PHILADELPHIA -
Saturday, July 9 was a day that none of us anticipated. It was a day that we wished never came to pass. And it is a day that will remain with us forever. We came together this weekend as a family to bury our brother, Charles. We mourned his passing, but we also expressed our love for him, our love for his family and the love that many of us share for one another.
We will all carry our own memories of Charles. But all of us will remember him, as Brian Gallagher described, as BIG. Torpey was a huge presence in the life of La Salle University. He influenced and mentored hundreds of student-athletes. Charles was highly respected in the cross country and track and field community. And we can also take comfort in the fact that, as his good friend Al Cantello described, “Coach Torpey died doing what he had done all his life...sacrificing. His passion for his profession will for generations endure.”
As Charles would tell us, and as Janice reminded me, we must now begin to look toward the future. La Salle has a rich history in the world of cross country and track and field. Charles has left an indelible mark on the program as the result of 17 years of tireless effort on behalf of La Salle. I want to assure that we will continue this legacy of excellence and we will begin our work immediately to identify a leader for the program. Torpey would have it no other way.
We are not looking for someone to replace Charles. There is no one that will ever replace “Torp” and what he has done for all of us. The program is, however, in an excellent position to attract some highly qualified candidates and we will work tirelessly to identify an outstanding coach, leader and mentor for our student-athletes.
We will involve alumni and alumnae athletes, our current student-athletes and others in our process. This search process is a matter of utmost importance. And as one alumna wrote to me, “we all share the vision that the new track coach should be of the highest caliber La Salle can garner and someone who is dedicated to the mission of shaping lives as well as bringing home championships.” It our intention to have someone in place for the Fall, 2011.
Finally, as I mentioned in an earlier message, we will plan some type of memorial for the fall semester. I spoke with many student-athletes and alumni this past weekend about this matter as well as how we might honor the spirit of Charles Torpey. Please contact me directly with any thoughts about how we might best accomplish this.
Sincerely
Dr. Tom Brennan
Director of Athletics, La Salle University
