At age 21, with a fresh degree from Williams College, Dick “Lefty” Marr joined Milton’s faculty. Dick’s friend and colleague Chuck Duncan says that, in Dick, Headmaster Arthur Perry saw “the model of the New England schoolman, combining the qualities of intelligence and love for the adolescent with the willingness to become involved with all aspects of school life.” At Milton—in the classroom, in the dorm, on the baseball field and ice rink—Dick proved his skills and commitment time and again.
For more than two decades, Lefty gifted Milton students in his English classroom, in Forbes House, on the field, and in the rink with relentless energy, steady support, and an unwavering confidence in their potential.
One former student and hockey player remembers that Lefty “always kept things in perspective, and his classroom was a lively place. He had the right attitude about bringing out as much as he could from kids while having their best interests at heart. That can be a difficult balance, and he got it right.”
“Dick had both a great sense of humor and a rare sensitivity—a unique combination that made Forbes House a welcoming and supportive place to live while Lefty and Ginny were at the helm,” Chuck recalls. One former Forbes House boy said, “Mr. Marr could get into your mind and force you to see a thing more clearly, and he was right more than 95 percent of the time—not that we were always willing to agree with him until much later.”
Lefty’s hockey buddies wished him well, with some friendly competition, in his final season as Milton’s head coach.
As a coach of many fine Milton teams, Lefty was in his element. If you played for Lefty, your brain was as important as your muscle. “His players would beat teams by outwitting them,” says Chuck.
Friends and lifelong coaching rivals, Lefty and Dick Flood had been roommates at Williams College. Prior to that, they had competed in high school—Flood at Nobles and Lefty at Governor Dummer. Upon graduating from Williams, both began teaching and coaching and spent two decades as rivals at Milton and Nobles. From their leadership and camaraderie grew the highly regarded Flood–Marr Holiday Tournament, drawing the area’s best hockey talent each December for 52 years now. Prior to the ceremonial puck drop this year, players, coaches and fans honored Lefty’s memory in a moment of silence.
“We were rivals who had an extraordinary lifelong friendship,” said Dick Flood. “We shared special moments with each other’s families, and while we liked to beat one another on the ice, we rejoiced in the other’s successes.” Flood says Lefty “thought outside the classroom or the game, taking his students and players to new dimensions in life.”
Friend Jerry Larson describes both iconic individuals as “models of good coaching: concerned about the individual first, team second; focused on character and skill development; and continually learning something new to share with students.”
Varsity boys’ hockey, with Coach Duncan (left) and Coach Marr (right), 1970
Though many knew him as Coach Marr, Lefty’s reach was broad. He took a leave from Milton in 1967 to teach at the Solomon Lewenberg school in Boston. He spent time as a recruiter for the Upward Bound and A Better Chance programs. He was dedicated to educating motivated students from all backgrounds. His Milton ecomium reads: “He valued the inherent worth of every individual and sought ways to motivate each to develop their talents as thinkers, writers, speakers and competitors.”
Lefty’s dedication to and love for independent school education was at his core. He taught at Milton from 1957 to 1980, at Tabor Academy from 1984 to 2003, and served as headmaster of Aspen Country Day School in Colorado in between. When he retired from that career, he chose to grow further. He became a college hockey referee, baseball umpire, and commissioner of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In his 60s, he earned his law degree from Roger Williams University. Dick’s son Jerry said his father knew providing legal counsel “was just coaching at heart, and he naturally brought his coaching skills to this new role.” In practice, Dick specialized in mediation.
“Dick had a perseverance you can hardly believe,” says Chuck. “The man didn’t understand the word no.”
Thank you to Ginny, Lefty’s wife of 58 years, and their children, Tim, Jerry, Lisa and Amy, for sharing this great man with all of us.
My friend, Dick Marr
Recollections by Chuck Duncan
I met Dick when he was assigned as my guide during my final interview at Milton. I was immediately impressed by his enthusiasm for life and for this School. After lunch, we went to faculty coffee in the Harding Room, where we had real coffee, served in real china, complete with silver service. Shortly after sitting down, I felt a tap on my shoulder; I looked up to see a senior faculty member who said, “I don’t know who you are, but you are in my seat.” Within a few seconds, Dick gave me a sign indicating it was time to leave. I excused myself, and Dick and I made a hasty retreat. Dick’s comment after our exit was: “Milton is changing, but not quickly enough.”
In 1971, Dick invited a team from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, to come to the Christmas hockey tournament. Dick and I were scheduled to pick up the Swedish team at Logan. As a precaution to getting stuck in traffic, Dick asked his wife, Ginny, to be around in case we ran into traffic or some other problem. As life would have it, we ran into traffic, and when we returned to Milton the game was well into the second period: with Milton leading 3–1. Ginny told Dick that she really didn’t need his help—she was in complete control of the team and the situation. Needless to say, the opposing coach was not pleased.
During the tournament in a gesture of friendship, Dick was able to secure a tape of the national anthems of many different countries. From the Zamboni garage he started to play what he thought was the national anthem of Sweden. As Dick looked out at the Swedish team he saw puzzled looks and gestures of “No! No!” from the Swedish players. He soon learned he was playing the anthem from some other country beginning with the letter “S”. The scene of the Swedish players trying to signal to Dick was memorable, indeed.
Dick’s ability to sense things that weren’t quite right served him well in his years as teacher, dorm master, and coach. One evening he stopped by a student’s room to catch up with some of his seniors. Sensing something was amiss, his instincts told him to linger. The longer he stayed, the more anxious the students became. After a while he noticed a pool of liquid beginning to emerge from under a boy who was sitting on something. Dick continued to wait, and finally the boy couldn’t take it any longer; he stood up to reveal that he had been sitting on a tub of ice cream that he and his buddies had liberated from the dining room!
One of Dick’s great lines to his hockey teams between periods centered on why it was better to be ahead by two goals rather than by one. To me, that fact didn’t need a philosophical discussion—it was plain as day. But Dick thought differently and went on to explain his thoughts on the subject to his players. While I was happy with a two-goal lead—period!—Dick’s approach was effective. I venture to say that players, no matter which sport or situation, will carry the wisdom of Dick Marr with them through their lives.
Chuck Duncan was a member of Milton’s faculty from 1968 until 1999. He served as house master of Hallowell House, teacher, dean of students of the Boys’ School, and director of college counseling. He was Lefty’s right-hand man as hockey coach and his close friend from 1968 until Lefty’s death in November 2016.