Chris Joyce, class of 1988, loved his high school years, especially playing basketball for Coach Nelson Oliver. He took a gap year after high school at Bridgton Academy in Maine, an all-male college preparatory school, where he strengthened his skills in preparation for Hartwick College in upstate New York. At both locations, he continued to play basketball, his true love.
At Hartwick, Chris majored in criminal justice. After graduation, however, his life was upended when he developed cancer, and this governed his life for the next year. He traveled back and forth from Martha’s Vineyard to Massachusetts General Hospital for harsh cancer treatments, including a bone marrow transplant, and he beat it.
That summer, he worked at the Oak Bluffs Marina. In the fall, Chris joined friends in New York City working as a bartender and waiter at the Harley-Davidson Café. He did this for four or five years, then moved on to work at the Reebok Sports Club. During his time in NYC, he volunteered at the Sloan-Kettering Pediatric Clinic for Cancer, never to forget his experience as a young person with cancer.
As I interviewed Chris, I repeatedly found three things: his frequent thanking of his parents, Mike and Donna Joyce, for their modeling of service, hard work, and support; his strong work ethic; and his openness to learn. Whether it was working at the marina or volunteering at the Edgartown Boys and Girls Club coaching basketball, he worked hard and long hours. Chris has a keen interest in travel and in the arts. He and his partner, Amy, often will be found traveling to a new location, seeking out a local museum or an art gallery.
Now, as Oak Bluffs parks and recreation manager, Chris can be found with his fellow workers caring for the parks, organizing recreation times and participants, coaching, or building and fixing whatever is needed or broken. He is an amazing young man, is not afraid of hard work, and enjoys working with people. Thanks, Chris, for making our Island a better place.
Marge Harris was a teacher at MVRHS for 27 years. You can contact her at margeharris@comcast.net. This column appears twice a month.
