103rd Colby Night Dinner

On October 6 the 103rd Colby Night Dinner honored the C Club Person of the Year, Women's Track and Cross Country Coach Debra Aitken, and the 2006 Carl Nelson Award Winner, Michel Picher '67.

President William D. Adams greeted honorees and guests and reiterated the importance of athletics as part of Colby's educational experience. He introduced three members of his senior staff—Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Jim Terhune, Vice President for College Relations Richard Ammons, and Special Assistant to the President for External Affairs Janice Kassman.

All-American runner Farrell Burns Hudzik '98 flew in from Charlotte, North Carolina, to present the C Club Person of the Year award to her former coach and mentor, Deb Aitken. Now in her 22nd year at Colby, Aitken has inspired and molded scores of young women and has built Colby women's cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field into nationally competitive programs.

Director of Athletics Marcella Zalot and the C Club recognized the Colby women's lacrosse team. Last year the Mules finished with a 13-2 regular season record, a 7-2 NESCAC record, and a 14-4 overall record. The .778 winning percentage makes the 2006 season the most successful in the 28-year history of women's lacrosse at Colby.

The final presentation of the evening was the 2006 Carl Nelson Sports Achievement Award, recognizing Picher for his outstanding contributions in the world of athletics. Picher earned law degrees from Queen's University and Harvard Law School. A native of Ottawa, Ontario, he is a pivotal figure in many professional sports negotiations and has worked with the players' associations for Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. His wife, Pam Cooper Picher '67, and three sons, Jean-Michel '96, Gregoire '98, and Andre '01, all are Colby grads. Picher delighted the audience with stories featuring such legends as hockey great Bobby Orr.

C Club President Bill Ralph '88, who was the emcee, concluded the evening by thanking attendees for supporting Colby athletics and encouraging everyone to cheer on the White Mules as they faced teams from Bates, Bowdoin, Wesleyan, and Williams over Family Homecoming Weekend.