The Massachusetts Cross-Country and Track community lost a great Coach, mentor, and friend this past week. Former Concord-Carlise Coach Tom Hart passed away on December 29th, 2012.
A Tribute to Tom Hart
Written by Steven McChesney along with the thoughts and prayers of so many.
As soon as I heard of the passing of such a good friend, outstanding educator and the best among coaches I felt that he was such a special man to so many that a tribute should be written about him. Once I starting seeking contributions from others in our sport for this purpose I was thanked many times over as others felt as strongly as I did about putting our admiration for all that Tom has done for us to words.
Everyone who has gotten to know Tom deeply admired his kind and generous manner and his passion for kids on every team. Tom was a coach and educator who not only nurtured and taught among the Concord-Carlise girls he also took extra time to encourage, teach and congratulate kids from every team. He was so geniune in doing this that kids of all teams uniformly embraced and used his teaching with great admiration.
I can say that Tom had a profound and positive effect on our Newton South teams during his era in a deep and meaningful way and our kids truly looked forward to seeing him at the next meet. Tom taught me a great deal as a coach about how to properly care not only for the kids on my team, but also all kids who strive to improve themselves in our sport.
Tom’s energy and hard work as a coach shined with a welcoming style that made everyone around him better.
As a coach Tom’s record was brilliant. His teams were known for their great depth as Concord-Carlisle won the unofficial DCL JV championship more than any other team during his time as coach. His JV teams were often loaded with varsity caliber talent and Tom took care of every girl on his team with equal passion regardless of ablilty. Tom’s teams also were known as fierce competitors in the end of the season championship meets while also reflecting his love for sportsmanship. The Concord-Carlisle girls were well known for their respect and kindess towards all teams that they competed against. They also showed an exuberant love for the sport and their team and their display of team spirit was always uplifting. In short they reflected Tom’s attitude. They also deeply cared about their coach. Tom could go no where without a large number of girls follwing him and asking for guidence or just some of his time. Tom was always eager to give both.
To Tom our sport was always about being a big family and his wife Christopher was often at Tom’s side at meets enjoying the kids and coaches as much as did Tom.
Capturing who Tom Hart was and what he meant to us is a daunting task as he was truly an renaissance man and also such a kind and generous man. Everyone who has written to me or spoken to me about Tom mentions two things in common and those are his passion for teaching and coaching and his care and love for others.
Tom was a person of many interests. Tom was a graduate of Trinity College, gained a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Harvard and attended Yale Divinity School. Tom had a sharp mind and had such a stellar educational background. Yet he was always so down to earth and easy to talk to. He was also very interesting as he was so insightful and engaging. He was the kind of person that made you feel like you could talk to him about almost anything and learn something while being entertained or made to feel welcome. When he did use his gifts of his wonderful mind in your presence you could almost see the wheels turning in his brain and he would come up with a great idea that was always to the benefit of others.
Tom was able to achieve in his many areas of interest. It might surprise some to know that Tom edited Houghton Mifflin’s poetry series as well as serving as their paperback editor. Tom started his own literary agency, Thomas S. Hart Literary Enterprises in 1983 and continued representing a number of fine and well known authors throughout his life. Tom also has enjoyed having his writing published in a wide spectrum of publications on a number of subjects ranging from works on our sport to essays on his love of nature as well as a piece on Thoreau that was published in the Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature. He has a book of essays titled “First you run, Then you walk” that is due to be published in 2013
Tom lived life to the fullest and his gifts were as diverse as they were appreciated by so many of us. Tom is survived by his wife Christopher Corkery and his kids Rebecca Hart-Olander, Eamonn and Patrick Hart.
Reflections from his family of Coaches
I write in celebration of the life of Tom Hart. I knew Tom primarily as a fellow cross country coach. Our teams became quite close in the early 2000’s when we developed a friendly rivalry during successive years as contenders for the MA state title. Through our mutual encouragement the girls on our respective teams started to support each other, following each others’ progress, trading stories and providing mutual encouragement over the Internet and finding solidarity and motivation in their twice yearly head to head competition. In Tom I found a kindred spirit and I frequently told people that the joy I found in coaching cross country came not only from the opportunity to work with a group of amazing young women but also from the cadre of committed and thoughtful colleagues who inspired me and encouraged me in the work. Tom was an exemplary colleague in this regard. For Tom, cross country was an opportunity to build community. Tom believed that coaching was a kind of teaching and teaching was a kind of coaching. He understood that in our work we were preparing our kids for things that were far more important than running fast times and winning competitions (though he certainly liked winning and fast times). Tom took a deep personal interest in each of his runners, in their development as runners, as students and intellectuals and as emerging adults. And even after he retired he took great joy in talking shop about CC cross country. Our twice annual meetings continued into retirement when I would see him at the Amherst Invitational and the State XC Championships. Our very last conversation, shortly after this year’s state meet involved a detailed run-down of the CC season, a report on disappointing injuries and the prospects for the 2014 season. During his coaching career Tom built a program, that perennially draws large numbers, that is rich in spirit and community, that is always a contender and that produces confident young women who leave high school better prepared for the next step in their lives (this I know because I occasionally run into them as students at UMass where I teach). Tom modeled for all of us how to be a caring conscientious coach and his program was a model of what a good program should do.
I believe that good teachers and good coaches achieve a kind of immortality. We touch the lives of our athletes and students in ways that are transformative. Sometimes the connection is clear and we can see the way that we have changed a student’s life for the better. But often the impact is ineffable – frequently unperceived but consequential nonetheless. And I have no doubt that Tom has, through his teaching and his coaching achieved this kind of immortality, having significantly transformed countless young lives in ways that defy measurement.
Tom’s son Patrick said it well. We are heartbroken at this loss but grateful for the time that we had with him. So it is with the teaching and coaching communities in MA. We grieve Tom’s absence from our numbers. But our lives were brightened by our connection with Tom. We remain inspired by his example and we are grateful for his presence in our lives.
Art Keene
Head Coach / Amherst Girls Cross Country (retired)
"What I love most about Tom is his warmth and kindness. I would always look for him at meets to find a warm smile and thoughtful conversation. He shared some kind words with me upon my last season of coaching that so aptly describe him: Teaching runners how to win with sportsmanship, integrity, and joy. Thank you, Tom, for the wonderful way you brought out the best in each one of us."
Marianne McChesney / Former Co-Head Boys and Girls Cross Country Coach Newton South
"So sorry to hear about Tom's death. I just found out about it now. It was quite a shock. Tom was a real gentlemen and he dressed the part as I will always remember him wearing his suit and bowtie at the track and cross country meets. He had a real passing for the sport of cross country. Even with his illness he showed up at the meets including the last All-League Meet at Lincoln-Sudbury. He will really be missed by all who knew him."
Patrick Mcmahon / Lincoln-Sudbury Boys Cross Country Coach
"It is with great sorrow that I hear about the death of Tom Hart. Tom was not only a great Girl's Cross Country Coach at Concord Carlisle High School but a true gentleman to every one he came in contact with.
Tom was a motivator to all the young ladies he coached regardless of their ability. He treated his opponents with as much respect as he treated his own team. In my opinion during his tenure as Coach, one of the best in the State.
It was an honor and a privilege to know him. "
Michael J. Meagher / Cross Country Coach Boston Latin School
"When I think about Tom two things come to mind; his love for the sport of cross-country and his love of kids. During the last few fall seasons I've compiled DCL Cross-Country results and posted them online. Tom would eagerly await each week's new posting; he'd email, we'd talk, and he'd comment about athletes on every team. Even after he stopped “officially” coaching he sent in the Concord-Carlisle results and kept up his weekly commentary on everything to do with DCL Cross-Country."
"When I saw Tom at meets it was obvious how much he enjoyed the athletes and how well he got along with them. He had a strong bond with the athletes on his own team, and it was clear they cared for him as well. Beyond his own team, Tom had developed relationships with many athletes on other teams who had come to know him well. He always congratulated the runners from opposing teams, complimented them on their efforts, and made it clear that he was aware of their performances from other meets. He would always say hello and wish them well when he saw them at invitationals and other major meets. Over time many of these athletes came to know him as a friend and a fan, and they appreciated his interest."
The Dual County League has been a special league in girls' cross-country for close to 20 years. Tom's presence was one of the things that made it special. He will be missed by all of us.
Jonh Monz / Girls and Boys Cross Country Coach Weston High School
Quotes From Wicked Local Article:
“He built the team.......When he started coaching, they didn’t have enough girls for a varsity meet . By the time he retired there were 60 girls on the team. He was so good-natured. It didn’t matter to him if you were super-fast or not.” ----Steve Lane, Boys Cross-Country Coach Concord-Carlisle
“He was a great communicator and he was an outstanding listener,. “He made everyone feel valued. He challenged everyone to do better. Guys like Tom Hart want the kids to have the best experience possible." ------Former Concord-Carlisle Athletic Director Brent Clark
Tom Hart was such an inspriation and support to me. I can only recall a handful of meets he was unable to attend during my cross country coaching years at CCHS. He was so dedicated. He would write up every meet for me with splits, insightful comments and valuable critique. I have endless emails about thoughts on runners, possible meet outcomes and results, and praise of coaching. I cannot imagine a cross country season without him.---Hannah Bruno, Concord Carlisle Cross-Country Coach
“He was very well-organized. On a personal level, everyone knew him and he knew everyone.”----Former Captain Lindsey Clark
“The thing that stood out about him was his passion for everything he did...Every year, he’d give 100 percent for everybody. He had a way of believing in you even when you didn’t believe in yourself and he got you to believe in yourself. We had girls who wanted to run in college....There were girls who were running to stay in shape for lacrosse. Others had never played a sport before but they wanted to be a part of the program. There were no cuts, but cross country is a hard sport and it takes a lot of commitment. He found a way to approach everyone. Every single one of us looked forward to 2:30 and practice. Every single one felt like part of the team.”
----Jill McElligott, " 2006" Captain
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Concord-Carlisle Girls Cross Country Coach for 16 years
2004 Boston Globe Coach of the Year, ( 2004 DCL Champions, 2nd Eastern Ma. D. II, 2nd Division I All State),
2001 Eastern Mass Champions,
8 Time All State Team Qualifiers ,
4 x Ea. Ma. Division II - 2nd place team
2 x All State 2nd place team
4 x top 10 team in All State
In his last ten years Tom’s teams placed 1st or 2nd in the DCL 6 times and were in the top 3 all ten years.