White to be recognized by MPA
By Kevin Sjoberg
Sports Reporter
CARIBOU — Robert White is being honored Thursday, April 28 with a prestigious award from the Maine Principals’ Association Interscholastic Management Committee.
Robert White, 76, is one of three recipients of the Larry LaBrie Award for outstanding contributions to the MPA interscholastic division. LaBrie served 16 years as assistant executive director of the MPA. The award was created in his honor in 2008.
The other honorees are Dorothy Peters, who has served for many years as the advisor to the Maine State National Honor Society and has played a major role in success NHS conventions for 16 years, and Allan Snell, the longtime officials’ liaison to the MPA Football Committee who has also worked at the Eastern Maine Basketball Tournament since 1978.
All three will be honored during the MPA Spring Conference awards banquet being held at the Samoset Resort in Rockport.
White’s MPA duties include serving as the soccer rules interpretor and officials’ liaison for 28 years. He was a soccer rules clinic instructor for 25 years and was a regional and state wrestling meet director for 13 years.
White’s professional career included serving as an educator in Aroostook County for 35 years – 26 spent with the Limestone School Department as an elementary physical education instructor, high school swimming instructor and driver’s education instructor. He began his teaching career with stints at Patten Academy, Houlton High School and Bridgewater Classical Academy.
The Massachusetts native graduated from Ludlow High School in 1952 and Springfield College in 1956 before earning a master’s degree in secondary school administration from the University of Maine at Orono in 1963.
White is well known in the community as the longtime president of the Caribou Little League, serving from 1978-97. He returned to the league as the vice president from 2005-07 and still volunteers for the organization. One of the playing fields is named in his honor.
He was inducted into the University of Maine at Presque Isle Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997 for his contributions to the game of soccer in the state.
White was named 2002 High School Referee of the Year by the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association and in 2005, he was inducted into the Maine Sports Legends Hall of Honors.
He and his wife, Karen, have two children also involved in education: Mark, a teacher and coach at Presque Isle High School, and Susan, the principal at Caribou Middle School.
