Much like my athletic experience at Harvard, the best part of this evening is the “team” I am being inducted with: my husband, best friend, and the best athlete I have ever known, Ted Drury; my great friend, teammate, mentor, and goaltender extraordinaire Sarah C. Leary, and the greatest 3-point shooter I have ever been on a basketball court with Erin Maher Salvador. It is impossible for me to express what Harvard Athletics has meant to me. I can, however, sum up my experience in two words: joy and gratitude. My experience at Harvard was athletics. Not because I played sports but because I absolutely loved every aspect of athletics at Harvard and every part brought me such joy. I loved working the MANY jobs I held (none more interesting than learning from Prof. Stone, Clifford, and Kirrane), I loved watching other teams’ games, I loved throwing a ball against the Blodgett pool wall. What seemed to others crazy brought me nothing but pure joy. I loved every aspect of being a Women’s lacrosse player at Harvard. The great competitive tradition, early morning practices, long bus rides, short bus rides, Carole yelling at me, Leary taunting me from the goal, the dinners, lunches, parities, and the rare but special quiet moments with my teammates. I loved to practice, I loved to play, and most of the time I was in awe of the amazing women I was playing with. They were strong, smart, tough, and good to the core. I loved my coaches was lucky enough to be coached by two coaching legends, Kathy Delaney-Smith and Carole Kleinfelder, fantastic coaches but also true pioneers in their field.

Finally, I loved spending most days with my favorite people at Harvard. Freshman year I spent almost every waking moment with my cousin Frank Lilly, Matty Mallgrave, and Ted Drury. And where would I have been without Ceci, Leary, Franc, Em, and Chel? It was watching these athletes that I learned what motivation, dedication, and hard work meant. I gained lifetime friendships that have only grown stronger with time and I continue to look to them as examples for my life today. I am grateful for each of these people, and the many others I didn’t mention, that made my time at Harvard so special. (Perhaps I should be most grateful to Jack Reardon and Billy Cleary who helped get me to Harvard in the first place!)

Undoubtedly, though, the lion’s share of my gratitude tonight must go to my family. Almost every one of my 9 siblings is here tonight from near (Boston) and far (California), many with spouses and children in tow. While this may seem surprising to others it is not at all surprising to me. They have all spent countless hours and miles supporting me. I would be remiss if I didn’t single out J.P., Annie and Theresa who not only attended almost every game, home and away, but several practices, team parties and banquets. They cheered, celebrated, consoled, and even filmed a few games while giving up or changing events in their own lives like first communions, birthday parties and who knows what else. The great love and affection my siblings and I have for each other is a direct manifestation of our parents love for us. It is to my parents I owe everything. They raised me to believe I could achieve anything, to enjoy the successes, learn from the failures, to work hard, to be fair. They gave me a sense of self and the self confidence to navigate the ups and downs of life as well as a belief that I could positively impact those around me by simply being a good person. I hope that as my beautiful, amazing, fantastic four children Jack, Lilly, Owen, and Teddy grow up I can be half the parent my Mom and Dad have been to me. No one was more excited about this evening than Jack and Lilly! Thank you for coming guys and missing your own games this weekend! The greatest part of this evening is that I am sitting next my best friend who I met the third day of school. Ted’s skill, dedication, and quiet fortitude are as much an inspiration to me today as they were 15 years ago. I thank the Harvard Varsity Club for this very special honor.