The Maine Man

Red Dean was not always a runner, but he was always a competitor and strove for excellence in all that he did. He excelled in the popular sports of baseball, football, and basketball, including playing for the Milwaukee Braves and being inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. He coached these sports and taught mathematics in the SAD #9 Wilton-Farmington system where he passed on the lessons of hard work and that ajob worth doing was worth doing well. He always mail)tained the importance of doing things the right way, remembering that family, integrity, and friendship were more important than recognition or material gains.

Warren N. "Red" Dean was born in West Paris, ME on January 27th, 1936. He graduated from Greenville High School in 1954 and from Farmington State Teachers College in 1961, also getting his masters degree there in 1968. He married Jane Dennison of Greenville and had two sons, Michael and Timothy, and a daughter, Bethany.

In the early-mid seventies forces came together or the stars lined up and Red was teaching at Mount Blue High School where fellow teachers Dennis Morrill and Dick Brown (later Athletes West trainer to Mary Decker, American record holder in the mile and many other distances) were involved in friendly running competition that caused the overweight baseball coach to say he could beat them both. Not long after that Danny Paul, Hall of Fame Runner from Portland, joined the English Department and started coaching the cross-country team. Red and Danny became fast friends with their shared beliefs, and soon began training together. He even got Red to run his 1st race in Greenville, where he finished 2nd. The rest is history!!

Red really got involved. He was always there when runners came to the Farmington area, whether it was to welcome them to running events he helped organize, such as the Northern Lights 5 Mile Run, or go on a training run with the Sandy River Runners. Maybe it was just a run with Red from the high school, or a run on the great trails behind the Franklin County Hospital. Of course afterwards they always had to join bini, Jane, and the family at their home to share friendship, food, drink, and maybe dare to challenge Red on his one hole golf course in the front yard.

Then in the eighties Red proved he was a runner to be reckoned with by becoming a top masters runner. When he reached the over 50 age group he showed he was nearly unbeatable in Maine, New England, and the country.

Central Maine Strider Runner of the Year 1986
Maine Running & Outing Runner of the Year 1988
Maine Track Club Runner of the Year 1989
New England Sports Publication Maine Runner of the Year 1989
New EngiandAC 15K Championship, Wilton, NH, 1st 50+ (56:22) 1988
New England AC IOK Championship, Smithfield, RI, 1st 50+ (37:48) 1988
New England AC 8K Championship, Lowell, MA, 2nd 50+ (28:34) 1988
Forest Ave. Mile, Portland, ME, 1st 50+, 8th place (4:51) 1988
Portland Boys Club 5 mile, 1st 50+, 46/600 runners (28:58) 1988
Terry Fox 5K, Bangor, ME, 1st 50+,16/350 runners (17:21) 1988
Doc's Tavern, Biddeford, Me, 1st 50+,12/300 runners (16:18) 1988
Bowdoin & Back 10 Mile, 1st 50+, 8/275 runners (57:47) 1988
lC1-USRA Masters National8K Championship, Naples, FL, 5th 50-45 (28:32) 1989

During Red's all too short life and running career, he remained true to his Maine character and proved you can excel in many areas of life without sacrificing the true values of family, friendships, and honest competition. Red died of complications following surgery on February 7, 2001.