Alfred F. Johnson

Coach Lyons was my cross-country coach from 10^th to 12^th grade as well as my Geometry teacher. I started running cross-country in 9th grade under a different coach and then in the 10^th grade Coach Lyons got the job. In the 10^th grade he taught me (and Bill Cadger, the great runner of our era, who had arrived at North at the beginning of 10^th grade from Holbrook) how to work-out for endurance and other skills. I had my best high school cross-country season that year, although later I apparently was one of those people who show promise early and then fade. Bill had his best years the next two years culminating senior year in setting many high school course records, including the North Quincy course.    

I remember Bill and I talked on one of our endless summer nights sitting on the old steps in front of North speculating about the effect, or lack of effect, that coaches of the secondary sports had on the development of their charges. A lot of times those coaches were doing the job for extra money since they were woefully underpaid as teachers (and still are) and so did not necessarily bring a high degree of skill and knowledge to the job. We agreed that Coach Lyons did help us to improve, especially Bill.  

Frankly, I was an indifferent Algebra student in those days but when I got to Coach Lyon’s Geometry class I began to get seriously into that subject, began through his efforts to see the beauty of math, which through fits and starts endured long after that class was over. RIP Coach.