In the books, it would appear that Lionel Geller retired from his teaching job in Math at Dawson many years ago. But the truth is, he has never left. Serving as a mentor and confidante to members of Dawson’s women’s hockey team since the program was started, tutoring students and student-athletes at PARC, Lionel can be seen shepherding students through those hallways in the quest for academic excellence and commitment to sport.

Now his “extracurricular” sporting life has been recognized by the NDG borough, and its mayor Russell Copeman, with a plaque unveiling on August 19 afternoon that shows the field will bear the name of Lionel Geller. At the ceremony held under sunny skies on the pitcher’s mound of Loyola Park, Lionel’s family and friends, Dawson colleagues and members of various NDG sporting associations heard how much Lionel has given in time and dedication to instilling the passion of sport in young people. His motto, it’s all about the kids, is emblazoned on the plaque that will be placed on the fence behind the catcher’s mound.

It’s a motto Lionel has held to no matter what the age, the sport, the circumstances of young athletes; a well-deserved honour for a true gentleman and community activist in the purest sense of the word.

The honour bestowed upon Lionel was widely covered in the media. See the Gazette http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/loyola-park-baseball-field-in-n-d-g-to-be-named-after-lionel-geller and Global News http://globalnews.ca/news/3682651/ndg-baseball-diamond-renamed-in-honour-of-legendary-volunteer/ coverage by clicking on the links.