Ladies and gentlemen, this outstanding soccer facility was made possible
because two of the most significant of St. Lawrence families—giants
in the history of St. Lawrence—decided that this field would be the
place where a lost son could best be remembered on the St. Lawrence campus
he loved. These families were joined when Archie MacAllaster, St. Lawrence
Class of 1950, and Barbara Torrey, Class of 1951, were married. They had
a daughter, Sara, and two sons—David, who is now in the investment
business with his father—and Sandy, who graduated from St. Lawrence
in 1978.
With us today for this dedication in addition to David and his wife Sarah
(a different Sarah), are some of the giants of this family:
· Archie MacAllaster, consistently selected by Barron’s to be among
an elite group of a dozen or so investment gurus chosen to comment in their annual
forum on the state of the economy and on the prospects for investors in the coming
year. A long-time trustee of St. Lawrence and Chair of the Board’s Investment
Committee, Archie is now trustee emeritus.
· David Torrey, Class of 1953, of Montreal, and President of Torcanus,
Inc., an investment company specializing in cross-border investments between
the U. S. and Canada. David just retired from the St. Lawrence Board of Trustees
in June, and is now trustee emeritus.
· Bill Torrey, Class of 1957, now of Florida, former president and governor
of the Florida Panthers NHL Hockey Team, and before that President of the New
York Islanders Hockey Team during the period when they won four straight Stanley
Cups. Bill should be a St. Lawrence trustee—we have asked him—but
Florida is located an impossibly long distance from Canton, and so that has not
been able to happen.
· Babs MacAllaster, is senior Torrey sibling, conductor of the family
orchestra—in other words, the one clearly in charge. I can tell you that
when we need someone to get the family lined up in one direction, we go to Babs.
· Baby sister Jane Torrey Stauffer, also a St. Lawrence alumna in the
Class of 1962, is not with us today.
· The father of these four Torrey children was Arthur Torrey, Class of
1924, and for many years Chairman of the St. Lawrence Board of Trustees.
Around campus you will find the names of these families: there is the Torrey
wing of the Owen D. Young Library, Arthur Torrey Field (the women’s
soccer practice field), and MacAllaster House, the home of St. Lawrence Presidents
and their families—the home in which Ann and I now live.
Francis Bacon once said: “If I have seen farther, it is because I have
been standing on the shoulders of giants.” In our case, St. Lawrence
stands on the shoulders of these giants.
That this field should be named for Sandy MacAllaster carries special meaning
for me personally, as well. Sandy was an outstanding St. Lawrence soccer
goalie, elected to the All-ICAC team. I, in far humbler times for St. Lawrence
soccer, was also a goalie. Sandy graduated with a degree in history, was
a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and a pitcher on the baseball team. He studied
in London on our program there, and was a resident assistant. At the time
of his death, in a tragic car accident in 1979, Sandy worked for Dean, Witter,
Reynolds in Santa Barbara.
Sandy died a long time ago, but I know that his loss remains a raw, open
wound to his family to this day. One never heals completely from such a loss,
but I hope this dedication today helps.
Archie, Babs, David, and Bill, on behalf of all Laurentians I want to express
our deepest and most heartfelt thanks. There are no Laurentians whose generosity
of spirit is larger than yours. Bless you all for making this field possible.
Now I’d like to introduce Margie Strait, Director Athletics, for some
words on behalf of the Athletic Department.
[When she’s done, Margie introduces Bob
Durocher and Deb Biche. When Deb is done I return to the podium
to ask Archie MacAllaster to say some words on behalf of the
families. When Archie finishes, Archie and I join in unveiling
the plaque. I say:
This plaque will be affixed to the North Country rock located at the main
entrance to the field. It says:
“Sandy MacAllaster Field. Sandy’s
enthusiastic approach to athletics and to life touched all
who knew him. In loving memory from the MacAllaster and Torrey
families. Dedicated September 14, 2002.”
I then present Archie a framed photo of the
plaque.
After presentation of the photo, I thank everyone
for coming and invite everyone to enjoy a piece of the dedication
cake.
