Lougee recognized as ‘Unsung Heroine’
AUGUSTA — Sue Lougee will be recognized today as an Unsung Heroine for Women in Sports. She will be honored during the Mentoring Women In Sports XIII program, sponsored by the Maine Principals’ Association and the Council of New England Secondary School Principals’ Association.
Lougee was nominated for the award by Eric Waddell, the former principal at Presque Isle High School who now serves as curriculum director for SAD 35 in Marshwood.
In his nomination letter, Waddell wrote that Lougee, a retired physical education teacher for SAD 1, has been “the go-to person for athletes, especially girls, when they are injured. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Maine in athletic training but could not take the time away from her career and family in order to log the hundreds of hours that are required to become certified.
“Her reputation and knowledge extend even beyond the walls of Presque Isle High School. She is well known and highly respected by local physicians, orthopedic surgeons, and physical therapists. Mrs. Lougee serves as the intermediary between the Presque Isle High School athletics department and local medical providers. When a zealous coach might suggest that a student-athlete return to competition before he or she is ready, it is Mrs. Lougee who calls the shots after consulting with physical therapists and physicians. She is respected among the medical community and the coaching staff as a woman who places the welfare of the students above all else. Competition and winning are secondary. Mrs. Lougee has always believed that a student’s health is forever while the game’s result is temporary.
“Most importantly, Mrs. Lougee is a mentor for all girls in sports, not only at Presque Isle High School, but also in all of Aroostook County. She is a role model for girls by espousing a healthful lifestyle while living one herself. In June, Susan Lougee will fully retire from SAD 1 after 49 years of service. She will leave a void in the Presque Isle High School Athletics Department, but her legacy of hard work, perseverance, love of family, and commitment to healthful living, community and church will live on forever. She has left an indelible mark on generations of athletes, and especially women, who have benefited from her expertise, kindness, generosity and graciousness. She is one of a kind and a longstanding unsung heroine.”
