Conrad Walton, Dick Durost and Emery “Legs” Labbe will represent the northern region when they are inducted into the Maine Sports Legends’ Hall of Honors Sunday. The ceremony takes place at the Alfond Youth Center in Waterville.
The individuals were chosen by regional committees to recognize their accomplishments and contributions to youth and sports in Maine.
Proceeds from the event will provide scholarship money for outstanding scholar-athletes. That group, including one male and one female from each of four regions, will receive awards. This year’s local recipients are Sarah Doak of Caribou and Robbie Watson of Fort Fairfield.
Conrad Walton was an athlete, road race runner, educator, coach and school administrator. He graduated from the University of Maine in 1960 and completed a master’s program from Missouri State University in 1970.
Walton spent 34 of the 37 years he was involved in education at Caribou High School teaching physical education, science and driver’s education, and was director of Adult Education and director of Aroostook Family Investment Center. He coached baseball, basketball, cross country and track.
Former CHS Athletic Director Dwight Hunter remembers Walton as a “no-nonsense type of person who had a great rapport with his athletes.”
Walton coached the Caribou girls’ varsity basketball team when Eastern Maine tournament play began in the 1970s. He enjoyed success as the Vikings’ cross country coach, with his teams capturing six consecutive Aroostook League titles.
Bob Duprey worked many track and field and cross country meets with Walton as the coach and remembers the tremendous amount of time, effort and dedication Walton put into coaching.
“He always told his athletes that if they want to win, they have to be willing to prepare themselves to win,” Duprey said.
After retiring from coaching in 1977, Walton decided to dive into the sport of running. He developed into one of Maine’s and New England’s top masters runners and earned a top ranking in the 50-59 year-old age division. He once finished sixth in his age group at the New York City Marathon and was voted Aroostook County Runner of the Year on several occasions.
He was inducted into the Maine Running Hall of Fame in 1996 and was a co-founder of the Aroostook Musterds Running Club, and serves as the club’s “Patriarch.” He established the Caribou Labor Day Road Race, the Viking Run, the Aroostook Joggernauts and the Caribou Fitness Council. Walton, who still resides in Caribou, directed at least 75 road races over the years.
“When road racing icons are bantered throughout The County and state, in all probability the name Conrad Walton will surface,” said Neal Genz, also a former educator and administrator in Caribou. “He has served as an inspiration, mentor, initiator and role model for decades to both young and old.”
Richard “Dick” Durost was an athlete, educator, coach, official and administrator. He is currently the executive director of the Maine Principals’ Association.
Durost played basketball in high school and college and officiated soccer, basketball, baseball and softball. He coached basketball at Penobscot Valley and Easton high schools.
He taught taught math and physics, served as principal at Easton High School, assistant principal and then principal at Presque Isle High School and finally superintendent for the Easton school district.
His innovation involving single-sex math classes at PIHS led to him begin a presenter at the National Association of Secondary School Principals national convention regarding the all-girls Algebra I class. National news shows picked up the story, as well as The Today Show and The MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour, giving PIHS and Durost positive nationwide acclaim.
The current leadership position with the MPA soon followed.
“When Dick was principal, he served on numerous committees for the MPA and was a professional and a calming force whenever there were highly-charged issues being debated,” said Frank Keenan, who ended up following Durost with administrative careers at both Presque Isle and Easton.
“Dick could keep his comments focused on the issues and possible solutions without becoming emotionally dragged into a disagreement with those that may only see their wants,” Keenan added.
Mike Burnham, the assistant executive director of the MPA, said Durost “has always been a strong supporter of education-based activities in our schools and has promoted academic excellence, good citizenship and equal opportunities for all. Under his strong leadership, the MPA has continued to grow and excel in both sports and education for all the youth in Maine.”
Durost, who resides in Wiscasset, is a member of the University of Maine at Presque Isle Athletic Hall of Fame and has served on many professional boards and committees promoting education and sports policies at the state and national levels.
Emery “Legs” Labbe is a longtime athlete, educator, administrator, coach and journalist, and a fan and a supporter of St. John Valley high school and college sports.
He was a baseball pitcher in high school, at St. Francis College and in semipro ball. He got his nickname “Legs” from his style of pitching. He also excelled at fast-pitch softball and candlepin bowling.
Labbe coached baseball, softball and basketball teams at St. Joseph Convent in Wallagrass and in 2011 was inducted into the University of Maine at Fort Kent Athletic Hall of Fame.
“Legs is a mammoth icon when it comes to sports in the St. John Valley,” said Bill Ashby, the athletic director at UMFK. “He is a reservoir of historical information about the university and its athletic history and has provided our student-athletes an example of honor, integrity and professionalism.”
He is the former sports writer, editor and publisher for the St. John Valley Times, where he covered local games for 45 years. In 2013, Labbe was inducted into the Maine Press Association Hall of Fame.
“When Legs became the publisher of the newspaper, he made sure the tradition of covering local sports would continue,” said one of the friends, Marc Chasse. “Every week, four to six pages of the newspaper were devoted to Valley sports and through his recording of all these events, he was the premier sportsman of the newspaper.”
Labbe earned the honor of being named Fort Kent’s Citizen of the Year in 1965. He served on the town council for 21 years and at the age of 84, still works as a funeral attendant at Michaud Funeral Homes.
