Waldoboro businessman Dana Dow recently donated $1000 to Lincoln Academy athletics to pay for the repair of a 1938 girls’ State championship basketball trophy. Dow’s mother, Helene Simmons, and his aunt, Connie Simmons, both played on the team.
Dow’s son Wil plays basketball at Medomak Valley High School. While attending his son’s game at Lincoln Academy, Dow showed his daughter, Whitney, the trophy her grandmother and great aunt helped to win. When he saw it was broken, he went to assistant athletic director Phil Page, with whom Dow went to college and later taught with at MVHS and told him “I’ll give you a thousand bucks if you fix that trophy.”
“The trophy was not designed to stay together,” Dow said of the two-piece trophy.
The trophy was tall and top heavy, and was broken when it was knocked over. An arm was re-attached to the basketball players on top, and the top and bottom halves were fused together.
Engraved on the trophy is Coolidge Trophy Girls’ Interscholastic Championship winner 1938. The team had 14 wins, 1 tie and 1 loss in 1938. Team members were Kay Stetson, Evelyn “Evie” Jones, Constance “Connie” Simmons, Martha “Tiny” Belknap, Leah Cowan, Violet “Vi” Bryant, Helene Simmons and Willa “Wee” Winchenbaugh.
Margaret Hall and Eleanor Stetson were subs for the team, but did not make their varsity letter according to the 1938 Lincolnian.
The Lady Eagles beat Rockland 33-31, after tying them earlier in the season, to win the school’s first Knox-Lincoln championship title.
The team was invited to play in the State Tournament at Livermore Falls. According to the 1938 Lincolnian: “This was the highest compliment that could have ever been paid us. At the tournament we were to play two court basketball instead of three to which we had been accustomed. After having a week’s practice, we found it to be fun and a much faster and exciting game.”
Lincoln beat Old Orchard 39-36 and Rockland 33-31 to advance to the finals.
In the state championship game, Jay took a nine point lead, before Lincoln rallied to win 34-30. After the game the Coolidge Trophy was presented to Capt. Stetson and Clemons, and each member of the team received a small basketball and chain. C. Simmons, Bryant and Stetson were presented individual trophies for the All-Tourney team.
The team was coached by Eleanor Clemons, who reminded the team before every game “A team that won’t be beat can’t be beat.”
After winning the state title, Bill Cogswell put on a “fine supper” for the team; and Mr. and Mrs. Chester H. Vannah arranged a “benefit supper at the Congo Vestry, in order to raise money for buying our white sweaters,” the Lincolnian stated.
Dow’s uncle Lowell Simmons was a great track athlete at LA and held several records. A trophy in his honor is given out each year to an Eagle athlete.
The Lowell Simmons award is the most prestigious athletic award presented at Lincoln Academy.
