Boyle a fitting moniker for new Flathead gym

Gene Boyle’s legacy was long and deep in the Flathead Valley, and we can’t think of a better person to commemorate in naming the new Flathead High School gymnasium.

A formal request to name the gym after Boyle has been submitted by Flathead Activities Director Bryce Wilson to the school board for its consideration. This decision is sure to be a slam-dunk.

Boyle, who passed away three years ago, was an extraordinary and exuberant leader on many levels in the local education system and beyond. He inspired generations of students to be better students, athletes and people in this world.

“When you talk about Flathead High School, you think of the spirit of Gene Boyle,” Wilson told the Inter Lake in a 2015 interview. “As a former player, that’s what I always think about when I think of Flathead. I think of the cheers that he led and the spirit that he provided the student body.”

Boyle was first hired by Flathead in 1976 as a math teacher and football coach. Just four years later, he was named assistant principal and activities director while leading the Braves to a state runner-up finish on the gridiron. Holding his Flathead tenure for 22 years before becoming the principal of St. Matthew’s School in 1998, Boyle touched the lives of everyone he encountered, paving the way for a new generation of leaders.

He took over head coaching duties of Flathead softball the same year he started at St. Matthew’s, leading the Bravettes to two consecutive third-place finishes before a state championship in 2003.

“Gene is the epitome of what education is all about. He takes care of kids, coaches, and teachers. He’s very selfless,” Glacier Activities Director Mark Dennehy told the Daily Inter Lake several years ago when the Bravettes’ home field was named for Boyle. “Early on in my career, Gene was over every day. He mentored me along. Any question I had he’d provide me with good insight. He was always very helpful.”

Scores of Flathead alumni and Boyle’s colleagues and friends no doubt would echo those same sentiments.

Boyle’s legacy lives on in another way in the Flathead, too, with the annual “Gene Boyle — A Race to Remember” held to bring awareness to Alzheimer’s disease.

Leaders like Boyle don’t come along every day. In so many ways he was one-of-a-kind. His legacy is well worth remembering.