11/21/2025

Alan McCoy, Pingree School

It is not uncommon for the impact of faculty in independent schools to be felt by the communities they serve. It is, however, a rare thing for one’s legacy to be as plainly obvious as that of former Pingree School Athletic Director, Alan McCoy.

When McCoy first arrived at Pingree in the Fall of 1978 as a two-season coach the small school in picturesque Hamilton, Massachusetts had just over a dozen teams plying their trade on the rolling fields of its campus. Over the years, McCoy took on further responsibilities that included student activities, a third sport, and ultimately the role of Director of Athletics.

In his more than two decades at the helm of the athletic program, Pingree’s athletic offerings more than tripled as the school continued to grow and thrive. While the Highlanders’ place in the landscape of NEPSAC was improving, so, too, was the physical landscape of the playing fields.

“One thing I am particularly proud of was the community project of building the athletic fields,” McCoy recalls. “All of that labor was done by faculty, staff, fields of the school, students. It was such an amazing project and to see those fields – which are so beautiful – come to life and provide that setting for the program is what I am most proud of.”

And the fields were just the beginning. Under McCoy’s watch Pingree added eight new tennis courts, an on-campus ice rink, upgraded fitness center and finally an expansive Athletic Center that served as a fitting capstone to the transformation of Pingree’s campus.

In the broader context of New England McCoy’s penchant for building spread to the formation of the Eastern Independent League, of which Pingree was a founding member alongside a number of all-girls and former all-girls schools and provided a platform from which these schools could organize, compete, and promote the common values they all shared.

For current Pingree Athletic Director Betsy Kennedy, the value she will always associate with McCoy is integrity.

“He operated with such a high level of integrity and has always kept the kids at the center of his focus,” said Kennedy, who succeeded McCoy in 2017. “In my own work I am constantly coming back to the example he set in terms of ensuring everything we do centers on the educational purpose of the program.

“He so deeply believed in the value of athletics as a tool for students to develop important skills in their lives. We always say here that ‘we stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us’ and when it comes to Alan that couldn’t be more true.”

Away from the athletic director’s office McCoy was a transformational coach of multiple sports but none more so than his medicine game, lacrosse. For 32 years McCoy led the Highlanders lacrosse program, claiming New England  titles on 12 occasions and a pair of US Lacrosse Eastern New England Coach of the Year honors.

He brought the game with him as part of an annual service learning trip to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in Todd County, South Dakota where he helped launch their tribal lacrosse program among myriad social and civic initiatives that engaged students in true service learning. Back home, in partnership with Concord Academy, he helped launch the Chandler Bowl for Change which aligns competition with awareness for a charitable cause.

“His commitment to the value of civic engagement and service and the way that commitment has carried forward is such an incredible legacy,” said Kennedy.

For McCoy, he always valued the opportunities athletics offered to students at Pingree.

“Pingree has always been committed to offering opportunities to athletes of all abilities and interests,” McCoy said. “Lots of sports and lots of levels, which is something we have hung onto over the years and has made our program stronger.”

While firmly in retirement now, McCoy looks back at the decades spent within NEPSAC and remembers, first and foremost, the people.

“I was fortunate to work alongside so many incredible people, some who are likely more deserving of this type of honor than I am! Whether it was NEPSAC or within the EIL we always worked to find common ground and each time we were able to move things in a positive direction for the athletes, it was so rewarding. That’s really what it’s all about.”

John Gardner, Avon Old Farms

In the landscape of education in New England you would be hard pressed to find someone with a grander legacy than John Gardner, the legendary coach and faculty member at Avon Old Farms. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Gardner held every role you could imagine and did each and everyone of them in a way that prioritized the young men in front of him.

A 1974 graduate of Wesleyan College, Gardner arrived at Avon Old Farms in the fall of 1975 and began a storied career that would span more than four decades and feature New England Championships, Olympic athletes, and tenures as both the Athletic Director and Associate Head of School. Among the hundreds of athletes who skated for Gardner is current Director of Athletics Geoff Barlow.

“I played for Coach Gardner and then had the opportunity to work with him for 23 years in various capacities,” said Barlow. “At one point I was reporting to John in his role as the Associate Head of School as the Athletic Director and I was his assistant with the hockey team, but then I was also his boss as the AD so we had an interesting dynamic. But every step of the way he was my mentor.”

Over the decades Gardner found ways to stay in touch with the needs of his students and meet them where they are whether it was 1974, 1994, or 2024.

“John always said, and it was certainly true with me, that boys learn best through humor and he has a great sense of humor,” Barlow said. “If you can find a way to get some humor into every interaction you’ll be able to connect with them and get the most out of them. And he adapted, he was constantly growing as a teacher and a coach to ensure he was there for the kids to help them be successful.”

Gardner attributes his ability to keep up with the changing student body to a “Peter Pan” mindset.

“Never grow up,” Gardner said. “When I look back at all the years and the fun I had with the students I’m thankful I never had to grow up.”

While the teams on the ice were consistently finding ways to be successful, Gardner always jumped at opportunities to help his student athletes grow away from the sport. When an opportunity arose for teams to work with a sport psychologist, Gardner was first in line to have them work with his team.

In the spring of 2025 Avon Old Farms held its Hall of Fame ceremony and Gardner was among the group being inducted. While his accolades on the ice speak for themselves, the outpouring of alumni and community support at this particular event brought to the fore his legacy and the impact his dedication to the school community had left.

“For me to be able to witness that and speak to guys from the 70s and 80s as they came back to speak about how he was certainly a great hockey coach, but in terms of being a mentor and a friend and the impact he had on the rest of their lives. It’s incredible. We always say ‘you’re here for four years but we’re setting you up for the next 40’ and nobody lived that more than John.”

Reflecting on his time at Avon, Gardner pointed to his tenure as the Athletic Director as his favorite time professionally.

“Those years were among the best I had because I got to work with some excellent people and do excellent work,” Gardner recalled. “It’s hard to find a better group of people than the NEPSAC ADs.”

ADDITIONAL LINKS:

Please view the photo gallery here.

Please view the 2025 program here.

Please view the 2025 NEPSAC Annual Meeting website here.

Please view all award winners here.

Awards ceremony will be coming soon.