Without any hesitation, Steve Lepre '67, says that La Salle "instilled in me the concept of being in service to others and that led me to where I am today."

Where he is today is the Chief Executive Officer of Lepre Physical Therapy, which he founded in 1977.  It is appropriate that the credo of organization is "the belief in the science of healing, and the art of caring", because that credo captures the essence of the man.

"The Christian values that I was taught at La Salle motivated me to always help others," said Steve at a recent interview at one of the nine treatment centers in the state.  "Those values have stayed with me ever since my freshman year - a year in which I experienced a firm structure that I had never before experienced in the public school setting.  But while firm, it was a structure that encouraged creativity and imagination, and allowed one to achieve their full potential." 

"I sustained a knee injury during my sophomore year and it required the services of an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. A.A. Savastano, and a physical therapist, Pete Luthis at Providence College.  It was during that time that I decided that physical therapy was the profession for me, and I never had a second thought about what I wanted to do in life," said Steve.  "After almost 39 years in the profession, I feel blessed to be one of the small percentages of individuals who get to pursue work they believe they were put on earth to do. I've always considered my profession as a medium for helping people in need."

Steve went on to Northeastern University, where he received his BS in Physical Therapy, and after completing clinical internships at Tufts New England Medical Center, Boston Children's Hospital, and Rhode Island Hospital, he was employed in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at RI Hospital. Following another position as Zambarano Hospital's Rehabilitation Director, overseeing physical, occupational, speech, recreational therapy, and adapted physical education for severely challenged infants and children, Steve went to Rhode Island College, receiving his Masters in Special Education. 

Steve says that it was legendary La Salle football coach Jack Cronin who encouraged both Steve and his brother Bill (Class of 1963) to come to the school.  "Coach Cronin said that we could have a better educational experience at La Salle than in the public schools. During our freshman-senior years at La Salle, Coach Cronin, who also served as Providence Recreation Department Director, employed my brother and me as camp counselors at the Providence Junior Police Camp, operated by the Recreation Department and the Providence Police Department for inner city children and teenagers.  We developed a wonderful relationship with Mr. Cronin and he was a lifelong family friend," said Steve.  "We played football in the fall and worked for him at "The Camp" in the summers.  He served as an important influence in our lives, assisting us in the choices we made for college, and our future professions." 

Steve said that one Brother in particular, Brother Timothy Rapa, had a profound affect on him.  "I developed a great rapport with Brother Timothy and he instilled in me the important list of life lessons, in particular - be on time, be prepared, be organized, have a strong work ethic, persevere, remain determined, be a good communicator, delegate, execute, maintain a sense of humor and don't be afraid to be different.," said Steve, who among other things was the president of both his junior and senior classes. Thisafforded him the opportunity to be associated with such as political luminaries Claiborne Pell and John Chafee, and to work with a Senior Moderator (again Brother Timothy) on an almost daily basis.  "It also meant being part of a Student Council and a Social Committee which brought Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons to appear in a May 1967 concert in the La Salle Academy Auditorium!" 
 

"Brother Timothy saw potential in me, and many other students who may have been overlooked in another educational setting. Brother Timothy conducted an intensive SAT mini-course, which assisted many other students and I perform better each time we took the SATs. Thanks to him, we all improved and enhanced our chances for acceptance into college," said Steve.  "The characteristic qualities I manifest in my professional life today were primarily founded in my relationship with Brother Timothy."

"My brother Bill was an extension of my support system at La Salle, even though we were four years apart," continued Steve.  "Bill was a tremendous source of strength and support for me during my years at La Salle, and beyond!”  He is now a guidance counselor at the Prout School, after serving 28 years in the Providence School System."

In an interesting aside, Steve and Bill were one of the few brother tandems who played football and were also elected captains of their teams.

Returning to questions about how Lepre Physical Therapy got its start, Steve said, "Our first location was the Southside Medical Center on Dudley Street in Providence. I was there for nearly 12 years in independent private practice.  I became overwhelmed with patient referrals and had to move into a larger office.  We then opened in Cranston, then, driven by demand, expanded to our other locations throughout Rhode Island." 

Showing a bit of that independence that Brother Timothy encouraged in those early years, Steve created a unique business plan.  "After four of our physical therapists were with us for an extended time, we offered them 'ownership equity' opportunities, allowing them to purchase the offices where they were employed," said Steve.  "That happened during the last 3 to 4 years.  Now we have five Lepre Physical Therapy offices and four Affiliated Physical Therapy offices.  Our Administrative Staff continues to provide practice management, billing, collections services for them, as well as other ‘value added’ services, such as public relations, marketing, volume purchasing for medical and office supplies and equipment, etcetera.  This is a somewhat novel concept in our profession and some would say we were a pioneer with this business concept." 

"Others individuals who had a positive influence on my life and the choices I made include Pete Curtin, Carl Toti, Phil Trainor, Brother Edmund, Brother Patrick Fenton, Brother August Stephen, Brother Raphael James, Lou Cimini, and Tom Mulvey," said Steve who, while studying for his undergraduate degree at Northeastern, earned six athletic letters - three in football, where La Salle Grad Joe Zabilski was his college football coach and mentor, and another three in track.

"One of the most rewarding professional experiences of my life has been the 20 plus years of providing physical therapy to severely intellectually and physically challenged children. It is then that you realize how alive God is in our daily work, giving us the knowledge, skills, patience, and strength to help those in need!" 
  

But it all comes back to La Salle where he returned in late 1990s to help with Alumni Relations and Development and then served on Board of Regents for six years and five years on the Alumni Development La Salle Fund.  He was honored with induction into the La Salle Academy Hall of Fame Induction in 2006. 

"Relationships developed at La Salle continue to be an integral part of my life.  Some of my best friends today were classmates, among them John Kelly, Jack Reed and Jack Regan, all of whom reside in Jamestown where I presently live," said Steve.  "Our class has been very cohesive over the years, with Jim Kelly and Hugh Hall committing the majority of time and energy. We all ‘celebrated’ our 60^th birthday last summer at the Fort Getty Pavilion in Jamestown and have planned to attend The Jersey Boys at PPAC this spring." 

"As we begin this New Year, we should all feel blessed with the present group of dedicated professionals at La Salle Academy that I feel are the greatest in its 139 history!  We should be conscious of the time and effort they devote to our students on a daily basis, and pray for their continued success," said Steve.  "La Salle Academy has always been, and continues to be, a community of shared values, with tremendous spiritual generosity.  Christian values, coupled with an excellent academic environment, embody the Lasallian Mission.  I absorbed this quality from the day to day example of the lives of the Christian Brothers. As students, we were made aware that there were others in this world in need and that we could make a difference in their lives and the lives of those in our community."  

Steve said that there was a three-part PBS Special recently entitled, "The Emotional Life".  It focused on the role social relationships play in achieving happiness.  There was a quote from a noted clinical psychologist at the conclusion of the series: "Life is a journey through time and happiness is what happens when we make that journey together!" 

"Today, I consider myself fortunate to be a part of the La Salle experience. My journey through time and the happiness in my life, in large measure, are directly related to the relationships I have formed with this wonderful academic and spiritual institution!" concluded Steve. 

To visit the Lepre Physical Therapy website click here