Josie Harper, who came to Dartmouth as women's lacrosse coach in 1981 and went on to become the Ivy League's first female athletic director when she moved into the corner office of Alumni Gym in 2002, died peacefully Sunday after a valiant battle with cancer. (LINK)
Dartmouth athletic communications has a remembrance HERE.
On a personal level, I first met Josie not long after she arrived at Dartmouth when she served on the committee interviewing me to be the college's assistant director of sports information. I got to know her well as the SID contact for the women's lacrosse team and we soon became friends.
After I moved on to the newspaper and Josie became Dartmouth's athletic director she was always available and forthright when I needed her for a story. Above all, she was always professional despite our friendship.
I will be forever indebted to Josie for allowing me the access I had when I left the newspaper to start BGA in 2005. Her trust that I would do things the right way was a big part of whatever success BGA enjoyed.
Josie was wonderful with my family, particularly That Certain Dartmouth '14, who she knew as both a terrific athlete and Big Green sports fan from a young age, and later as a Dartmouth athlete. I've written before about the time when tennis hall-of-famer Billie Jean King stepped away from a group of "mucky mucks" at the Hanover Inn to share a few some thoughts with a young TCD'14 (LINK). What I didn't mention in that piece was that it was Josie Harper who shepherded the tennis great over to talk with the grade schooler while the "suits" had to wait around and talk among themselves.
The last time I saw Josie was before a football game at Memorial Field and as she always did in later years she was quick to give me a hug and ask about my family. As sad as I am about her loss, I can't help but smile as I think about that hug.
