Diane Wilcox Presented 2023 Brown & Blue Award

Introduction of Diane Wilcox, presented by Cecelia Magargee, Her sister and former standout Tufts Student-Athlete

The first three winners of the Brown & Blue Award are all incredible Jumbos. The first recipient in 2018 was Ben Sands, the second honoree in 2019 was John Baronian, and we are all so happy that last year's winner, Jeff Cicia, is here with us tonight. Let's give a hand to Jeff Cicia!
 
I think it's fantastic that my sister, Diane Wilcox, is joining the company of those Jumbo legends as this year's Brown & Blue Award honoree.
 
I also think it's entirely appropriate that Diane is the first woman to receive the Brown & Blue Award. I say that because the Jumbo Club, established in 1969, was a bit of a "boy's club" for many years. But over time, a few women stepped up and helped change that -- women like Diane who love the Jumbos and decided to get involved and take leadership roles in the club. So just like Diane helped to change the composition of the Jumbo Club many years ago, she is doing the same thing tonight with the Brown & Blue Award.  
 
Diane made incredible contributions to the Jumbo Club in so many different ways. She served as Treasurer for many years, and she was one of the best behind-the-scenes leaders that the Tufts Jumbo Club ever had. Diane never said no to an opportunity to support the teams and student-athletes, and she was the "go to" member of the group who always got the job done ... even when that meant carrying out some less-than-desirable tasks like driving a huge, rented Winnebago -- with Julie Brady as her co-pilot -- up to Bowdoin for Jumbo Club football tailgate. 
 
Diane devoted time and effort to attracting new members to the Jumbo Club, and she worked hard to extend the club's support to a larger and more inclusive group of teams and student-athletes. In 1995-96 she helped organize a yearlong Women's Sports Celebration at Tufts featuring a forum which brought back several former alumnae to share their experiences in sports careers with current students. And to bring families and alumni together, Diane organized the very successful team receptions that the Jumbo Club hosted each season throughout the 1990s.
 
As fellow Jumbo Club member Kim Penney said, "Diane is known to be the first to arrive and the last to leave, always ready to lend a hand and do whatever it takes to ensure that every Tufts alumni event, award celebration, board meeting or special sports team trip that she is involved with—planning, organizing, and managing—runs smoothly. Diane genuinely loves Tufts, and her own success as a college student-athlete fuels her desire to share in the current successes of those who have followed in her footsteps."
 
And by the way, on that topic, I know we are saluting my sister tonight for the many things she accomplished off the field, but I should mention that Diane was also an outstanding athlete on the field. She was a team leader and captain of all three sports she competed in for Tufts in the early 80s: field hockey, indoor track and lacrosse. She helped lead the Jumbos to multiple Massachusetts Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women titles in field hockey and a New England College Lacrosse Association title. In 1981, Diane was the first-ever recipient of the Rudy Fobert Award for success in multiple sports. A year later, she received the Hester L. Sargent Award as best female athlete, and just one year after graduating, she received a Jumbo Club Award recognizing her outstanding athletics contributions to Tufts.
 
My sister ... she's always modest, and she's never one to shine the spotlight on herself. But she's not getting away with that tonight!! I'm so grateful to have the opportunity tonight to recognize, thank, and celebrate Diane and make sure everyone knows what an incredible Jumbo she is.
 
So, in recognition of her lifelong devotion to Tufts Athletics, it is my great honor to present the Brown & Blue Award to my sister, Diane Wilcox!