Dr. Pierre Aucoin AP '21, '25, HD '64, has been announced as the 2004 Centennial Commencement Speaker. In the photo at right (Aucoin stands fourth from the left), he poses with the 1925 Assumption College basketball team.

Assumption College Invites Centenarian Alumnus to Speak At Centennial Year Commencement

March, 2004—Assumption College recently announced the Commencement speaker for the 2004 exercises, to be held on May 15, 2004. For this, the College's Centennial year, officials have asked centenarian Dr. Pierre Aucoin to deliver the annual address.

Dr. Aucoin is a graduate of the former Assumption High School, Class of 1921, received his B.A. in Liberal Studies from Assumption College in 1925, and graduated in 1933 from Laval University Medical School in Quebec. He retired as a general practitioner and surgeon in 1979 and has been an active and lifetime member of the College's President's Council. Dr. Aucoin is Assumption's oldest alumnus, having turned 100 years old this past December.

Over the years, he has kept close ties with Assumption College, serving as president of the former Assumption Preparatory School Alumni Association and as an officer and director of the Assumption College Alumni Association for many years. In 1956, he founded the Scholarship Association of Rumford and Mexico, ME, a group that provides financial assistance to Assumption students who hail from that area.

Dr. Aucoin was awarded an honorary degree from the College in 1964. He was elected into the Assumption Athletic Hall of Fame in 1970 for his athletic accomplishments. In 1973, Aucoin received the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year Award, in recognition of continued enthusiastic service and devotion to the advancement of the Alumni Association and Assumption College, as well as for distinguished service in the honoree’s field. In addition, he was awarded a President’s Medal from the College in 1995.

In the announcement to the College community, President Thomas Plough noted, "Anyone who has had the pleasure of spending time with Dr. Aucoin would readily understand why he is a rather special and appropriate role model to honor during the Assumption College Centennial. This wonderful centenarian came from a family of modest means and strong faith and values, profited from the Assumption College educational experience, went on to a wonderful medical vocation, and practices a lifestyle characterized by the civility and colleagueship so valued here at Assumption College. He is a treasure to share with the members of the Class of 2004."