Since 1992
Print and digital marketing
By Mitchell Clyde Thomas
Gendron Franco Center
LEWISTON — Anyone who ever visited the Gendron Franco Center, listened to Maine’s Big-Z on a Sunday morning, hung out around the State House or the Androscoggin County Building in the 1980s and ’90s, or had involvement in Community Little Theatre or any other Lewiston or Auburn entertainment venue in the ’50s, ’60s or ’70s, has probably come in director or indirect contact with Connie Coté – L-A’s grand dame of the arts, culture, politics and more.
Constance Lebrun was born on Nov. 17, 1927 in her family home on Sylvan Avenue in Lewiston and graduated with the Lewiston High School class of ’46. She married Bert Coté in 1949. Connie and Bert had three “Baby Boomer” children: Diane, Elaine, and Billy; and five grandchildren.
A musical child prodigy, Connie started playing church organ at St. Peter’s Church in the fifth grade, and served there until age 21. Sixty years later, she was called to play again for all the funerals and the 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. masses at St. Patrick’s and St. Peter’s churches, respectively. She did that for 12 years until St. Patrick’s Church closed.
She attended Boston Conservatory for a while, then met and married Bert and did music with him instead. They started in radio in1950 at WLAM with “The Bert and Connie Coté Show” (sponsored by Auburn Motor Sales), a show they did for seven years. She also taught music at Garcelon School for a time.
At the age of 22, Connie and Bert Coté became involved at L/A Community Little Theatre, where she was instrumental in convincing the reluctant board of directors to start doing musicals after 15 years of producing only straight shows. After a great deal of research, CLT decided to give it a try, with Connie and Bert providing the accompaniment, playing the organ and piano. She was the music director for the very first musical production (the popular Broadway show, “Kiss Me Kate”) during the 1955-56 season. Connie was even responsible for bringing Marcia Plavin into the theater to do choreography, and later, Lois Camire during the 1969-70 when they did “Camelot.” Lois choreographed and performed in shows there for more than 25 years.
With her theatrical and musical experience and her involvement in the Franco-American community in Lewiston-Auburn and throughout New England, Connie’s role in getting things started at the magnificent Gendron Franco Center seemed natural.
Connie directed two French-language operettas for the first Franco-American Heritage Center (now the Franco-American Collection). She was extremely well-connected, serving in the Maine State Legislature for 12 years, as an Androscoggin County Commissioner for 13 years, and as president of several other organizations, including St. Mary’s Hospital Auxiliary, the Patronesses and the Androscoggin County Democrats for three years. She served on the board of Androscoggin Head Start for six years and the Maine Arts Commission for one term.
She is known for her significant role promoting the preservation of the French language and culture. In 1978, she was the founder of the first Franco-American Festival in New England and served as coordinator for 10 years. The event attracted 100,000 people in eight days. Connie also helped the Franco-American communities in Augusta and Biddeford get their festivals started. She is a member of the Maine State Legislature’s Franco-American Hall of Fame.
A founding member of the board of directors and the first program director at the Franco Center, Connie has been with the Center since “day one” in 2000. There have been dozens of board members over the years; she is the only one who has served consistently without a break from then until now.
Everything got started at the Franco Center right after the Roman Catholic Bishop’s closing mass at St. Mary’s Church in 2000. “We were meeting as a board at Nel Guay’s house for a while, then in an upstairs apartment on Lisbon Street.” Connie recalls, “I chaired and organized everything for the opening ceremonies in June 2001. There were 300 to 400 people attending.” She and a team of volunteers organized and they cleaned the former sanctuary.
She was the one who talked Rita Dubé into taking the job as executive director at the Franco Center. There was so much money needed for the restoration, renovation and repairs. For a while, she was at the budding Center almost every day. As program director, she lined up entertainment, helped with mailings, sent invitations for the Gala and more.
After a full-time program director was hired, Connie remained on the board and began to organize the volunteers, ushers, and more for shows and eventually La Rencontre, the monthly senior luncheon and program that takes place every second Thursday of the month. She never missed a concert or event until a couple years ago when the weather, at times, made it tough to get there. She even did all the introductions before shows when the executive director was away.
Connie thought about leaving the board and her position as volunteer coordinator and house manager when Rita Dubé retired in 2012; however, she decided to stay on.
One of Connie’s biggest claims to fame is “The French Show” (“Le Revue Francaise”) which has been broadcasting on the radio without interruption for 60 years. She began with WCME in Brunswick in 1957, and then moved from there to WJTO in Bath, onto WCOU in Lewiston, then to WLAM in Auburn (which was sold to Channel 8, so she traveled to Portland for seven years), and finally to WEZR (Maine’s Big-Z) where it is on-air every Sunday from 9 to 11 a.m. People have told Connie, “We don’t to church on Sunday. We go on Saturday, so we can listen to your show on Sunday.”
It seemed that every time one of these stations would be sold to a new or bigger owner, they would clean house, except for Connie and her show. She always had the highest ratings on Sunday mornings. Her show even beat the Country Countdown and Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 in this market.
It’s important to note that much of what Connie has accomplished as a public servant and volunteer has taken place in her 50s, 60s and beyond. At age 90, Connie, the mother of three “Boomers” and the “adoptive” mother of countless others who call her “Mother Coté,” has some advice to share with her junior generation:
Stay active and involved with family, friends and community. Eat healthy foods. Drink in moderation. Read a lot. Sing and play an instrument, if you can. Dance often. Give with a generous heart. Be kind to others always. Spread love.
“By the way, I used to say the best years of my life were spent at Community Little Theatre. But now I say they have been right here at my beloved Franco Center.” We love you too, Mother Coté. A grateful community thanks you for all you have done!
