Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Another Duke fan

By Amy Apicerno
People make fun of me constantly and continuously for my blind love for all that is UMass. For people who do not understand my happy place, I can only say that UMass is where I learned to live and love. Looking back, I would not change a thing because it was there that I experienced a lot, had a lot of fun (but seriously, only about 30% of the stories are true...ok, maybe half) and learned to think outside the box. More importantly, I met some of the most incredible people whose influence will always stay with me.

Casey Kane is one of those people. My first Casey encounter was in a tiny press box on Garber field. She was excitedly writing about field hockey while I was butchering names over the PA in my (at the time) flagrant RI accent. In minutes I recognized how unprecedented she was. It was very refreshing for me to see a woman not only surviving, but thriving, in a field dominated by men without half the intelligence or talent that she had. She was so natural in that role and exuded it so effortlessly. It only took days before I had borrowed her huge Duke bag from the campus store in Cameron filled with tons of memorabilia from the late 80s and early 90s men's basketball teams. And to think, there was someone else who shared my fascination with Bobby Hurley.

The impact that Casey would have continued to make for women's equality in the work place, with a little more time, was boundless. I feel very fortunate to have been graced by her presence and very sad, not only for her family and friends, but for all of the women that would have benefitted from her work.

UMass is a place where some people still live nearby, other visit frequently and some are trying to return. Regardless of our relationship with it or who the men's basketball coach is currently, it is a place that since Casey stepped foot on campus, will never be the same.

Amy worked in media relations at UMass.

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