A tireless supporter of Freedom High athletics, as well as several other school activities, Gail French was posthumously given the Don Golinveaux Award for her volunteerism during the school’s winter sports award night on Tuesday.

French passed away last week after battling cancer. French’s daughter, 2006 Freedom alumna Stacy French, accepted the award on her mother’s behalf.

Athletic Director Steve Amaro spoke warmly of French, who continued to serve as a member of the Booster Club’s board of directors even after her children graduated from Freedom. French worked the snack bar at Falcons games and did much of the legwork for fundraising efforts such as Casino Night.

Amaro said that French served as a bridge between athletics and school activities such as Grad Night and the drunk-driving-prevention program Every 15 Minutes. French was also instrumental in boot camp, the school’s freshman orientation program.

Freedom Activities Director Dana Johnston considered French a key member of Every 15 Minutes, making sure everything ran smoothly. “She just did a phenomenal job,” Johnston said. “She was just a great supporter of that program, myself and activities on this campus. Anything we wanted, she was always giving suggestions or just always there.”