Adele Pack Boyd, 85, of Plymouth Meeting, an accomplished coach, teacher, athlete and volunteer, died Jan. 27 of complications from non-Hodgkins lymphoma and heart failure at Abington Jefferson Hospital.
Ms. Boyd retired in 1999 as head coach of field hockey at Ursinus College, completing a 17-year career that would include 16 winning seasons. She took the Lady Bears to three consecutive second-place finishes in the AIAW Tournament during the late 1970s. Her 1983 squad won the Eastern College Athletic Conference title.
Her teams were consistently nationally ranked in the Top 20, and were considered among the best in the nation. To widen the world of her students, she took field hockey teams on tour to New Zealand, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Canada and Ireland.
Ms. Boyd also was a professor of health and physical education and associate athletic director at Ursinus, retiring from these positions in 2001.
In 1993, she was the recipient of the Heritage Award, given by the Pennsylvania State Associa-tion for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance in recognition of her contributions to the growth and development of women’s athletics in the state. She was the author of numerous articles in magazines associated with sports, as well as two books, “Field Hockey: The Coach and the Player” and “Position Play by the Defense: the Fullbacks.”
An Inaugural member of the United States Field Hockey Association Hall of Fame, she is also enshrined in the Ursinus College Hall of Fame for Athletes, the Cheltenham High School Hall of Fame, the Philadelphia Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, and the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Ms. Boyd was an outstanding athlete. She played field hockey, lacrosse, tennis and squash. In field hockey, she was a member of the Philadelphia Association Team from 1953-1967. She played on the USA national team from 1959-1967, and was captain from 1963-1967. She played on touring squads that traveled to Great Britain in 1962, Jamaica in 1964, and Germany in 1967.
In addition, she served as a national umpire, officer, and team selector for the United States Field Hockey Association. She also was a member of the USA Umpiring Committee in lacrosse, as well as a national officer and vice president of the United States Women’s Lacrosse Association from 1975 to 1977.
She was an avid tennis player winning the women’s singles and doubles championships multiple times at the Philadelphia Cricket Club where she was a member for 56 years.
Born and raised in Glenside, she was a graduate of Cheltenham High School and Ursinus Col-lege and received an M.Ed. from Temple University. In 1954, she joined the faculty at Chelten-ham High School teaching English and physical education, and coaching the field hockey, bas-ketball and lacrosse teams.
In retirement, she enjoyed international travels, visiting friends in Europe, Madagascar, South Africa and Peru, and made an annual trip to Great Britain. She was a volunteer with Meals on Wheels in Chestnut Hill, the annual Fireman’s Picnic, Northwestern Stables, the William Jeanes Library in Plymouth Meeting, and the Conshohocken Library.
She is survived by her cousin, Dr. Robert Parsons Sr. and his family, and her dear friend, Della Micah.
A celebration of Adele’s life will be held at noon Sunday, May 20, at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, 415 W. Willow Grove Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19118.
Memorial donations may be made honoring the medical staff who cared for her to the Asplundh Cancer Pavilion, c/o Abington Health Foundation, 1200 Old York Rd., Abington, PA 19001, or to Ursinus College, 601 E. Main St., Corson Hall, Collegeville, PA 19426, Attn: Advancement Office. – WF
