Hall of Fame
Kathryn Arcaro Charbonneau ’87 – Class of 1997
Beyond the numbers…
Four high school most valuable player awards – two in basketball; two in cross country. A total of 1,221 points for a college career average of 13.2 points a game. Led the Dolphins in scoring and in assists as a sophomore, junior and senior. Number one cross-country runner at Le Moyne, and the first woman to star in the sport. Selected basketball “coach of the year” after C.W. Baker H.S. won the Section III championship in 1994-95 with a 20-4 record – and a team academic average of 93.75 percent.
Scorer, playmaker, runner, coach. But the numbers only begin to tell the story of this teacher of mathematics. The equation is far more complex. Factor in diminutive size – but apply an exponent to quickness. Multiply talent by energy and drive. Derive a constant from understated, steady leadership and apply it to improve the performance of an entire team.
The computation results in an individual with a capacity to excel in a wide variety of endeavors and a person whose presence creates possibilities where none would have existed.
It can be expected that the daughter of a coach will understand the subtleties and nuances of sport. This woman’s standard was set higher by a father revered as a mentor, a man whose influence on those he touched extended far beyond athletic competition. She has lived up to that standard.
She played with distinction on Dolphin teams struggling to build a tradition in the shadow of more established men’s programs; teams that competed in front of sparse crowds; teams that regularly faced more talented opponents; teams that took motivation from their own will to win; teams that required the maximum contribution from every member, in every contest, to be competitive.
No Le Moyne athlete has displayed more heart and energy and provided more inspiration to her team. She had the talent to make a difference and the character to instill those around her with the understanding that victory was possible. With her presence, those Le Moyne teams were inevitably, competitive.
After graduation she has brought that capacity to bear as a teacher and as a coach, in the classroom and on the sidelines. The demands of a teaching and coaching career have not diminished her ability to build with her husband Michael, a warm, supportive environment for her family.
The numbers define her as one of the most accomplished athletes to wear green and gold. The will to succeed and the boundless energy she brings to all her endeavors go far beyond the numbers, defining a person of true substance in a fashion that continues to reflect honor on her alma mater, and therefore,
Kathryn Arcaro Charbonneau ’87 is inducted to the
Le Moyne College Athletic Hall of Fame
February 1 1997
