There’s not much that Laurette Payette hasn’t done in an officiating career that spans 35 years. 

She’s been on the field for dozens of championship games, from all levels of the NCAA to collegiate club and high school state finals. She has officiated games in 14 states and in Europe. She has served as a clinician to help train newer officials, and served as a presenter at the US Lacrosse Convention at least a dozen times.

Rules interpreter, training manual editor, games assignor, committee member; if there’s been a task related to women’s lacrosse officiating and development, chances are that Payette has tackled it over the past four decades.

Therefore, it’s quite fitting that she is being inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in the category of “contributor” since her efforts have so far surpassed simply wearing the striped shirt and blowing a whistle.

“She models the practice of servant leadership. She believes in it,” said Laura Hebert, a veteran official and former chair of the US Lacrosse Board of Directors.

And it all started because she found herself with a little extra time on her hands.

During one of her early years on the staff at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Payette chaperoned a lacrosse team trip to a tournament in Vermont. With extra time available during the tournament, she decided to participate in an on-site official’s training clinic.

“I figured it was a way to stay in shape and be motivated to keep training,” said Payette, who retired from Hathaway Brown after 32 years of service as athletics director, chair of physical education, teacher and coach. In recognition, the school dedicated its Athletics Hall of Fame in her honor in 2007.

Admittedly, Payette has faithfully served the lacrosse community in areas that are normally out of the spotlight. Being an administrator and committing countless hours to tasks such as the re-writing of training and rating manuals has never been the glamorous side of lacrosse.

Similarly, the focus on the field is always the players, with an occasional nod to the coaches. Officials only get noticed when games start getting turbulent, and that’s rarely been the case with Payette on the field.

“She has always been the one to calm the waters,” Hebert said. “She just relates so well to players, coaches and the crew. She is a strong official, but so often when she is on the field, you don’t notice her.”

Joining the Hall of Fame is far from the capstone of Payette’s career. She’s still vibrant, enthusiastic and at the top of her game. Big game assignments are still coming in her direction, evidenced by the fact that she worked NCAA championship games as recently as last year.

“I think the best way of drawing others into officiating is to still be doing it myself,” Payette said.

And a passive recruiter, she is not. Whether it’s attracting new officials to the sport or rounding up fellow clinicians, Payette is always active in growing the game.  A career spent in education set the foundation.

“I think I’m just a teacher at heart,” she says.

Perhaps the following illustration best summarizes her commitment to serving.

In 2010, Payette received the US Lacrosse Women’s Game Officials Distinguished National Service Award. Five years later, in recognition of all her contributions, the name of the award was changed to the Laurette Payette Distinguished National Service Award.

“When she asks you to do a clinic or serve on a committee, it’s hard to say no to Laurette,” Hebert said. “She’s got a special gift of being able to identify the strengths of people, so she knows how to best utilize them. She is very strategic and intentional in finding volunteers with certain abilities for specific roles.”

Through the years, those volunteers and the officials she has worked with from coast-to-coast have become Payette’s extended family. Laughter serves as the glue that binds them together.

“Laurette is fun, no matter what you are doing,” Hebert said. “That’s what keeps people with her.”

Doug Knight, Leslie Blankin Lane, Jim McDonald, Laurette Payette, Casey Powell, Jill Johnson Redfern, Brooks Sweet, Robyn Nye Wood and Don Zimmerman will be inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in a black tie-optional ceremony Sept. 23 at The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Md. For more information, visit uslacrosse.org/hof.