Born in 1932 into a family that had already established itself as the bedrock of town team baseball in West Paris, Stan Doughty followed his father and uncles onto Hal Perham Field and added a new chapter to the Doughty diamond legacy.
“Baseball was part of the daily diet in West Paris,” recalls Doughty, “you got up and this (baseball) is what you’re supposed to do.”
A stand-out athlete at West Paris High School, Stan played five summers for that town’s beloved Bulldogs in the storied Pine Tree League. Doughty fondly remembers the halcyon years of town team ball: “Back then people were very competitive and very proud of their community. Supporting the town team was the perfect way to express those impulses.”
Noting the fierce rivalries that sprang up among teams from Rumford, West Minot, Mechanic Falls, Livermore and Jay, Doughty did concede that the intensity for one of West Paris’ most “hated” rivals, Bryant Pond, did abate somewhat when he married Sylvia Whitman, daughter of the manager of that town’s nine.
Doughty entered Colby College in 1950 and started four seasons for Coach Ed Roundy’s Mules, playing mostly at third base but filling in where needed so well that one scribe, referring to Stan’s versatility, called him “Colby’s Billy Goodman.”
While attending Colby, Doughty played for the Waterville Wrens in the summer of 1952, and the following summer for the Augusta Millionaires, both entries in the Downeast League being sponsored by Harold Alfond and Lee Williams to provide the Colby players a summer outlet. Following graduation, Stan continued his playing career with the Dixfield Townies and Auburn Asas.
In 1954 Stan landed a teaching job in the town of Lisbon. “It was a good baseball town. My first salary was $2,900 and I taught driver education, JV basketball, JV football and varsity baseball.” That was the start of a 37-year career teaching social studies at Lisbon High School and a 20-year career as head coach of varsity baseball that saw his team compile a 175-77 record and 5 Kennebec Valley championships over that span.
Doughty added athletic director duties in 1964 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 1991.
A chance to stoke the competitive fire again and the lure of being a teammate of his former students brought Stan, glove and spikes well-seasoned, back to the diamond in 1963. A core of young Lisbon ballplayers, with backing from Roberts Pharmacy in Lisbon Falls, started up the Lisbon 88’ers to compete in the Andy County League. Stan was induced to lend a veteran presence to the club and played for six seasons, averaging .335 over the final segment of his lustrous career.
Seeing the lack of playing opportunities for youngsters in Lisbon, Stan and several other interested parents were instrumental in forming the Lisbon Little League in 1970. “We had 15 or 16 teams when we started” Doughty proudly recalls, “we played all summer, with a week off in July for family vacations, and the kids loved it.”
Looking back over a memorable playing, coaching and teaching career that arced the West Paris Bulldogs, Colby White Mules, Lisbon Greyhounds and Robert 88’ers, Stan Doughty is most proud of the example he strove to instill every day he set foot on the field or in the classroom: “Treat your students and players with fairness and honesty, play the game the right way and execute the fundamentals.” The Maine Baseball Hall of Fame is proud to recognize a lifetime of distinguished service to these ideals.
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