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Angler Profiles
by Craig Picard
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| A series of articles introducing RISAA members to the rest of the club. |
| (from the May, 2001 newsletter) The LAFLAMME FAMILY |
This month's article features a father, son and daughter team from Cumberland,
R.I. Paul Laflamme, his son Cote and daughter Collette
all joined RISAA about a year ago, and since then have wasted little time
in getting involved in club activities. President Steve Medeiros has
particularly praised the efforts of Paul and Cote, who regularly attend monthly
meetings and participate on a number of committees. Collette, a dedicated
student who excels academically, is a Junior member we can certainly be proud
of in many ways. Read on, and I'll tell you more about the three of
them.Paul Laflamme grew up in the Cumberland hills section of Cumberland, one of eight children that included four sisters and three brothers. He attended Cumberland High School, where he excelled as a student as well as cross country and track athlete. It was there that he met his future wife, Susan, whom he married in 1980. After graduating high school in 1974, Paul joined the Army where he was trained as a computer repair technician. During his three years in the Army, he traveled abroad to countries such as South Korea, where he learned much about their cultures. Returning to the U.S. in 1982, he continued to study computers as well as electrical engineering at the University of Rhode Island. After graduating from U.R.I. and marrying Susan, Paul landed a job as a software engineer for a small company owned by Motorola Corp. At the same time, he enrolled in a graduate program at Bryant College, attending night classes. He eventually earned a M.B.A. Bryant, and presently remains employed by Motorola in Mansfield, 
Massachusetts.(note: Susan has joined RISAA since this
article was written and is active on the Entertainment Committee)
Along the way, two children were born to Paul and Susan - Collette, now 14, and Cote, 12. 
Collette is presently a star student at St. Mary's Bay View Academy in East
Providence. A straight-A student, she recently came in first place
in the Junior Division of the state science fair. For her project,
she chose to study developmental techniques for children with speed impediments.
In addition to researching the topic on the Internet, she actually worked
in classrooms with students with underdeveloped speech patterns. The
unique nature of the manner in which she presented her results were so impressive
for a student her age, that the judges were unanimous in their decision to
award her the First Place ribbon.In addition to being an academic standout, Collette is also a member of St. Mary's swim team. Among her other interests are both singing and playing the piano and bassoon. Oh, and she's also been getting into fishing lately, with her dad and brother. Cote is also an excellent student, maintaining at least a "B" average in all his courses. His real 
passion is sports, however. He plays 1st base on his Little League
team, and is a huge Red Sox fan. He also plays basketball for the Smithfield
Youth League. Another sport that he loves is fishing, and his father
says that he's a natural, especially when it comes to casting.This past summer, fishing Chatham Beach on Cape Cod with his dad, Cote nailed his first keeper bass on an eel. Some of his favorite bass spots that he and his dad like to fish include Charlestown Breachway and the Cape Cod Canal. He also likes catching bluefish, especially when they can be found breaking on the surface. On a recent summer vacation to the Cape, Cote, Collette and Paul fished a charter trip aboard the "Osprey" out of Provincetown, and had a bunch of blues trolling and jigging. This past summer, they also did some fluke fishing on the "Photo Finish" with Steve Medeiros. 
Cote also loves to watch fishing shows on TV, and loves to attend the fishing
seminars at RISAA meetings. He is one of the few Junior members who
participates on RISAA committees, such as the Newsletter Committee and Boat
Show Committee. In the off-season, Cote spends his spare time practicing
the saxophone, playing Nintendo 64 or watching cartoons on TV.
I recently spoke with Cote and Collette on the phone, after speaking with their dad. We talked about a variety of subjects, including their parents. I already knew that besides brewing his own beer, Paul likes to cook, so I asked who was the better cook. "It depends," they both said. Cote: "Dad makes the best chicken parm." Collette: "Yeah, but mom makes the best pasta with white sauce." "Who's more strict?" I asked. Unanimous: "Mom." Collette: "Especially about cleaning your room." I asked Collette, who plans to attend Portsmouth Abbey, a private boarding school, next year, how she will possibly get along without seeing her brother on a daily basis. "No comment!" she said. I eventually got Paul back to the phone, and told him what a blast the kids were to talk to. I asked about the possibility of Susan, who is a bank manager, becoming a RISAA member in the future. "That's a definite possibility," said Paul. I then wished them all good luck for the upcoming season, and they wished me the same. With a smile on my face, I hung up the phone. Through this monthly column, I'd just made three new friends. |
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