OLYMPIAN. PIONEER. CATALYST FOR GREATER UNDERSTANDING continued from previous page
mention of the Gay Games, concluding only that “He is survived by his wife, Sara Lewinstein, and their daughter, Jessica.” (A letter to the magazine by two alums, physical education professor James Genasci ’50 and his wife Jean ‘55, a librarian in the Springfield public schools, pointed out that the article “leads the reader to make the all too common heterosexual assumption … To have Tom’s gayness omitted from the alumni magazine article reflects the omission and silence in our society that perpetuates homophobia, and prevents the Humanics philosophy from achieving full maturity.” The letter was not published.) Three years later, in 1990, Tom Waddell was inducted into the
College’s hall of fame. The plaque for “Thomas F. Waddell M.D. ’59” hanging in the gym describes him as a varsity football player and co- captain of both the varsity gymnastics and track teams. It indicates that he was the New England Champion in both “Tumbling” and “Flying Rings.” It references his sixth place finish in the 1968 Olympics in the decathlon. It says nothing directly about his starting the Gay Games, but closes with a legacy he would probably appreciate: “Catalyst for Greater Understanding and Acceptance of All People.” If time travel were possible, Waddell would no doubt be happy to
meet Keaton Pieper. The Springfield College senior-to-be is a repre- sentative of core Springfield College values: a good student, a superior athlete, committed to service. He has been a standout for the school’s most successful varsity team in recent years, men’s volleyball. This past season was a big one for him as he helped the Pride win a third consecutive national championship. He was named an All-American. And before the season he came out as gay.
He admits he was hesitant to do so amid a campus culture he
describes as “high masculinity.” But after years of trying to “fight myself” and “pushing it away,” he felt a sense of liberation, and was heartened by the overwhelmingly positive response from his coach, Charlie Sullivan, and his teammates. His impulse to blurt out the news and then tell people they never had to talk about it again was replaced with, “Now it’s like, if I can help someone, that’s what I want to do.” Hearing a brief account of the Tom Waddell story, Pieper smiled and said, “That’s crazy. It’s unbelievable.” This June, the Class of 1959 returned to campus in a culture in the midst of profound change.
Ann Briley, who went to that junior prom with Tom many years ago, has been in a committed lesbian relationship for 42 years. She told Tom about the relationship on the phone as he lay dying of AIDS. She believes he would revel in some of the changes in society: the number of states legalizing gay marriage, the recent surge of athletes coming out. “I can’t believe this has happened in my lifetime,” she says.
“It is quite amazing—and I’m proud of us. We’ve done so well. “Tom said that: ‘We are a wonderful people.’ I said, ‘Yes,
we are.’”1
Editor’s note: Marty Dobrow is an associate professor of communications at Springfield College and the 2014-2015 Distinguished Springfield Professor of Humanics.
Images are courtesy of the Springfield College Archives and Special Collections, with thanks to archivist Jeffrey Monseau.
Allison (White) and Gene Altobelli ’04 Springfield College Fund
“Springfield College shaped us into professionals. The business management major rivals the best. As gymnasts, we learned teamwork and leadership, to be competitive, and to balance athletics and work—all transferrable skills. Now that we have rewarding careers, it means a lot to us to give back. We want to help the College continue its momentum of positive changes…to maintain the rich traditions that we love…to do the great job for future students that it did for us. Allison is a second-generation alum, and we’d love to see those legacies continue.”
— Allison and Gene Altobelli
Gene is an account manager at Continental Resources, Inc., a provider of cutting-edge technology products and services. Allison is the director of circulation and audience development at Slack, Inc., a medical publishing company.
Allison (White) and Gene Altobelli
The Springfield College Fund recognizes the yearly gifts from alumni, family, and friends that help meet the needs that tuition and other income do not cover.
20 TRIANGLE 1 Vol . 85, No.2
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