February 4, 2000
“Celebrating Athletics and the Liberal Arts” to be the Topic of a Bicentennial Symposium at Middlebury College on Feb. 18-19
As part of the series of symposia central to its current ongoing Bicentennial celebration, on Feb. 18-19 Middlebury College will present “Celebrating Athletics and the Liberal Arts.” The symposium will include both a lecture and luncheon panel with alumni speakers from various walks of life, including a former Division One college basketball coach and a world champion paralympic skier. Symposium events, including the luncheon, are free and open to the public, and are scheduled so that people on campus for the symposium will also be able to join fans at several Middlebury College sports events-men’s basketball and hockey games-that will also take place on Feb. 18 and 19.
The symposium will begin at 4:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18 with a lecture, “Celebrating Middlebury College Athletics: The True Spirit of Amateurism,” by Donald “Dee” Rowe, special advisor for athletics at the University of Connecticut and a member of the Middlebury College class of 1952. Rowe is the former men’s basketball coach at the University of Connecticut. He was the assistant coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team and assistant coach of the East for the 1984 East-West College All-Star Game. The talk will take place in the Concert Hall in the Middlebury College Center for the Arts on Route 30.
On Saturday, Feb. 19 at 12:30 p.m. there will be an alumni panel luncheon, “Reflections on Athletics: It’s More Than Winning and Losing,” in the Middlebury College Kirk Alumni Center on Route 30. Middlebury alumni will discuss their experiences as athletes at a small, liberal arts, Division III school. They will also speak about the influence of Middlebury athletics on their careers, and other topics such as the relationship between sports and academics.
The panelists-all alumni of the College and former Middlebury athletes-are: Irving Meeker of the class of 1950, a doctor who practiced first in Vermont and then in Maine; Paul Witteman of the class of 1965, the assistant managing editor of Sports Illustrated; Susan Pevear of the class of 1978, an investment consultant and writer who has been quoted by publications ranging from The New York Times to the Wall Street Journal; Robin Harris of the class of 1984, the director of the Athletic Health Enhancement Program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a former semi-pro soccer player; Chris Waddell of the class of 1991, who skied again within a year after suffering a paralyzing ski accident in 1998 while a member of the alpine ski team, and then went on to win nine paralympic medals; and moderator Karl Lindholm of the class of 1967, Middlebury dean of advising, and assistant professor of American literature and civilization.
Later in the afternoon at 3 p.m., the men’s basketball team will face Tufts. At 4 p.m. the men’s hockey team will play Massachusetts College.
The symposium events, including the luncheon, are free, open to the public, and require no reservation. Admission to the men’s hockey games is $4 for adults and $2 for students.
For more information about the symposium, contact Ingrid Punderson in the Middlebury College Bicentennial planning office at 802-443-2276 or punderson@middlebury.edu.
Schedule:
FRIDAY, FEB.. 18
4:15 p.m. Lecture: “Celebrating Middlebury College Athletics: The True Spirit of Amateurism” by Donald “Dee” Rowe, special advisor for athletics and former men’s basketball coach at the University of Connecticut. Location: Concert Hall of the Middlebury College Center for the Arts, Route 30
7:30 p.m. Men’s Hockey vs. Williams, Middlebury College’s Kenyon Arena, Route 30
7:30 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs. Bates, Middlebury College’s Pepin Gynasium, Route 30
SATURDAY, FEB. 19
12:30 p.m. Alumni Panel Discussion and Luncheon: “Reflections on Athletics: It’s More Than Winning and Losing.” Alumni Athletes Panel: Moderator Karl Lindholm ‘67, Irving Meeker ‘50, Paul Witteman ‘65, Susan Pevear ‘78, Robin Harris ‘84, Chris Waddell ‘91. Location: Middlebury College Kirk Alumni Center, Route 30
3 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs. Tufts, in Middlebury College’s Pepin Gymnasium, Route 30.
4 p.m. Men’s Hockey vs. Mass. College, in Middlebury College’s Kenyon Arena, Route 30