Dave Harkins, Richard LaFrance, Gerard LeBlanc and Gloriane Perrier to be honored.
AUBURN – As a large crowd filtered out of the back dining room at Gipper’s Sports Grill on Friday afternoon, Dave Harkins flashed a smile, almost embarrassed that he was being recognized.

“All I did was play ball,” Harkins said. “I did something that I truly enjoyed doing.”

Harkins “played ball” for Lewiston High School in 1947, quarterbacking that team to a state title. He also played baseball and drew the attention of several major league scouts before opting to attend Bates College and pursue his education.

Harkins learned at a luncheon that he, along with three other athletes, will be inducted into the Auburn-Lewiston Sports Hall of Fame in the class of 2004. Harkins joins Richard LaFrance, Gerard LeBlanc and Gloriane Perrier in this year’s class.

“I was surprised when they told me,” Harkins said. “Naturally, I am kind of humbled and honored to be considered among the athletes already inducted.”

After graduating from Bates in 1953, Harkins earned a masters degree in physical therapy from Columbia University and returned to the Lewiston-Auburn area, where he practiced physical therapy and rehabilitation for more than 40 years.

A contemporary of Harkins, LeBlanc was also a multi-sports athlete in the late 1940s, practicing his craft across the river at Edward Little. The Red Eddies won the football state title in 1948 with LeBlanc at the helm, and he was a unanimous All-State selection that season. After serving the United States in the Korean Conflict, LeBlanc returned to Lewiston and served on the police force for 15 years. He passed away in 1997.

“It really is too bad that he isn’t here to receive this honor,” Harkins said of his former rival. “It is well-deserved, there is no doubt about it.”

LaFrance, meanwhile, gives St. Dom’s a presence in this year’s class. As a senior hockey player in 1952, LaFrance was named to the All-State team, and was chosen as the MVP of the New England Championship Tournament.

From there, LaFrance competed in the U.S. Amateur Hockey Tournament, where he was also named an All-Star. He also qualified for a spot on the 1960 U.S. Olympic team, but turned that opportunity down to remain close to his family. That team eventually won the gold medal at Squaw Valley.

Perrier is perhaps the least recognizable name, at least at the outset. A Lewiston native, Perrier competed in the 1960 and 1964 summer Olympic Games in Rome and Tokyo, respectively. In Tokyo, Perrier won a silver medal in pairs kayaking, finishing just three seconds out of first.

After being a guest of President Johnson at the White House, Perrier was also featured in the opening of ABC Network’s Wide World of Sports at the program’s inception.

“It’s not too often we see an Olympic athlete from Lewiston,” said presenter, Superior Court Justice Thomas Delehanty II. “And the fact that she is a summer athlete and not a skier or ski jumper or something like that, that’s even rarer.”

Also being honored at the 21st annual banquet on April 25 will be 15 local high school athletes, presented with Presidential Awards for their achievements over the last year.

Amanda Bryant, Jason Dube, Scott Geoffroy, Nick Lajoie, Beth Melanson, Katie L. Morin and Amy Sarrazin of Lewiston, Josh Dwinal, Audrey Pleau and Ian Pullen of St. Dom’s and Sam Fletcher, Mert Gould, Chris LeClair, Joel Pepin and Kyle Smith of Edward Little will be honored.

Also, Nicole Keene of Auburn, currently attending Bryant College and playing softball, and Liz Wanlass of Belleville, Ill., currently attending Bates College, will be recognized with Presidents’ Awards, along with five local coaches who led their teams to state titles: Edward Little’s Jamie Belleau (hockey), Dan Campbell (track, skiing) and Ben Hayes (skiing), and Lewiston’s Ron Chicoine (tennis) and Deneka Fortier (cheering).