By Lauren Root – Staff Writer  

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking with Tom Allen, a Bishop’s alumnus who still lives in the Townships and is extremely involved in campus events. Tom, who currently lives in North Hatley, has lived in the Eastern Townships since graduating from Bishop’s in 1969. While our conversation was dominated by Gaiters sports, Tom takes an interest in all things Bishop’s.  

Born in London, Ontario, Tom’s family moved to Montreal during his childhood, where he lived up until his enrollment in Bishop’s. As a member of the class of ‘69, Tom’s years at Bishop’s were very busy. He was a dual varsity athlete and played as a linebacker in football and a right winger in hockey for the Gaiters. Playing one varsity sport is usually more than the average athlete can handle, and it’s safe to say that I was extremely impressed to hear Tom played two sports. On the academic side of his Bishop’s career, Tom studied history and political science before getting his teaching certificate.  

In 1969, Tom began teaching English and History at Alexander Galt High School, where he was part of the first teaching class. After 2 years of teaching high school, Tom began working as the sports animator at Champlain College in 1973, where he ran sports activities at Champlain venues. While teaching high school, Tom realized his true passion is found in coaching rather than teaching and decided to make a career change. During his time with the Cougars, Tom helped inaugurate their football program in 1974. In 1979, Tom returned to the Gaiters athletic department, this time on the administrative staff, where he ran the facilities. Having never lost his passion for football, Tom began coaching football as the Gaiters’ defensive coordinator. He held this role up until his retirement in 2002. Tom succeeded Bruce Coulter in the early 1990s and also became the athletic director.

Now, Tom takes more of a backstage role with Gaiter Athletics, but his presence is still felt. Never one to sit still, Tom currently has a consulting company for sports management that helps athletes, especially Gaiters, transition from varsity to professional sports. Additionally, Tom still mentors Gaiter coaches and works to better the conditions for student athletes. He is currently in the middle of a campaign raising money for athletic scholarships and assistant coach salaries, which will be incredibly beneficial for all athletes on campus.  

Outside of sports, Tom is highly involved in politics; he was a city councilor in Sherbrooke for 8 years. All in all, Tom was involved in politics for 16 years.  

When asked if he planned to stay in Lennoxville permanently, Tom said that it had never even occurred to him. After graduating, he got married and decided to stay. Although starting a family in the Eastern Townships may not have been something that Tom planned, he thoroughly enjoyed it, saying, “At the end of the day, it’s an absolutely wonderful place to bring up our children.” 

My favorite thing about our conversation wasn’t our shared interest in sports, but rather our shared agreement in the fact that university is about teaching life lessons. At Bishop’s, there are plenty of opportunities for you to grow as a person, no matter where you’re from or what you get out of your experience.