lockhart and Sweetser will be inducted posthumously.
Woodrow Dunphy
Dunphy graduated from Houlton High School in 1956. He then attended Ricker College for two years before transferring to the University of Maine at Orono.
Dunphy excelled in baseball, playing in high school and at both stops in college, and was called by Dick Redmond, his coach at Ricker and a member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame, “the best shortstop I ever coached.” Dunphy himself was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame in 1996.
Dunphy also played semi-professional baseball with the Woodstock (New Brunswick) Capitals and the Presque Isle Indians. He later served as a player-coach for the Houlton Collegians.
After graduating from UMaine, he served in the U.S. Army for two years before returning as the baseball coach at Ricker from 1965-1972 and also as a high school basketball coach at Ricker Classical Institute for two years. His baseball team won conference titles in 1965 and 1967.
“Woodie brought energy and enthusiasm to every game he played and his approach set a standard for all his teammates,” said Gene Kilpatrick, a former semi-pro baseball teammate of Dunphy’s. “I know during these games that Woodie developed skills, style, leadership and compassion to prepare him for coaching.”
Dunphy went on to become principal at Hodgdon High School from 1978-94 and at Central Aroostook in Mars Hill from 1996-2000. He served as a member of the Maine Principals’ Association basketball committee, the classification committee and the interscholastic executive committee.
He has served on many committees and boards over the years and currently is on the Ricker College board of trustees scholarship committee and is a member of the Houlton Elks Lodge.
Dunphy and his wife, JoAnn, have four daughters and six grandchildren.
Charles Lockhart
Lockhart was an avid supporter of athletics in the town of Fort Fairfield. He has an athletic complex named in his honor, had a day in Fort Fairfield proclaimed for him and was a recipient of the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Award by the International Rotary organization.
Lockhart served as a scorekeeper for Fort Fairfield high school basketball games for 37 years and was well respected for his dedication.
He graduated from FFHS in 1938 and participated in cross country skiing, tennis and alpine skiing.
But it was Lockhart’s volunteerism that made him renowned within and even outside of the community.
He packed trails for the cross country ski team and helped officiate the ski, track and cross country running meets. He kept the scorebook for Fort Fairfield’s summer baseball teams. He helped organize the Little League Baseball program and served as secretary of the Aroostook League, which coordinated athletics in Aroostook County. He ordered trophies, corresponded with the league schools and organized post-season contests.
Lockhart served in the U.S. Army during World War II from 1941-45. He and his family established the Hugh Lockhart Memorial Award in memory of his brother, who was killed in action in World War II. This award is presented to a student who best meets the guidelines of citizenship, athletics and academics.
During his life, he belonged to many organizations, including the VFW, American Legion, Rotary Club, Frontier Fish and Game Club, Masonic Lodge and the United Parish Church men’s group and board of directors. He was a recipient of the Fort Fairfield Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen Award.
Lockhart was predeceased by his wife, Winnifred, with whom he had two sons and two daughters. Lockhart passed away May 12, 2008.
David Maxcy
Maxcy is a graduate of Scarborough High School who lettered with the cross country, swimming, basketball and track and field teams. He was on the Bates College freshman track team and then transferred to UM-Orono, where he lettered in indoor track and field and outdoor track and field while competing in middle-distance running events.
Maxcy credits his collegiate coaches for teaching him about work ethic, encouragement and patience, which he carried into his own coaching career.
After a year of teaching and coaching at Freedom Academy, he moved to Aroostook County to teach American history and coach cross country running and track and field at Presque Isle, where he spent 48 years. He served as assistant principal at Cunningham Middle School.
His teams were very competitive, with many qualifying for regional and state meets in cross country and track and field. His varsity girls XC team won an Eastern Maine title in 1995, 1996 and 1997 and his varsity boys team won an EM championship in 1996.
Danny Paul, who now coaches at Falmouth High School, coached with Maxcy for five years as recalled his ability to “motivate and inspire the high school athlete through his calm strength and understanding.”
Maxcy was also known as an outstanding classroom teacher. He enriched the social studies curriculum with his interest in Maine history and the history of Cunningham School, according to Larry Fox, who served as principal at Cunningham.
“I don’t believe I have ever worked with a teacher who was as well respected by both colleagues and students,” Fox said.
Maxcy and his wife, Janet, have seven children and nine grandchildren. He is a substitute teacher for SAD 1 and does seasonal work with Cavendish Farms as well as serving on the board of assessors for the Town of Mapleton.
Ralph Sweetser
Sweetser was an outstanding basketball player and track athlete at Presque Isle and is known for helping the Wildcats to their only state championship in boys basketball in 1932.
He was captain of the team both as a junior and senior and also led the ’Cats to an Eastern Maine title in 1931. He was the leading scorer in the tournament that season and was named second-team all-tourney. The following season, Sweetser was the third-leading scorer in the tournament and was again named to the second team.
At 6 feet, 5 inches, he was considered the best big man in northern Maine. He continued his playing career at Bridgton Academy and became a standout player there as well, averaging approximately 13 ppg.
In track and field, Sweetser competed for three seasons and was a dominant force. He won numerous events, specializing in throws and jumps. He set a state record in the shot put as a junior, won the discus and placed in the broad jump and high jump. He was the leading point scorer in the Aroostook County meet as a senior. He set a County record in the shot put at 51 feet, 6-7/8 inches that amazingly still stands today, 80 years later.
He was inducted into the Presque Isle High School Athletic Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 2011.
In his later years, Sweetser became an outstanding golfer and encouraged and helped many high school students play the game. He and his son, Stephen, took many of these young players on trips for tournaments.
He worked at his potato farm in Presque Isle until his retirement. He and his wife, Dorothy, had two children and nine grandchildren. He passed away in February of 2006.
