Old School Days: A Friendsgiving with Coach Huntley & Ernie!
Updated: 23 hours ago
Some stories, memories and friendships are just too good not to share! We are so excited to have two local icons, Coach Donald Huntley & Ernie LaPine join us at the Social Center for an "Old School Days" Friendsgiving, a community-wide potluck with a little trip down memory lane.
Coach and Ernie are bringing their collection of ELCS and WCS memorabilia from the 1930s through the 1990s. Come see if you can find yourself in one of the old photos!
Between the two of them, Coach and Ernie have spent decades shaping the lives of local students - coaching teams, directing plays, and keeping everyone in line.
Coach started at ELCS in 1965 as the PE teacher and coached all three sports: soccer, basketball and baseball. After retiring from teaching, he stayed busy with school renovations and putting his carpentry skills to work, especially building plenty of Adirondack-style furniture.
Ernie started at ELCS in 1966, teaching mostly 6th grade for 25 years and then moved around in the school, being a man of many trades! He also spent 10 years coaching JV basketball, with an impressive 80% winning record! He also coached golf, girls soccer and directed senior plays. After retiring you could find him working at Westport & Willsboro Golf Courses.
So, what's Old School Days all about? It's a chance to reconnect, share stories and remember the people and places that made our school days what they were. Coach and Ernie are excited to see old & new faces!
When we went to Coach’s house for a sneak peek at all the memorabilia, our favorite part was hearing about the friendship between Coach and Ernie. Their wives, Bev and Alta, told us "Coach and Ernie have been best friends since Kindergarten, and the only time they've been apart was during college!" Now that's a friendship that has stood the test of time. Nevertheless, we couldn't resist capturing a little friendly rivalry between the old friends – so we took a picture of Coach in his Boston Red Sox hat and Ernie in his New York Yankees hat.
"When I heard that Coach & Ernie were going to be at Friendsgiving, I knew the social center was on to something. They’re the type of men that are known by a single name, no matter your age, you knew these men, they helped shape your character along the way. True community members, true legends in our hometown." - former student, Paige Cotter-Saltamach
Bring a favorite dish & story to share! Whether you were a student, teacher, parent or part of the community there is a good chance you will recognize someone in the pictures! We can't wait to hear all the stories.
If you have any old photos, keepsakes, or memorabilia tucked away at home, we’d love for you to bring them along and share a little piece of your own school-days with us!
Everyone is welcome! RSVPs appreciated by not necessary.
