A celebration of the life of Arthur Valicenti '51 P '75, '75, '77 GP '10, '14 will be held Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. in the Academy's Center for the Arts (CFA). 

Valicenti, an iconic figure in the history of Thayer Academy, died Thursday, Jan. 23, at age 87. The Weymouth native served Thayer Academy for decades in a number of roles including football, hockey, and baseball head coach as well as longtime athletic director. He founded Thayer's hockey program in 1958, was integral to Thayer's admittance into the ISL, and coached the Academy's famed "Un-Un-Un" football team in 1964. He is a member of both the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame and the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. In 1991, he was inducted as the sole charter member of the Thayer Academy Sports Hall of Fame.

In the fall of 2019, the beloved coach witnessed the dedication of the Arthur Valicenti Rink at Thayer Sports Center, the culmination of his lifelong dream. 

"Coach Valicenti was among the most influential figures in our school's long history," wrote Head of School Ted Koskores '70 P '10, '13 in a Jan. 24 letter to the Thayer community mourning the loss of Valicenti.

The Feb. 9 celebration will be the sole public remembrance for Coach Valicenti. All members of the Thayer community are invited to attend to honor a coach who changed so many lives for the better. 

In lieu of flowers, the Valicenti Family requests that donations be made to the Arthur T. Valicenti '51 Fund. The fund provides financial assistance to a Thayer student who demonstrates a commitment to academics, athletics, and sportsmanship both on and off the playing field.  

For Coach Valicenti's obituary, please click here. 

A member of Thayer's Class of 1951, Valicenti founded its hockey program in 1958.