By Mairin Hoffman’25
On December 20th, 2024, the Frederick Gunn School community lost an integral light on campus to cancer: Mr. Jeff Trundy. Mr. Trundy was a beloved science teacher and acclaimed David N. Hoadley ’51 Baseball Coach for 27 years at The Frederick Gunn School. For those who knew him, he had an extraordinary passion for teaching and coaching and spread generosity for decades on Gunn’s campus. The tight-knit Gunn community feels this loss profoundly, and The Highlander Newspaper sends our condolences and prayers to the Trundy family.
Jeff Trundy was born in Lewiston, Maine, and began his baseball career at the University of New Hampshire, earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education and biology. While earning his master’s degree, he coached baseball at the University of Colorado. Continuing his baseball coaching career for 20 years, he coached baseball at Cony High School in Augusta, Maine, and received the Maine Public School’s Coach of the Year Award three times. He was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013. Trundy was noted for his dedication to baseball, specifically in the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he was head coach of the Falmouth Commodores for over 26 years and earned Mike Curran Manager of the Year Award by his peers four times and, as of recently was inducted into the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame.*
Jeff Trundy was a teacher and coach to many at Gunn, teaching classes ranging from Biology to Human Anatomy and physiology. He served as head coach of the Boys’ Varsity Baseball program and was a vital part of the baseball recruiting process. Trundy’s students and colleagues feel this loss immensely, and the Gunn community remembers his astounding character. “Known among faculty as a steady presence, Mr. Trundy was someone you could count on and a good person to talk to,” Head of School Mrs. Gum said. “He encouraged his students to be their best — to be respectful, to persevere, to be part of a team. His pre- and post-game talks were legendary, not because he dispensed tactical information, but because he helped players figure out what it meant to compete with honor and to win and lose with grace and humility.”
I had the honor of taking Mr. Trundy’s Human Anatomy and Physiology course in my junior year and witnessed firsthand his dedication to teaching and connecting with students. My peers have voiced their love for him and moved me to take his course, which I will remember forever as a Highlander. Ryan Ryu ‘25, a Gunn baseball team member, had nothing but positive to say about Coach Trundy. “Coach Trundy, in short, was not just a coach, but I would describe him as a mentor in life. He always told us to respect the game, respect your teammates, and get one percent better each day. His experience playing and coaching baseball shaped who we are as a baseball team. He would not only coach us about the skills of the game, but also our mentality about the game.” Ryan also touched on Trundy’s memorable traits and immense dedication to coaching. “There is so much I have learned from him: how to be a better person and contribute to the community. When I think of Trundy, I think of his love, resilience, and passion. He was a monumental figure in the Gunn Baseball program.”
*Information cited from The Frederick Gunn School Mr. Trundy Article
