Ipswich, Massachusetts, US
United States Marine Corps
LCPL, A CO, 1ST BN, 3RD MARINES, 3RD MARDIV, III MAF
Quang Tri, South Vietnam, 05/18/1967
Paul F. Doyon was born May 21st, 1948 and died at the age of nineteen on May 18th 1967 in Kwang Tree province in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He was a corporal in the United State Marine Corps and the first Ipswich resident killed in that conflict. Our school, which had been called the “Linebrook School,” was re-named the Paul F. Doyon Memorial School after his death, and his picture is hanging in our lobby. His name is among the thousands of names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The nearly completed school was opened for 220 students in September, 1965 with students in grades 1-5. The experienced staff was made up of staff members chosen from the Burley, Shatswell, Shatswell Annex and Winthrop Schools. There were nine teachers selected for the 10 rooms, with 1 volunteer librarian. The building included the 10 rooms, offices, a nurse’s room, a gym, a cafeteria, a patio, entrance hall, boiler room and corridors. The school opened with 220 students averaging 24.4 children per class.
On January 6, 1967, at a special Town Meeting it was decided to add to the school in order to accommodate more students. The vote was 269-3 for the article (#6) for $319,000.00. Twelve more classrooms, 2 small offices and a triangular library were added at this time. During the construction of this addition it was necessary to attend school on double session. From September until January, the entire school, grades K-6, half attended from 8:00-12:30 and the other half attended from 1:00-5:00 until the opening of the new wing on January 2, 1968. With this elementary construction (in September 1967) the sixth grade returned to the elementary school and an experimental kindergarten program was started in the unused cafeteria with state funds.
In June that year a special Town Meeting voted to change the name of the school to The Paul F. Doyon Memorial School in honor of the Town’s first Viet Nam War casualty. The vote was 99-98 to change the name.
The Doyon School has had only two principals in 40 years: (1) William E. Waitt, Jr., 1964-1987; and (2) Dr. Kenneth B. Cooper, from
Originally planned for Nov 6th and as of yesterday moved to opening day of football next fall, the local high school will dedicate its stadium field to Lance Corporal Doyon. His brother is a member of VFW Post 1093. It would be wonderful to present a portrait at the dedication of the field.