Fond remembrances of a coach and manager

With the unexpected passing of Dick St. Louis on March 26th, a number of Rupertites have shared their memories of some thirty years of time spent with the familiar face of the Civic Centre.

The Daily News looked back at St. Louis’ career and the thoughts of some of the people who crossed his path in those years.

BELOVED COACH FONDLY REMEMBERED
By Patrick Witwicki
The Daily News
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Pages one and six

The Jim Ciccone Civic Centre has just begun a new era. Reluctantly.

That’s because a presence that has been there since 1971 will no longer be heard inside those walls after Dick St. Louis passed away on March 26.

He was there working at the centre when its doors first opened, and was still there even two weeks ago, training his boxers, right until the end.

Not having him there from now on is going to take a lot of getting used to, for everybody.

“I was hired by Dick at 14,” said Aqubal Manhas, who still works at the Civic Centre today. “His commitment to the department … he put a lot of time in to make sure everything was okay.”

Regardless of position, St. Louis always treated every single employee with the same amount of respect, said Manhas.

“He really cared about the workers and the programs that were going on,” he said.

In addition to his duties at the Civic Centre, St. Louis quickly got involved with his two favourite sports: boxing and archery. Both the Prince Rupert Boxing Club and the Rainbow Archers began under his tutelage, and 30 years later, they are as popular as ever.

“His commitment to archery and boxing, he really did that with a passion,” said Manhas.

“That was his true joy, I don’t think anyone could put out as much passions as he did.”

Throughout the years, St. Louis has also trained many great boxers on the North Coast, including provincial and national champions. Keith Gurszky and the late Joe Martin.

But St. Louis was also one of the first coaches in the North to get females involved with the sport, something that current boxing club coach Selena Storey remembers well.

“I just joined (the club) for exercise, then Dick said, “I think you should box,” said Storey. “I was worried, because (15 years ago), there were few lady boxers around.

“I told Dick, ‘getting punched in the face just isn’t my thing,’ and Dick said, ‘Oh, but you have head gear on, so try it out,” so I tried it for the first time and I liked it.”

“Dick was very persuasive,”

Seven years ago, when Storey was thinking about leaving the club after having children, St. Louis persuaded her once again – this time, as a coach.

“He’d always say to me ‘don’t sell yourself short,” said Storey.

This eventually led to Storey becoming a referee as well, and now she and Albert Smith have been left with the job of carrying on St. Louis’ legacy with the boxing club.

Smith’s tenure as a coach has just begun, but after training with St. Louis as a boxer since a teenager, he is willing to try and take it on.

Especially after what has transpired in just the past two weeks since St. Louis’ passing.

”I had gone down there to watch some boxing,” said Smith. “And he asked me to get involved a week before he passed on.”

Smith and others knew that St. Louis wasn’t well, but even a week prior to the Golden Gloves Boxing event in Prince George, St. Louis was busy giving Smith instructions, specifically, how to ensure up-and-coming local boxer Forrest Shale would succeed.

“My being there meant a lot to me,” said Smith.

Smith is just one of many protégés that St. Louis brought into the fold of boxing and in many cases, it has helped turn the fortunes around for many youths in the community.

“I got involved (with boxing) just hanging around the Civic Centre,” said Smith. “Dick noticed me playing around with another guy who was sparring and got me into it. “I trained under Dick for seven years.”

Smith went on to enjoy excellent provincial success before retiring from the sport in 1991.

“He was more of a mentor when I was a teenager,” he said. “He was one of the best coaches on the North Coast, in my opinion.

“He turned a lot of amateur boxers into champions.”

The Rainbow Archers is another club that has been around since the 1970’s, and while the St. Louis name will live on – Dick’s son Pat took over the club earlier this season –archers all over town will find it strange not seeing St. Louis setting up various targets inside the Auditorium, or his prophetic words, “Range closed” during various shoots.

“Even after retirement, he put so much time and effort to make sure archery and boxing would be strong in this community,” said Manhas. “Anyone who wanted to learn, he was there. He would get involved.”

The toughest part in the equation is how both clubs, and the Civic Centre in general, move forward with St. Louis no longer around. Boxing practice has been difficult the past two weeks, as the boxers try to adjust not having St. Louis watching their every move as they prepare for the Salmon Belt on April 21.

“It’s just everything,” said Storey. “You see a nail on the wall that’s where Dick hangs his keys … just not having there for that extra push.

“He became a great family friend, and it’s going to be very hard.”

Smith agreed that while the boxing club fully intends to push onward, it won’t be the same without St. Louis.

“Without Dick in the club, there’s a big part missing,” he said. “We’ll never be able to fill the boots he’s left behind. The younger guys are really going to miss him.

Manhas added: “He spent so much time with his kids, his family… that was his life, staying active. Even though he wasn’t well, he would still come in. He fought right til the end.”

The memorial service for Dick St. Louis will take place Thurs. April 5 at 11 a. m. at Annunciation Church.