SPRING 2008 Community College Magazine - Northampton ...

EDITORS
james l. JOHNSON
paul JOLY
PULSE EDITOR/WRITER
heidi BRIGHT BUTLER
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
paul ACAMPORA
rachel CARDELLE
rebecca HESS
ed LAUBACH
michael McGOVERN
katherine NOLL
beth ORENSTEIN
myra SATUREN
cynthia TINTORRI
CLASS NOTES COORDINATOR
nancy HUTT
PROOFREADER
kate SCHAFFNER
ART DIRECTOR
traci ANFUSO-YOUNG
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
marianne ATHERTON
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
douglas BENEDICT
ken EK
jennifer c. FOGEL
randy MONCEAUX
jennifer PIZARRO
john STERLING RUTH
philip STEIN
hub WILLSON
PRESIDENT
dr. arthur SCOTT
VICE PRESIDENT
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
susan k. KUBIK
NORTHAMPTON COMMUNITY
COLLEGE FOUNDATION
BOARD CHAIRMAN
john EUREYECKO
PUBLISHER
northampton community
college foundation
3835 green pond road
bethlehem, pa 18020
NCC ● SPRING 2008
FroM the eDitORs
MY FATHER NEVER SHARED HIS PASSION FOR SPORTS WITH EITHER my brother or
me. To be sure, he attended the big league games in Philly and New York on a somewhat regular
basis. But neither the thrill of victory he cheered his teams on to nor the agony of their defeat (to
paraphrase both ABC Sports and Dr. Mike McGovern in his article on sports in society in this issue)
were the stuff of family outings. That was his life, to be experienced and remembered with his
friends, not his sons.
But that’s just my tale of childhood woe – full disclosure, as they say. Life moved on, and
one day I found myself as another kind of child, a “child of the ’60s.” That era can be defi ned in
numerous ways, but as far as “sports” – at least for me – it was best described by the ubiquitous
Frisbee. If you were of counterculture age in those times, you know what an impact that fl ying disc
had on young people.
It was the perfect sport for me, at least as we played it. My buddies and I would take our places
in a field or a big parking lot, spaced a couple hundred feet apart, and toss. Just that – no teams, no
scores – just becoming one with the disc, as it were, for hours on end. Maybe it was what my dad did
(or didn’t do), but flinging a round piece of plastic, with some degree of mastery, was my pinnacle
of sports achievement. Though it taught me neither victory nor defeat, nor anything else I suppose,
it sure was a lot of fun.
Most of us enjoy analyzing the phenomenon of sports, especially the bona fi de, recognized
sports, as Dr. McGovern does in his piece. Or even those peripheral sports, like hiking and
backpacking, highlighted in Beth Orenstein’s “Living Outside the Box” article, also in this issue. Or
the “all alone” sport, given voice here in a personal essay by Rachel Cardelle, trying to get at just
why she runs (which comes closest to my Zen love of flipping the friz).
We want answers. It seems it isn’t enough lining up sides to bounce the ball, bat the ball, or
kick, run and throw the ball until the score tallies up your side’s winning numbers, just for the sheer
love of doing it. We want to know why we love the darn stuff so much.
Even a non-player like me (or, these days, a non-watcher) can get sucked into diving down the
social psyche of it all. The life lessons of winning and losing, the discovered microcosms of society,
the camaraderie of it all that hones ones’ civil skills, even the unintended side benefi t of networking
that can land you a possible future. Fascinating.
And then there are the intended careers that sports can get you – not necessarily with the NFL,
NHL, NBA or other capital letters I’m not familiar with; then again, maybe so. You might be a major
in, or graduate of Northampton’s sport management program, which can lead to lucrative positions
– the big time or just a steady paycheck. If nothing else, being honcho on your field of choice can
earn you some local renown; it might at least get you into the College’s still-new Hall of Fame, like
the 10 or so outstanding athletes and coaches you’ll find between our pages here.
In our tribute to NCC’s retiring athletic director, as well as one of the first Hall of Famers, Bill
Bearse, you’ll see a fine example of giveback for a heart full of sport love. For 35 years, Coach
Bearse took pride in what he did for countless students at our College; and for good measure grew
the teams and the program enormously. Give his story a read and get to know a well-seasoned
professional for whom athletics brought a good deal of career satisfaction.
My father died when I was in my early 20s. I hold no ill will for his exclusions. He wasn’t a
bad guy – just not very “family team” oriented; his own man, having his own fun. Kind of like my
dear departed daddy, I went my own way, never dreaming, as many boys do, of becoming a sports
legend. Like him, I was just out for fun. u