Bates dedicates scoreboard in McDuffee’s memory

The Bates College community will gather during Homecoming Weekend to dedicate a scoreboard in memory of Morgan W. McDuffee, at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, on the Campus Avenue Field, adjacent to John Bertram Hall, 78 Central Avenue. An alumni lacrosse game follows the dedication.

In a fund-raising effort led by lacrosse head coach Peter Lasagna that realized gifts totaling nearly $21,000 from Bates alumni and Lewiston-Auburn community members, Bates will honor McDuffee, a senior who was killed in March 2002, with the permanent scoreboard.  “The generosity of many, including people who never knew Morgan, has made this possible,” said Lasagna. “Morgan McDuffee’s name and memory will become a permanent part of the campus and the field on which he played with such passion.”

Captain of the lacrosse team while at Bates, McDuffee was stabbed to death on March 3, 2002, while intervening in a street fight near campus. He was a scholar-athlete who earned an A on his senior thesis in macroeconomics. His degree was awarded posthumously to his parents, Regis McDuffee of Newburyport, Mass., and Lisa Freeman of Peterborough, N.H., at the Bates commencement in May 2002.

Organized by friends of McDuffee, a 5K-memorial run was held on the first anniversary of  his death and proceeds were donated to an American Red Cross program addressing issues of youth violence. Called “The McDuffee Fund for Safe Schools,” the initiative was founded in summer 2002 by Suzanna Andrew, McDuffee’s fiancée.