Hailing from Newfoundland, Wendy Bedingfield first appeared at Acadia in 1970 as a lecturer, volleyball and basketball coach. She later earned her PhD and, in 1976, joined the faculty at the University of Alberta where she ran a highly productive sport biomechanics lab. Her understanding of the role of universities, leadership, and sport developed, and […]
Ed Gataveckas
November 19, 2016
Few people wearing Acadia colours have enjoyed the kind of success that Ed Gataveckas did during his tenure as a member of the football Axemen. A linebacker under legendary head coaches Bob Vespaziani and John Huard, Gataveckas was a member of the 1979 CIAU championship Axemen. He was named an AUAA All-Star each year from […]
Dara (Moore) Ramirez
November 19, 2016
Dara (Moore) Ramirez (’92) has been involved in sport nearly all her life, but soccer is her passion and she has made an indelible mark as an athlete, coach and builder at Acadia University, in her home province of Nova Scotia, and beyond. The Hantsport, Nova Scotia native arrived at Acadia as a walk-on to […]
Tom Coolen
November 19, 2016
Coolen, a native of Halifax, N.S., played for the Dalhousie Tigers and Saint Mary’s Huskies during his undergraduate degree. Coolen began his university coaching career as an assistant coach with the UNB Varsity Reds, capturing an AAAU title in 1983-84. Prior to his appointment at Acadia in 1986, Tom completed his MA in physical education […]
James Perkins
December 16, 2014
The role of a President differs significantly from most inductees such as athletes, teams, coaches and Athletic Directors. A President must constantly deal with competing interests, and more requests than resources can satisfy, as well as take responsibility to aid in maximizing those resources. He must also judge when to initiate action, when to prod, […]
James Bayer
August 25, 2012
The late James “Jim” Bayer, a native of Prince Edward Island, grew up in Dartmouth, where he was an outstanding high school athlete, paddled competitively for the famed Banook Canoe Club and started a lifetime commitment as a volunteer for the Red Cross. Jim became a graduate of Atlantic Canada’s first physical education program at […]
Greg Reeds- (Builder)
August 25, 2012
From the fall of 1984 to the spring of 1988, Greg Reeds made a huge impact on athletics at Acadia University both as head coach of the men’s soccer team and as an enthusiastic supporter of the University’s athletes and their wide area of sports interests. Greg’s background experience with the game of soccer included […]
Burton Russell- 1957
August 25, 2012
Kentville native Burton Russell has been a sports enthusiast for as long as he can remember. A Kings County Academy graduate, he came to Acadia in 1954 and earned degrees in Arts ’57 and Education ’58 followed by a Diploma in Physical Education through Dalhousie University and the Department of Education. For the first 10 […]
Elizabeth Vermeulen- (Builder)
August 24, 2012
Elizabeth Vermeulen, who attended grades ten and eleven at Central Kings Rural High and grade twelve at the recently opened Horton District High School, was certainly an all-round student who excelled in both academics and athletics. Ranked first in her graduation class at Horton and selected to be her school’s first valedictorian, Elizabeth entered U.N.B. […]
Donald Wells- (Builder)
August 24, 2012
Don Wells, a native of Cornerbrook, Newfoundland, played both junior and senior hockey in his native province before entering the University of New Brunswick to pursue studies in physical education. Following graduation from U.N.B., he played senior hockey in St. John’s before entering Acadia during the fall of ’64 to enter the Bachelor of Education […]
Jack A. Scholz- (Builder)
August 24, 2012
The late Jack Scholz, a New Haven, Connecticut native, was a graduate of Springfield College. Beginning his teaching career at Colby College, this All-American athlete, was destined to devote some twenty plus years as a highly respected faculty member of Acadia University’s School of Recreation and Physical Education. For a dozen of these academic years, […]
John Herbin- 1890
August 24, 2012
John F. Herbin of the Class of 1890 was a gifted athlete and visionary whose organizational skills and leadership ability contributed greatly to the growth of Acadia University’s sports facilities. Born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, and a descendant of French settlers in Grand Pre, he left school at the age of nine and began learning […]
William “Bill” Busching- (Builder)
August 22, 2012
…an outstanding coach and administrator whose ’65, ’66 and ’67 Canadian football Axemen became Conference contenders. William “Bill” Busching, a gentleman with a Springfield College and University of Maine background, first appeared on the Acadia scene during the fall of 1965. He had, however, been involved with the Nova Scotia athletics a decade earlier, having […]
James M.R. Beveridge- 1937
August 22, 2012
…a distinguished scholar and athlete whose example has fostered the true Acadia “spirit.” James Beveridge, an outstanding scholar and multi-talented athlete, has long been a major contributor to the sports life of Acadia. First, as an athlete, and later as a builder during his tenure as President of the University from 1964 to 1978, he […]
Gilbert W. “Gib” Chapman- (Builder)
August 22, 2012
Athletic Director and a national championship basketball coach During the Fall of 1967, Gib Chapman one of New England’s leading small college coaches who had completed a 19-4 record with the Ricker College basketball squad that previous season, had arrived on the Acadia campus to become head coach of the men’s basketball squad. During his […]