Let's write about Ron Turcotte: A memorial tribute

Over the years, I have had the honor to write a lot about Ron Turcotte because of his French-Canadian heritage.  Sadly, I am sharing his obitury here published in Blood Horse, by Byron King. My husband and I met Ron Turcotte several years ago when he spoke to a group in Waterville Maine.  When I wrote about him, I could actually call his home and his lovely wife "Gae" would answer the phone, she was a wealth of information.💗😇  

L'Heureux photo:  Ron Turcotte (b.1941-d.2025 ✝️RIP)  in Waterville Maine 😰

Reported in Blood Horse, by Byron King:

Retired famous jockey Ron Turcotte, remembered for riding Secretariat to win the 1973, Triple Crown during a Hall of Fame career that ended prematurely in 1978, due to a tragic racing injury, died of natural causes Aug. 22, in his Drummond home outside Grand Falls, New Brunswick, in Canada. He was 84. Turcotte's family formally announced his death through Leonard Lusky, his longtime friend and business representative.
"Ron was a great jockey and an inspiration to so many, both within and outside the racing world. While he reached the pinnacle of success in his vocation, it was his abundance of faith, courage, and kindness that was the true measure of his greatness," Lusky said.

Born in French speaking Canada, as the third oldest of 12 children in 1941, in Grand Falls, Turcotte initially supported his family as a teenager as a lumberjack before finding his calling at the racetrack. In the late 1950s, Turcotte connected with E. P. Taylor, the legendary Canadian owner and breeder. Turcotte went to Taylor's farm, hotwalking Thoroughbreds.
Slight in stature, he proved well suited to becoming a jockey and rode his first winner at Fort Erie Racetrack in Ontario in 1962. By the end of the year, he was the leading rider in Canada with 180 wins. In 1963, he again earned riding honors in Canada with 216 wins before leaving in September to ride in Maryland and later New York and Delaware. He would go on to massive success in the United States.

Besides riding Meadow Stable's Hall of Famer Secretariat, Turcotte also was the primary jockey for Meadow Stable champion and Hall of Famer Riva Ridge, winner of the 1972 Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes. Lucien Laurin trained both colts.
When Turcotte won the 1973 Derby with Secretariat, he became the first jockey since Jimmy Winkfield in 1902, to win consecutive editions of the race. Turcotte was North America's leading stakes-winning jockey in 1972 and 1973. He was honored with the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1973. Only Laffit Pincay Jr. earned more money than Turcotte in 1973, among North American jockeys.

Turcotte also would ride Hall of Famers Arts and Letters, Dahlia, Damascus, Dark Mirage, Fort Marcy, Northern Dancer, and Shuvee in addition to the Meadow Stable stars. He captured his first Triple Crown race with Tom Rolfe in the 1965 Preakness Stakes and won 3,032 races overall.

Ron Turcotte statue in Grand Falls, New Brunswick Canada

Turcotte's riding career was cut short on July 13, 1978, when he was unseated from his mount, Flag of Leyte Gulf, in his final race of the afternoon at Belmont Park. His horse clipped heels and stumbled, tossing Turcotte. The rider broke his neck in the fall and was paralyzed from the waist down.

That year, he was awarded a Sovereign Award as Man of the Year. At the time, the only other men to receive Man of the Year honors were E.P. Taylor and Jack Diamond.

Other honors for Turcotte included Canadian Thoroughbred horse racing's 1978 Avelino Gomez Memorial Award and the Turf Publicists of America's 1978 Big Sport of Turfdom Award. In 1974, Turcotte was inducted into the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor.

Following his retirement from the saddle, Turcotte made appearances at racetracks to raise money and awareness on behalf of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
Turcotte married his childhood sweetheart, Gaetane, in 1964. The couple has four daughters: Tina, Ann, Lynn, and Tammy. After his riding career ended, he returned to Drummond to live on his farm.

"The world may remember Ron as the famous jockey of Secretariat, but to us he was a wonderful husband, a loving father, grandfather, and a great horseman," the Turcotte family said in a statement distributed by Lusky.

Turcotte recovered from setbacks during his retirement, including breaking both legs in a driving accident in 2015 when his van flipped after hitting a snowbank in New Brunswick.

Turcotte was the last surviving member of the individuals most closely associated with Secretariat's racing career. Owner Penny Chenery died in 2017, at age 95. Laurin died in 2000.
Secretariat died in 1989, euthanized after developing laminitis.
Secretariat's Triple Crown campaign and Turcotte's association with the Meadow Stable champion were depicted in the 2010 blockbuster film "Secretariat." Turcotte was further the subject of the award-winning documentary "Secretariat's Jockey: Ron Turcotte," as well as several books, including his 1992 biography "The Will to Win" by Bill Heller.

The family requests privacy while plans are formalized for a private funeral. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to the PDJF.

Tributes to Turcotte
"Ron Turcotte was a true Canadian icon whose impact on horse racing is immeasurable. From his incredible journey aboard Secretariat to his lifelong commitment to the sport, Ron carried himself with humility, strength, and dignity. His legacy in racing, both here at Woodbine and around the world, will live forever. We mourn his loss and celebrate a life that inspired many."—Jim Lawson, executive chair of Woodbine Entertainment

"The board of directors of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and its recipients mourn the passing of one of our greatest champions and ambassadors. Ron's tireless advocacy and efforts on behalf of his fellow fallen rider is beyond measure.

Although he is appropriately recognized as a member of the Racing Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in the saddle, his contributions to the PDJF established him as a giant in the hearts of all associated with this organization. His memory and his impact will live on forever. Our thoughts and prayers are with Gaetane, their daughters, and his family and friends at this difficult time."—William J. Punk Jr., PDJF chairman


"The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association joins the entire racing community in mourning the passing of Ron Turcotte, one of the sport's most celebrated and beloved jockeys. Best remembered as the rider of Secretariat during the unforgettable 1973 Triple Crown, Ron's place in racing history is secure. Yet beyond the record-breaking victories, he was admired for his humility, courage, and lifelong dedication to Thoroughbred racing. His legacy will forever be intertwined with the greatness of our sport. 

On behalf of horsemen and horsewomen across the country, we extend our deepest condolences to Ron's family, friends, and all who were touched by his remarkable life."—The National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association

"Ron Turcotte was an icon and will forever be fondly remembered as the trusted partner of legendary Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown winner Secretariat, arguably the most popular Thoroughbred in history. As a two-time Kentucky Derby winner, Ron's many accomplishments on the racetrack and his deep passion for horse racing brought countless fans to the sport. He will be greatly missed. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fans all over the world."—Churchill Downs racetrack president Mike Anderson

"Ron Turcotte will be forever remembered for guiding Secretariat to Triple Crown glory in 1973. While his courage as a jockey was on full display to a nation of adoring fans during that electrifying time, it was after he faced a life-altering injury that we learned about the true character of Ron Turcotte. By devoting himself to supporting fellow jockeys struggling through similar injuries, Ron Turcotte built a legacy defined by kindness and compassion. NYRA extends our sympathies to Ron Turcotte's family and friends, and we join the horse racing community in mourning his loss."—David O'Rourke, president and CEO of the New York Racing Association

Donald Trump and maga Republicans big ugly tax cuts for the rich are causing at least a dozen hospital closures

Echo report by Alan Condon, published in Becker's Hospital Review:

(Maine Writer opinion:  Although some of the hospitals in this report were operating on the edge of bankruptcy for a long time, the budget projections caused by cuts to Medicaid accelerated the inevitable.  The big problem is, some of these hospitals could have endured for a while, but the fiscal projections, given the reality of the reimbursement cuts, hastened their closure decisions.)

A growing number of health systems across the U.S. are making the difficult decision to close hospitals, driven by unsustainable financial pressures, declining patient volumes and widespread reimbursement challenges.

Below are 12 health systems that have closed or announced plans to close hospitals this year, with some pivoting to outpatient care, others consolidating services and many citing the economic realities that make traditional acute care models increasingly unviable:

1. St. Luke’s Des Peres Hospital in St. Louis closed Aug. 1. The hospital cited low patient volumes and mounting financial challenges that make it unsustainable to continue operating St. Luke’s as an acute care facility. St. Luke’s Medical Group practices in the Des Peres medical office buildings will remain open.

2. Rockford, Ill.-based Javon Bea Hospital-Rockton closed after Mercyhealth filed a “temporary suspension of services” with the state, a spokesperson for the health system confirmed to Becker’s. The hospital building closed at 6 a.m. on July 1, according to NBC affiliate WREX.com. The physician clinic adjacent to the hospital campus will remain open.

3. Heritage Valley Health System closed Heritage Valley Kennedy Hospital in Kennedy Township, Pa., on June 30, citing declining patient volumes and reduced reimbursement rates. The health system acquired the hospital in 2019. Following the closure, emergency care, outpatient surgery, and diagnostic services were redirected to the health system’s two other hospital locations in Sewickley and Beaver, Pa.

4. Waterville, Maine-based Northern Light Inland Hospital closed on May 27, marking the end of operations for the facility that has been gradually winding down since the closure was announced earlier this year. Northern Light Health’s decision to close the hospital was made due to “immense pressure of higher operational costs, unsustainably low reimbursement rates and a tight labor market,” the health system said in a news release shared with Becker’s.

5. Moulton, Ala.-based Lawrence Medical Center, an affiliate of Huntsville Hospital Health System, permanently closed its emergency department on May 23. The 98-bed hospital stopped providing inpatient services earlier this year and had been operating as a freestanding emergency department. The closure is part of a strategic shift to convert the hospital into an outpatient-only facility. The move comes ahead of a 40-year lease agreement that will give Huntsville Hospital Health full operational and financial control of Lawrence Medical Center. The longtime affiliates have operated financially independently until now.

6. Upland, Pa.-based Crozer Health wound down operations and closed its two remaining hospitals and other care facilities. The health system, which was owned and operated by Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Systems, closed Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland on May 2. Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park, Pa., closed April 26. Nearly 2,700 employees were laid off as a result of the closures.

7. Mid Coast Medical Center Trinity (Texas) closed April 25. El Campo, Texas-based Mid Coast Health System, which operated the hospital, pointed to “significant financial challenges experienced by hundreds of rural hospitals” that have been made worse by “delays in establishing Medicare and Medicaid billing with commercial health insurance” for the closure,

8. Flint, Mich.-based Insight Health System closed Insight Hospital and Medical Center Trumbull and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital — both in Warren, Ohio — in late March. The health system cited ongoing bankruptcy and financial disruptions from former owner Dallas-based Steward Health Care. Insight has stated its intention to reopen the hospitals, though no specific timeline has been announced.

9. Ascension St. Elizabeth in Chicago closed Feb. 17 before Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare’s acquisition of the facility and eight other Ascension hospitals in Illinois. St. Louis-based Ascension’s application to close the 40-bed hospital and transfer services to St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital in Chicago was approved in January by the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board. Prime is working with the community and other stakeholders to explore future uses for the hospital, a spokesperson for the health system told Becker’s.

10. New York City-based Mount Sinai’s Beth Israel closed on April 9. Beth Israel had already closed inpatient services and closed its emergency department as the last step in the hospital’s comprehensive closure plan, which began in February. Mount Sinai said it was spending between about $500,000 a day to maintain operations at the hospital and has lost over $1 billion over the last 10 years. Mount Sinai opened an expanded urgent care center two blocks away from Beth Israel following the closure.

11. Irving, Texas-based Christus Health shuttered Christus Santa Rosa Hospital-Medical Center in San Antonio on April 25. Christus Santa Rosa Hospital-Westover Hills opened a tower in the spring and replaced all inpatient beds occupied at Christus Santa Rosa Hospital.

12. Orlando (Fla.) Health shuttered Rockledge Hospital on April 22. Orlando Health acquired the 298-bed facility from Dallas-based Steward Health Care in October 2024 for $439 million. In late February, the health system shared plans to close the hospital due to “years of neglect” ❓❗😞😠that left the facility unable to meet its patient care standards.

Let's Write about the College of the Future- A vision to transcend attempts to politicize academia

The College of the Future Starts Here

An invitation to attend the inauguration ceremonies for Dr. Jeannine Uzzi, the 6th president of Thomas College in Waterville, on April 11th, 2025, opened an opportunity to learn about her vision for the future of higher learning. Her informative speech should be widely circulated, especially because she transcends the currenly growing environment where academia is becoming unfairly politicized.

Dear Students, Colleagues, Trustees, and Friends of the College

Dr. Jeannine Uzzi gave an educational speech abou the college of the future during her inauguration ceremony on April 11, 2025, to officially become the 6tth president of Thomas College in Waterville, Maine. Thomas College serves a student body filled with first-generation college students. It’s the kind of place where education can truly change the trajectory of a life. And she’s stepping in with clear eyes, a full heart, and the courage to lead.

People often ask me why anyone would want to be a college president today. I always answer, “How could I not want to be a college president today?” As someone who benefitted immensely from higher education, I feel an ethical imperative to spread the benefits of higher education to more learners. This is why I go to work every morning.

Yet today, nearly one third of Americans have decided that higher education isn’t worth it, and contrary to what we often see cited as the reason, it’s not only about cost. In Maine, for example, students can attend community college tuition-free, but college attendance is still down 20%. Americans widely acknowledge the objective benefits of a four-year degree when it comes to lifetime earning power and health outcomes, but many also say they do not value the education that leads to the degree. How did this happen?

If I asked you to close your eyes and imagine a college, you would probably picture a lush green lawn and buildings covered with ivy, all surrounded by a fence or wall—a beautiful barrier—between the college and the rest of reality. This image, while in many ways outdated, is informed by a sector of the economy that gives its highest ratings to schools that reject the most students. And while it is true that one highly selective university recently reported its cost of attendance at a whopping six figures per year, in reality, highly selective colleges and universities educate less than 5% of all American students.  

Today, a college degree and the benefits it affords are more accessible than ever. Degrees can be earned at any age, online, at one’s own pace, while working, and often at deep discounts off the full cost of attendance. And today’s colleges and universities—even those with modest price tags—abound with resources for learners of all kinds: degree and certification programs leading to lucrative fields; career counseling; financial literacy support; mental health counseling; and services for students with disabilities. Many colleges and universities also offer prior learning assessment for adult students who have met learning outcomes through work or military service. What is more, colleges and universities offer support for small businesses and a wide variety of professional development opportunities, not to mention arts and cultural events, many of which are open and free to the public. Colleges and universities often drive the economies of the towns and cities in which they are located.

It’s time for us to stop perseverating on the 3-4% of schools who reject 95% of their applicants and start celebrating the 95% of schools—schools like Thomas College—who accept the majority of students who apply. It’s time for us to stop worrying about the price of Stanford and start talking about the schools that educate the vast majority of American students. These institutions and all who support them must trumpet their existence and shout their impact from the rooftops. The U.S. economy is simply too large to rest on students educated by the Ivy League and its highly selective peers: we desperately need the institutions that provide critical access to higher education to build our future.

If we can let go of the idea of the college of the past—that ivy-covered gated community—we can start to imagine the college of the future. The college of the future will not seek first to guard its gate; it will not be elite or selective but impactful. The college of the future will embrace the need to provide multiple pathways to success for its students. The college of the future will be porous; it will welcome students from all walks of life; and it will be a catalyst for community, workforce, and economic development. The college of the future will have multiple routes in and out: well-traveled roads leading from the high schools and community colleges that feed it to the employers, communities, and sectors it feeds. The college of the future will reach out to its civic, educational, and corporate partners as a core part of its business model. It will proactively embody its connections to the public and private sectors; to corporate and non-profit partners; and to peer institutions not only in traditional higher education but also in career and technical education and the trades. Rather than an ivory tower, the college of the future will function as connective tissue between the present and future, both for individuals and for entire communities.

At Thomas, we have been “walking the walk” this year alongside our private high school partners and town academies: we have traveled from Thornton Academy to Washington Academy, from Gould Academy to the Hyde School, and on every visit we asked how Thomas College could help. What value could we add? What gap could Thomas fill in the school curriculum or summer programming? How could we get more students at those high schools excited not just about Thomas College but about college in general?

Some schools returned our visits with their own; some were so excited by the prospect of a partnership that they visited us before we could get to them. In every visit, there was something important to be learned and an opportunity to be explored for the mutual benefit of our institutions. This spring we delivered micro credentials in design thinking to students at the Maine School of Science and Mathematics and expertise in finance and entrepreneurship at Fryeburg Academy. This summer, we’ll host international students from Maine Central Institute, and in October, MSSM will host its Robotics Symposium at Thomas College.

Doris Bonneau of Auburn, Maine (left) and I were delighted to meet up with Dr. Glenn Cummings, the former President of the University of Southern Maine in Portland-Gorham and Lewiston, during the inauguration ceremonies. Always a pleasure to speak with Dr. Cummings! 

Thomas College has taken important steps toward becoming the college of the future, and next year our pace will only increase. The future of higher education is being written today at Thomas College. Join us, keep reading, and—when higher education is the topic—share our story!

Sending my best to you,


Jeannine Diddle Uzzi, Ph.D.
President