Dom Cote
Of French-Canadian descent, Dominic Cote was born in Maine and reared in New Hampshire. After graduating from the University of Vermont, where he majored in languages and was also a three-sport athlete (baseball, football, and hockey), he married Annette Richard in September of 1951 and remained at his alma mater, now as a teacher. Two years later, the couple moved to Branford, where Dom was hired to teach French and Spanish at Branford High School. His advanced degrees include a Master of Arts (Yale and Southern Connecticut State University), a sixth year professional certificate from New York University, and additional study at the University of Lisle in France.
This evening sees the third Hall of Fame induction for Dom Cote (23rd Annual University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 and Branford Sport Hall of Fame in 1992). He also holds the Vermont punting average for a single season (41.2 yards per punt in 1949) and in a career (37.5 yards). As an All-Vermont baseball player in 1951, he had a .429 batting average and hit for the cycle (single, double, triple, and home run) in a single game against Maine.
In 1955, Dom began his first of nine seasons as football coach at BHS during which the team compiled an overall record of 48-28 and enjoyed an undefeated season in 1958 and a season with only one loss the following year. His successes on the field provided him with another vehicle to educate an entire school about enthusiasm, sacrifice, loyalty, hard work, and community values. As a Red Cross swimming instructor, he taught Branford children to swim; and as a lifeguard at Branford Point, his "classroom on the sand" prompted the learning of lessons that can be seen in his former students' involvement in making Branford a better and more compassionate place to live.
In 1962, Dom Cote broke onto the publishing scene with his popular series of French textbooks, Ecouter et Parler, published by Holt, Rinehart & Winston. The series propelled him into summer college teaching positions of distinction, yet he always chose to return to BHS.
Former students recall Dom's French and Spanish classes as memorable experiences and note that the quality of learning extended from the subject matter to all matters. Whatever he taught had a human element to it that made learning more meaningful and helped his students to mature as individuals. To be in his classroom was not so much to be in a school environment as to be with a group of friends who felt a special joy about being there. He continually demonstrated respect for his students, and to be in his presence was to be joyful and to learn. He turned around more than one youngster who disliked school, converting him or her from an underachiever to a student who strove to improve and to excel.
Retiring from Branford High School in 1985, then Assistant Principal, Dom threw his hat into the local political ring and served as a Selectman for the Town of Branford for two years (1985-87). Always smiling and incessantly whistling, "Mr. Cote glowed with happiness and it was contagious," wrote a former student. He always greeted anyone passing his door and took time to help students with personal problems- always in strictest confident and with sound advice. His ability to display compassion for others had a great impact on his students, and it was not atypical for him to accompany them to the wake of a classmate's family member or to take his football to team to church and then breakfast before a Sunday game. With this kind of influence on the lives of students, it is no wonder that Dom Cote has had four Milestone yearbooks dedicated to him- more than to any other individual. A former colleague wrote, "Dom's strength of character, enthusiasm, and personality has impacted the lives of all he has taught or coached. His positive influence on the lives of his students and players is beyond calculation. To know Dom Cote is to have learned to compete and to cooperate, and to have learned to live life to the fullest. There are few people like Dom Cote."
This evening sees the third Hall of Fame induction for Dom Cote (23rd Annual University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame in 1991 and Branford Sport Hall of Fame in 1992). He also holds the Vermont punting average for a single season (41.2 yards per punt in 1949) and in a career (37.5 yards). As an All-Vermont baseball player in 1951, he had a .429 batting average and hit for the cycle (single, double, triple, and home run) in a single game against Maine.
In 1955, Dom began his first of nine seasons as football coach at BHS during which the team compiled an overall record of 48-28 and enjoyed an undefeated season in 1958 and a season with only one loss the following year. His successes on the field provided him with another vehicle to educate an entire school about enthusiasm, sacrifice, loyalty, hard work, and community values. As a Red Cross swimming instructor, he taught Branford children to swim; and as a lifeguard at Branford Point, his "classroom on the sand" prompted the learning of lessons that can be seen in his former students' involvement in making Branford a better and more compassionate place to live.
In 1962, Dom Cote broke onto the publishing scene with his popular series of French textbooks, Ecouter et Parler, published by Holt, Rinehart & Winston. The series propelled him into summer college teaching positions of distinction, yet he always chose to return to BHS.
Former students recall Dom's French and Spanish classes as memorable experiences and note that the quality of learning extended from the subject matter to all matters. Whatever he taught had a human element to it that made learning more meaningful and helped his students to mature as individuals. To be in his classroom was not so much to be in a school environment as to be with a group of friends who felt a special joy about being there. He continually demonstrated respect for his students, and to be in his presence was to be joyful and to learn. He turned around more than one youngster who disliked school, converting him or her from an underachiever to a student who strove to improve and to excel.
Retiring from Branford High School in 1985, then Assistant Principal, Dom threw his hat into the local political ring and served as a Selectman for the Town of Branford for two years (1985-87). Always smiling and incessantly whistling, "Mr. Cote glowed with happiness and it was contagious," wrote a former student. He always greeted anyone passing his door and took time to help students with personal problems- always in strictest confident and with sound advice. His ability to display compassion for others had a great impact on his students, and it was not atypical for him to accompany them to the wake of a classmate's family member or to take his football to team to church and then breakfast before a Sunday game. With this kind of influence on the lives of students, it is no wonder that Dom Cote has had four Milestone yearbooks dedicated to him- more than to any other individual. A former colleague wrote, "Dom's strength of character, enthusiasm, and personality has impacted the lives of all he has taught or coached. His positive influence on the lives of his students and players is beyond calculation. To know Dom Cote is to have learned to compete and to cooperate, and to have learned to live life to the fullest. There are few people like Dom Cote."