Levern Gaskin Jr.

1946 - 2020

Levern Gaskin Jr.
Levern Gaskin Jr., age 73, entered into eternal rest at home on October 19, 2020, in Bridgeport, CT.
He was known as the "Bridgeport Shot Doctor" for his skill at curing the shooting ills of high school, collegiate, and professional basketball players alike. He was born on November 11, 1946, in Scranton, SC.
He was the son of the late Levern Gaskin Sr. and Elease Burgess-Gaskin. He had been a resident of both Pawtucket, RI, and Bridgeport, CT, for a combined 60 years. He was loved and admired by many and will truly be missed.
After graduating from Bullard Havens Vocational Technical High School in Bridgeport, CT, in 1966, he was a four-year starter at quarterback and safety. He also attended Milford Academy Prep High School in Milford, CT, where he became an All American Star Football player.
From there, in 1968, he attended Central Methodist College in Fayette, Missouri, where he was given a football scholarship.
He was the first Afro-American to attend Central Methodist College. During his time at CMC, he became the first Afro-American Assistant Football Coach at Fayette High School (1971-1972); He became the first Afro-American Head Basketball Coach at Fayette Middle School W.N. Clark (1971-1972), and he was the first Afro-American (Student) Assistant Basketball Coach for Central Methodist College (1970-1971).
In 1971, he earned a Bachelors Degree in Physical Education & Health.
After college, he received a job offer to become a physical education instructor and basketball coach at the William M. Davies Jr. Career & Technical High School in Lincoln, R.I. During his 28-year tenure with the Patriots, at Davies, in the early '90s, his team held an incredible record of 66-6. He led his teams to seven division championships, not to mention a pair of state championships in 1984-85 and 1985-86.
He was a devoted coach who helped turn inexperienced Davies hoopsters into not just All-State and All-Division players but better men for over a quarter-century. For that reason, and numerous others, Davies officials – upon word of the venerable coach's retirement – named their black-and gold-painted gymnasium "Gaskin Alumni Hall," those words are painted on the West wall along with the addendum "The House That Gaskin Built."
He was Minority Recruiter for the Rhode Island Department of Education in Providence, responsible for recruiting bilingual and Afro-American students to enroll at Davies Tech.
In his earlier days, he directed and supervised the first outdoor basketball league in Bridgeport. Referred to as the "Gaskin Terrace Summer Basketball league" where he coordinated bus transportation to out-of-state basketball games.
"Verne," as he was often called, had a deep respect for Dr. Martin Luther King and believed in non-violence.
He is survived by his sister, Mary L. Gaskin-Brown, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was predeceased by two sisters, Stella L. Gaskin-Reynolds and Doris Gaskin-Garcia, and a brother, Rexall Gaskin.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, October 28, 2020, at 12 noon, Baker-Isaac Funeral Services Chapel, 985 Stratford Ave, Bridgeport, CT. Family will receive guests from 11:30 a.m. until the time of service at the chapel. Interment will immediately follow at Lakeview Cemetery, 885 Boston Ave, Bridgeport, CT. For more information visit www.bakerfuneralservices.com