Women's tennis coach remembered as 'surrogate mother' and friend

More than 100 people came together to honor the memory of Cissie Leary, who died last November at age 42 of cancer. Johann Pachelbel's "Canon" filtered through the Annenberg School Theatre Saturday as family, friends, students and colleagues gathered in celebration of the life of Cissie Leary. Leary -- who coached women's tennis for 20 years -- passed away last November at the age of 42 after suffering from scleroderma, lymphoma cancer and kidney cancer. Approximately 100 people attended the memorial to hear 13 speakers reminisce about Leary's accomplishments -- both on and off the court. "The game of tennis was really only the vessel in which she poured her passion for life and for teaching," University President Judith Rodin said. Players from Leary's first and last Penn teams echoed this sentiment by emphasizing that she was much more than a coach -- she was also their surrogate mother and friend. Former tennis captain Jan Bernstein recalled a smiling Leary in her red and blue sweats and pigtails, instilling her "wardogs" with an infectious excitement for the sport. "Our Penn experience centered around our team and our team was centered around Cissie," Bernstein said. Former player Cynthia Levy remembered Leary skipping through the grass after her team defeated Princeton on their home court. And College junior Andi Grossman said Leary's laid-back style made practice more fun for the players. Grossman read a poem she composed in honor of Leary, "To An Athlete Dying Young." "Go get 'em, go get 'em," were Leary's famous words, and Bernstein noted that "[Leary] never said anything once -- she always said everything twice." Although Leary's career spanned two decades, her devotion to her team and to the University never wavered. Her players were always welcome in the Levy Tennis Pavilion, in the locker room and in their coach's heart, said former player Meredith Stiehm. Colleagues described Leary as sincere, honest and family-oriented. Louise Gengler, a member of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, noted that Leary touched every player and coach she met. Her worst enemies on the court were often some of her best friends off of it. Leary was a "warm and comforting" woman engaged in a "love affair" with tennis, said Athletic Director Steve Bilsky. Bilsky commented on the coach's changing role from the 1970s to the 1990s but noted that Leary refused to transform her coaching style just to keep up with the times. Men's tennis coach Gene Miller described Leary as a "modern-day heroine" for creating a comfort zone of positive reinforcement for her players. Noting that the coach was all "about relationships," Miller described Leary as a simple woman who enjoyed baking cookies with her daughter Katie. Albert Collins, Leary's uncle, concluded the ceremony by conveying some of Leary's wishes. Collins said he called the "switchboard in heaven" and after getting busy signals for over an hour finally connected with his niece. Collins -- on behalf of Leary -- thanked the University for an amazing 20 years and ordered the current team to stay focused. The crowd thanked Leary with a standing ovation before leaving for a reception at the Faculty Club. In a commitment to preserve Leary's legacy of excellence, the women's tennis team held an All-Star Invitational yesterday afternoon in honor of Leary -- a coach with "gusto." After graduating from Rollins College in 1972, Leary obtained a coaching position at Penn in 1977. Catherine "Cissie" Collins Leary was inducted into the Rollins Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and received a master's degree from Penn in 1994.