Sports alumni, Segrave honored at Hall of Fame ceremony

Over 280 sports alumni, their family and friends, and college faculty and staff gathered on Saturday, October 15, to honor this year's inductees into the Friends of Skidmore Athletics Hall of Fame. The fourth annual Hall of Fame Benefit and Induction ceremony featured keynote speaker Dan Nathan, associate professor of American studies and sports history scholar. Athletics Director Gail Cummings-Danson passed along the "sincere regrets" of originally scheduled speaker former Commissioner of Major League Baseball Francis "Fay" Vincent, who was unable to appear due to an unexpected health problem. Vincent, said Cummings-Danson, has pledged to speak at a future FOSA Hall of Fame event. Nathan referenced Vincent's reputation as a man committed to the game of baseball and its fans.

	Segrave

Former Athletics Director Tim Brown paid tribute to inductee in the administrator category and longtime colleague Jeffrey Segrave, who "has served Skidmore as championship tennis coach, exceptional educator, dedicated athletics director, and respected mentor for 29 years." Segrave lauded fellow inductee Pam Thompson-Saffron '87, the college's first national-level tennis player, as an outstanding student-athlete who helped Skidmore's tennis program achieve a new competitive status. Over his career, Segrave led the Thoroughbreds to numerous regional and state conference championships; the team captured the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Championship in 1998. Eight of his players were NCAA All-Americans, including attendee Jamie Levine '98, who captured an NCAA singles title in 1998. Coaching has been an honor and a privilege, Segrave said. "We laughed together, cried together, and won together."

Along with Thompson-Saffron, four other former student athletes accepted bronze Thoroughbred statues. David Burch '99 was Skidmore's first professional basketball player. The three-time All-Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association selection played and coached teams in Norway and Great Britain. UCAA Player of the Year Courtney Lee '01 captained the team to its first NCAA Championship appearance and Skidmore's first New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association (NYSWCAA) Championship. "It is such an honor to be recognized for something that I truly enjoyed and loved so much. Some of my greatest lessons, memories, and friends came from playing volleyball at Skidmore," she said. Nationally ranked collegiate baseball player Ross Aresco '00 led the men's baseball team to its first ever Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association Conference Championship in 1999.

Special recognition went to Anne Ross Fairbanks, professor emerita of physical education at Skidmore from 1967 to 1985, who established and coached the swimming and diving teams. Recognized internationally as the "Queen of Springboard Diving," the National Swimming Hall of Fame Inductee was a member of the 1944 U.S. Olympic diving team. "Of all my teaching posts," she said, "Skidmore was my favorite."

All funds raised from the event, which included a silent auction, will benefit Skidmore Athletics.