PHOTO GALLERY
WEST CHESTER, Pa. – Former women’s basketball standout and keynote speaker, Marian Washington, emphasized a “sense of community” and a call to serve as a “bridge” to the generations to follow at a luncheon celebrating 50 years of women’s intercollegiate varsity athletics held Saturday afternoon inside the Sykes Student Union ballrooms on North Campus.
More than 240 former West Chester University student-athletes, spanning five decades, reunited to help recognize one of the oldest women’s intercollegiate athletic programs in the country. Emcee for the event, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, Cathy Rush (WCU ’68), concluded the festivities by thanking everybody for making the celebration a rousing success and urging former friends and colleagues to take advantage of this unique opportunity to “rekindle old friendships”.
The occasion provided an ideal backdrop for a reunion of West Chester University’s 1969 women’s basketball team, which won the first women’s basketball national championship inside Hollinger Field House 40 years ago. Washington cited countless examples of how lessons learned on the hardwood translated to every-day life and helped mold her into the individual she is today.
“To the average person, West Chester is that little borough about 25 miles west of Philadelphia,” Washington started. “But, I could call the names of some pretty famous people, or major accomplishments, which have come from here.
“However, I want to speak for a moment about something that has meant a lot to me, and that is our sense of community. I’ve been a lot of places, and I’ve been a part of a lot of team efforts. But, who I am always comes back to a few foundational things, which I learned right here at West Chester.”
Washington disclosed two individuals along her life’s journey that changed her life exponentially. Former junior high school math teacher Ruth Redding and former college basketball coach Carol Eckman. She credited these two especially in helping mold her choice of profession.
“(Redding and Eckman) each helped me see that I must take the challenge to leave the legacy of mentorship, that I must do for others what they did for me,” Washington continued. “It was a life-changing experience.”
The retired Kansas University women’s basketball coach recognized four Carol Eckman Award winning college basketball coaches in attendance Saturday. West Chester University’s own Deirdre Kane stood to be recognized along with current University of Buffalo head coach, and former teammate of Washington’s on that 1969 championship team, Linda Hill-McDonald, and current University of Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw.
West Chester University often boasts of its role as a pioneer in women’s athletics, and current athletics director, Dr. Edward Matejkovic, alluded to the fact that many of the WCU student-athletes of the ’60s didn’t realize that their institution was such a trend setter.
“I thought it was like that everywhere,” Matejkovic responded when asked about the opportunities afforded West Chester State College’s female athletes. “It wasn’t until I left West Chester and went out to teach at other schools in other areas of the state and country that I realized how unique West Chester was.”
The mayor of West Chester, Dick Yoder, lauded some of the individual pioneers of the ’50s, who paved the way for today’s Golden Rams.
“Dot Yanisch and Elinor Taylor,” Yoder beamed. “These ladies were giants of their professions and well-respected leaders within the community.” – the “community” to which Marian Washington referred in her speech.
Special guest to the celebration was Jackie Westervelt, a 1937 graduate of West Chester University and former athlete. Westervelt was by far the most senior member of the alumnae at the proceedings.
The celebration was a collaborative effort between the athletic department and the alumni association at West Chester University. Athletics Development Director, Keri Haibach and Alumni Association assistant directors Dana Infantino and Stephanie Giangulio worked tirelessly over the past academic school year to make Saturday's celebration an unprecedented success.
The trio gathered information, memborbilia and statistical artifacts from all 14 current female sports, as well as representative material from those sports no longer offered at the university, and even included cheerleading in a display titled, "Memorbilia Lane" that gave all those in attendance a chance to reminisce about old times.
A guided tour of campus was offered for those alumnae, who have not been back to West Chester University in quite some time, and an opportunity to meet today's Golden Rams' head coaches in Ehringer Gym was also provided.
Many of those present also took advantage of an opportunity to have their photo taken in front of the bronze statue of a ram that stands at the corner of Church St. and Rosedale Ave.
All-Americans representing each of the five decades were in the audience to soak in Washington's message about a sense of community at West Chester University.
So now, the torch has been passed to the most recent grads of WCU to serve as that "bridge" for future generations in that little borough just west of Philadelphia.