North Elba Park District Manager Eugene "Butch" Martin poses with his wife Lori before his retirement party Jan. 1 at the Craig Wood Golf Course. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

LAKE PLACID — As friends and community leaders streamed into the Craig Wood Golf Course clubhouse around 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 11, former North Elba town Councilman Jerry Strack stood in front of a table full of photos and awards for the man of the evening — retiring North aElba Park District Manager Eugene “Butch” Martin.

After more than 41 years managing the department — which operates world-class venues such as the North Elba Athletic Fields, North Elba Show Grounds, municipal beach, Lake Placid Toboggan Chute and the golf course — Martin has handed over the reins to Matt St. Louis.

The evening was filled with memories of work and play, a number of hockey references and speeches from several men who have known him personally and professionally — some as early as the 1960s. A 1970 graduate of the Lake Placid High School, Martin played hockey when he was young, began working as a rink attendant in 1967 at the Olympic Arena, continued working there in the summer during college and moved back to his hometown in time to work for arena manager Bob Allen prior to and during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games.

On the table was Martin’s framed Lake Placid Hall of Fame induction certificate, and photos included those with friends and family, as a hockey coach and referee, two posing with the Stanley Cup and some with co-workers and friends who are no longer with us, such as former Lake Placid Mayor and North Elba Supervisor Shirley Seney and former Olympic Center General Manager Denny Allen. There were also two ID badges from the 1980 Olympics; Martin was the director of operations at the Olympic Center and was a firsthand witness to the famed “Miracle on Ice” hockey game between the U.S. and Soviet teams.

“Still to this day, when I walk in the rink, my hair stands up remembering that time,” Martin said later in the evening.

Former North Elba town Councilman Jerry Strack looks at photos and awards honoring North Elba Park District Manager Eugene “Butch” Martin during a Jan. 11 retirement party in the Craig Wood Golf Course clubhouse celebrating Martin’s career. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Emcee John Morgan — a Saranac Lake native — set the tone for the evening, introducing 72-year-old Martin as a man “who’s going to finally retire after working 10 years beyond his age.” Looking at the list of VIP speakers, Morgan said, “Originally I thought this was going to be a roast,” and then he talked about his early days playing hockey in the 1960s.

“So Saranac Lake and Lake Placid have this fondness, as we all know, for each other,” Morgan said. “And when I grew up, my parents started making me play hockey. We had an outdoor rink. … And I came over to play hockey and we got beat by Pee Wee Hockey in Lake Placid 13 to 2, 14 to 6. We got our asses kicked every time we came over here. So I quit. I went to basketball, because I knew we could beat Lake Placid in basketball.”

Morgan pointed out two of those Lake Placid hockey players from the 1960s “who scored all those goals against Saranac Lake” in the crowd: Butch Martin and Bill Beaney.

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Buzzy

John Morgan raises a glass during a toast to Eugene “Butch” Martin during the North Elba Park District manager’s retirement party Jan. 11 at the Craig Wood Golf Course. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

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Morgan then introduced the first speaker of the night: “Surprisingly, Butch and him became good friends through hockey.”

“Be nice now,” Martin said as Buzzy Rickard walked up to the podium.

Rickard began by talking about the many conversations he and Martin have had over the years.

“And every once in a while, Butch likes to talk about the New York state champion Lake Placid Blue Bombers that he coached in 1980,” he said. “Well, I tried out for that team, and Butch cut me. And I’m over it. I can’t even believe I brought it up. The scarring is gone, and the anger is gone. They won the state championships.”

Buzzy Rickard speaks Jan. 11 at the retirement party for North Elba Park District Manager Eugene "Butch" Martin. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Rickard and Martin spoke over the years about the many world-class events in town, such as the Ironman Lake Placid triathlon, the Lake Placid Summit Classic lacrosse tournament and the Lake Placid Horse Shows.

“But one of my favorite phone calls, I tell you how it goes,” Rickard said. “I call Butch. He answers the phone. And I say, ‘Butch Martin!’ And he chuckles and I’ll say, ‘What’s up buddy?’ And I’ll say, ‘I have a question.’ And he’ll go, ‘What?!’ And a lot of you folks in here know what the question is, especially this time of year. It’s a pretty popular question with Butch, so if you want to help me out, go ahead. You ready?

“When is the toboggan slide going to open?”

Rickard said, in all those conversations, Martin didn’t really talk about retirement.

“I truly believe that Butch loved every day and every minute that he went into his offices,” he said. “Sure he had challenges. And we all know how hard it is for Butch to say ‘no’ or ‘we can’t do that.’ But he’d always tell me with great pride how hard his crew worked to turn those challenges into successes.”

Kevin Leveille speaks Jan. 11 at the retirement party for North Elba Park District Manager Eugene "Butch" Martin. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Then Rickard asked the crowd to raise a glass for a toast.

“Butch, may you wake up every morning with a plan to do all of your favorite things,” he said. “And may you go to bed every evening with a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Kind of like how you feel when you think you’ve figured out how to keep the squirrels from eating all the bird seed at your house.”

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Lacrosse

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Friends and family of Eugene “Butch” Martin (foreground) raise their glasses to toast the North Elba Park District manager during his retirement party Jan. 11 at the Craig Wood Golf Course in Lake Placid. Standing behind him is his wife, Lori. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Lake Placid Summit Classic event coordinator Kevin Leveille spoke next, reading from a speech his father George wrote. George Leveille, a co-founder of the Lake Placid lacrosse tournament, was not able to attend the retirement party. The tournament is held annually at the North Elba Athletic Fields.

Kevin said he first met Martin when he was 8 years old the first year of the tournament in 1990. He didn’t remember that day too well.

“But I do remember as being an 8- to 13-year-old hearing ‘Butch, Butch, Butch, Butch.’ I don’t know any other Butches, but I’ve heard your name so many times as a kid growing up.”

Since day one, George’s speech began, there’s been a continuous thread with lacrosse in Lake Placid, and that’s been Butch Martin.

And there was one key phrase that always seemed to come out of Martin’s mouth: “No problem.”

“I’ve heard these two words many, many times over the last 35 years,” Kevin said, “and no matter how difficult or challenging the situation, it was always, ‘No problem.'”

Working with Martin was described as a “cooperative, productive and friendly partnership.”

“Working long hours and days, seven days a week, dawn to dusk, especially weekends, not with your family. No problem.

“Managing last-minute changes, stressed out event staff, conflicting information, missing parts, setup mistakes, equipment failure. No problem.”

George also described Martin as a true professional in his trade, empathetic and creative as a problem solver, and the Park District manager showed the Leveilles how to operate and sustain a world-class event venue.

“Butch, you are a gold medal of the human kind,” Kevin said.

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Roby

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Former Lake Placid Mayor and North Elba town Supervisor Roby Politi walked to the front of the podium.

“I’ve got a big mouth. I don’t need a mic,” he said. “There are going to be a lot of toasts tonight.”

Politi said there was a lot of adversity in Martin’s job.

“It takes a very special person to do what he did. When I came in here tonight, I said to Matt, ‘You better listen to this because you’re going to have to take this kind of adversity on going forward.'”

Before Politi asked the crowd to raise a glass for Martin, he read a “little poetic toast” he’d written, which was inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “If.”

“It’s all about adversity in life, and it applies to Butch’s life,” Politi said.

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Butch’s “If”

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“If you can keep your head when all about you,

“Are asking why the toboggan slide is closed and then doubt you,

“If you can wait and not be tired of waiting,

“For the board to approve your budget at times frustrating,

“If you can dream of perfect days,

“Of no complaints and endless praise,

“If you can cope with manure piles and harassing calls,

“Barking dogs and lack of stalls;

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“If you can endure hockey drama and lifeguard fashions,

“And marathons with enthusiasm,

“If you can deal with triumph and disaster,

“And concede the outcome, you will be the master.

“If you can bear the pretense from others spoken,

“And hold your head with spirit never broken,

“If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew,

“To stay on for 42 years and then ponder to continue;

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“If you can walk with celebrities and those of fame,

“And always remember your beginnings yet remain the same,

“If such things you’ve wagered in life, well, now you’ve won,

“Your mark is made, your job is done.

“So now to yearn for that sunny beach and darkened tan,

“The time has come to relax, old man.

“For yours was truly a great career,

“Rewarding, successful and heartfelt, sincere.

“So tonight we raise a glass to note such rarity,

“And toast forever your good health and prosperity.”

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Then Politi asked people to lift their glasses.

“May you live as long as you like and have all you like as long as you live.”

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Tourism

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Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism CEO Jim McKenna said he began his current role as Lake Placid’s head tourism official in 1982, the same year Martin was hired as the North Elba Park District manager.

“And over this time period, Butch, I don’t think people understand or realize what has actually been accomplished and how it was accomplished,” McKenna said, noting the events Martin has helped host. “There’s been some challenging times at a lot of those events, but it was always done for the right reasons. Butch, you did it for the right reasons, and you did it quietly. And you didn’t have to have recognition. You did it for the benefit of the community. …

“What makes it successful is building the relationships with the people that we work with, and, Butch, you’ve done that.

“You have made a difference, no doubt about it. You made the community a better place, not only for us but you made it for the visitors as well.

“Thank you, Butch, and stay engaged.”

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Town thanks

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North Elba town Supervisor Derek Doty called the retirement party “a great tribute to a great man” before unpacking a plaque.

“It’s only fitting to describe Butch as an icon, considering the dedication and commitment he has demonstrated in every facet of our community,” Doty said. “Butch’s legacy is one that goes beyond simply doing a good job. It’s a testament to a life spent tirelessly on call, whether it be for events, coaching or refereeing. Butch has been much more than just a manager. He’s been a mentor, a source for inspiration and a friend to many. His ability to bring people together to foster a sense of community and to install a shared appreciation for our public spaces has been something to be admired.”

North Elba Park District Clerk Chelsie Geesler handed Martin the town’s plaque and gave him a hug.

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Mentor

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On behalf of the state Olympic Regional Development Authority, Olympic Center General Manager Chadd Cassidy presented Martin with two of the original red seats from the 1980 Herb Brooks Arena, which were torn out and replaced in recent years as the facility was upgraded. The metal plate below the chairs reads: “Thank you for your years of dedicated service to the Olympic Authority and Town of North Elba. We wish you the best on your retirement.”

“You’ve served as an incredible mentor to the next generation,” Cassidy said.

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Mayor

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As the speeches were winding down, Lake Placid Mayor Art Devlin walked to the front of the podium for a few heartfelt words.

“Butch is the type of person that works in the background, wants no credit but really deserves it,” Devlin said. “He never says no. He’s always helpful. He helps you solve your problem or gives you enough to solve your problem.”

Man of the evening

After the accolades, it was time for Martin to say a few words.

“As I was staying home this afternoon for the first time in a long time, I was watching ESPN on a day when Bill Belichick was finished and Nick Saban (retired) — two guys that I always paid attention to, their style, their work ethic,” Martin said. “Often we look at our pros and take little bits and pieces from them.”

Martin told a story from his younger days when he was a kid in the 1960s and how he got started at the 1932 Olympic Arena.

“My early years, my mom used to send us up to St. Eustace on Sunday mornings with a quarter in our pocket to put in a plate,” he said. “Well, on the way to St. Eustace was the Olympic Arena. And we’d stop in and Bern Farley would hand us brooms, and we’d go and sweep the Roamers room out after the night before. So that was my start in the arena business.”

Martin also remembered the long summer days during the girls skating program.

“We’d go from seven in the morning until two in the morning, not much down time,” he said. “And that kept us busy. We’d then go down to the Arena Grill at night to spend all the money we made.”

Martin also talked about Bob Allen.

“Bob Allen was a person who believed in what we did,” he said. “We worked for the community. We did things to improve. If we could put 10 people in a hotel for the weekend, we’d take it. We did a parachute jump at the airport one year, and we were chasing parachutes down the River Road after that. But they stayed the night and got into some hotel rooms and made some money.”

Seeing community leaders working hard for the town prior to the 1980 Olympics — such as Louisa Raymond at the chamber of commerce, North Elba Supervisor Jack Shea and members of the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee — inspired him to be a community-minded public servant.

“Spending those times with that crew established me as a community guy, and that’s what my career is going to be,” he said.

After leaving the podium, Martin quickly returned to say a few more words.

“As we go through life and we have all the good times, there are always sad times,” he said, fighting back tears. “During my tenure, I lost three of the greatest friends I ever had: Chip Ormsby, Bobby Preston and Denny Allen. And I wish they could be here today. … Great memories, great friends, just left way too soon.”

Former North Elba town Supervisor Roby Politi reads a humorous poem he wrote to toast retiring North Elba Park District Manager Eugene “Butch” Martin Jan. 11 at the Craig Wood Golf Course clubhouse in Lake Placid. Watching at left are local photographer Nancie Battaglia and current North Elba Supervisor Derek Doty. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Jim McKenna speaks Jan. 11 at the retirement party for North Elba Park District Manager Eugene "Butch" Martin. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

North Elba Park District Clerk Chelsie Geesler hands retiring Park District Manager Eugene "Butch" Martin a plaque from the town of North Elba during his Jan. 11 retirement party. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Chadd Cassidy speaks Jan. 11 at the retirement party for North Elba Park District Manager Eugene "Butch" Martin. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

The state Olympic Regional Development Authority gave two original 1980 Olympic Center chairs to retiring North Elba Park District Manager Eugene "Butch" Martin on Jan. 11. (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Lake Placid Mayor Art Devlin speaks Jan. 11 at the retirement party for North Elba Park District Manager Eugene "Butch" Martin. (News photo — Andy Flynn)