Check out the online photo album of the 2006 Hall of Fame
All profiles appear as written at the time of induction
An outstanding tennis player, Tony Aaronson ’59 left a lasting impression on the Clark University athletic program. He was a member of the men’s tennis squad that had the best win-loss record over four years in Clark history (1955-59). Aaronson also compiled the best individual winning percentage of any player in Cougar history.
Aaronson’s career highlights included winning the 1956 number one and number two singles titles as well as the number one doubles championship in 1958. He also made three appearances in the number two singles championship match from 1957-59. Aaronson captained the squad as a junior and capped off his career with only one loss in his senior season.
After graduating from Clark with a bachelor's degree in government and international relations, Aaronson remained actively involved in his sport. He has won various tennis championships, including the Textile Association of Los Angeles (TALA) singles titles (1966-70, 1990), TALA doubles titles (1967-70), and the doubles and mixed doubles championships at the Warner Center Racquet Club (1979-80). In addition, he has participated in several charity tournaments in the greater Los Angeles area.
Only the third tennis player to be inducted into the Clark University Athletic Hall of Fame, Aaronson has shown continued support and dedication to Clark and its athletic program over the years. During his Clark career, he shared the spotlight with former teammate and friend, the late Neil Walsh ’59. In 1991, Aaronson founded the annual Neil Walsh Memorial Tennis Tournament to honor Walsh’s contributions to the Clark tennis program. “Tony is a true gentleman in every respect, both on and off the court,” said longtime friend Tom Dolan ‘62. “He is a joy to be around in any environment — tennis or otherwise.”
Aaronson received an M.B.A. in 1989 from Pepperdine University, and he currently works for European and Asian Textile Mills. Tony and his wife, Judy, live in Los Angeles. They have three sons: Craig, Spencer, and Evan.
Mike Maltais ’91 has the honor of being the first men’s lacrosse player to be inducted into the Clark University Athletic Hall of Fame. One of the most dominant offensive players in the program's history, he helped lead the transition of the sport from the club level to varsity status during his four-year tenure (1988-91). “Mike helped to provide legitimacy for the program during our transition to the varsity level,” said John Stephans, who coached Maltais for three seasons (1989-91) at Clark. “He was not only the most talented player at the university, but also one of the top attackmen in New England Division III lacrosse.”
A native of East Greenbush, N.Y., Maltais was a fierce competitor who developed into a three-time Patriot league all-star (1989, 1990, 1991), an All-New England East/West All-Star (1991) and two-time team Most Valuable Player (1990, 1991). He also set all of Clark's single game, season, and career scoring records, many of which still stand today. In addition, Maltais received the Fred Hebert Award, presented to a male senior athlete for outstanding contribution to the Clark University athletic program.
As a two-year team captain, Maltais was a leader both on and off the field. “Mike was the unquestioned leader of our team, and an undisputed leader on campus,” said Stephans. “I was always impressed by how universally well-liked he was by students from all campus sectors.” Once on the lacrosse field, however, Maltais was all business. With his “take no prisoners” attitude he became the Cougars’ all-time leading scorer with 98 goals, 80 assists, and 178 points.
Since earning a bachelor's degree in geography from Clark, Maltais has remained involved in sport and fitness activities. After a short stint as Clark’s head lacrosse coach from 1997-98, he started his own business, which he still maintains today, servicing exercise equipment in the greater Massachusetts area. A well-rounded athlete, he also has been a certified cycling coach and was a national ski patrol member. In addition, Maltais has been involved in numerous charity events, including mechanical support for the American Diabetes Charity Bike Ride (1999-2002) and the Courage Classic Charity Ride for a children’s hospital in Denver, Colo. (2000-02).
Still self-employed, Mike lives in Worcester with his wife, Dr. Eileen Early Maltais, and their children, Riley and Isabella.
The 10th women’s basketball player to be inducted into the Clark University Athletic Hall of Fame, Rebecca Sherer ’79 helped lead the Cougars to an impressive 55-18 overall record over her three-year career (1976-79). She helped guide Clark to the 1977 Massachusetts Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (MAIAW) championship as a rookie in her sophomore season with the Cougars. Sherer’s efforts on the court nabbed her the tournament’s Most Valuable Player accolades. The following year, Clark captured the Stonehill College Invitational title, as the junior forward was again named MVP. The 1978-79 season saw the Cougars claim their second MAIAW championship in three years, followed by a berth in the Eastern Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (EAIAW) regional tourney, the precursor to the NCAA tournament. As the team posted a program-best 23-5 mark that season, Sherer closed her collegiate basketball career as Clark’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder.
“It was immediately apparent to all of us that Becky had superior skills and knowledge of the game,” said fellow Athletic Hall of Fame inductee and former head coach Barbara Stevens. “As our leading scorer, rebounder, and ‘go to player,’ she was one of the elite players in MAIAW Division III. Along with her teammates of the late 1970’s, Becky played a major role in the emergence of Clark University women’s basketball as a state and regional Division III power.”
The Richmond, Mass. native joined various sports leagues after graduation, including the MsKicks Worcester women’s soccer squad and the Northampton Women’s Softball League. She was a two-time UMass-Haigis Hoopla women’s basketball champion (1992, 1993), and she won the 1993 Boston Reebok women’s basketball 3-on-3 title. Moving from the court to the sidelines, Sherer took over as head coach for the Amherst Recreational junior high girls’ basketball program in 1995. Also an active cyclist in charitable causes, she participated in the 2001 Ride the Rockies fundraiser and the PanMass Challenge for the Jimmy Fund (2003, 2004, 2006). In addition, she has been an avid tennis player.
Sherer, who also played tennis and softball at Clark, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in geography. In 1987, she earned an additional degree in civil engineering from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. She is currently senior project engineer for Tighe & Bond, Inc., Civil and Environmental Engineering Consultants. In addition, the Northampton, Mass. resident stands as co-chair of the UMass Industry Advisory Council School of Engineering Women and Minority Engineering.
It is a homecoming of sorts for Barbara Stevens, one of the country’s most successful women’s basketball coaches, as she returns to the place her coaching career began — Clark University. Since first arriving on campus as an assistant coach in the 1976-77 season, Stevens experienced nothing but success. That year, the previously unknown Cougars captured the Massachusetts Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (MAIAW) Division III State Championship with a 14-5 season. The program continued to flourish after Stevens took the helm in 1977, claiming a trio of MAIAW titles and five post-season appearances over the next six years. In 1982 and 1983, Clark won the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship, advancing to the national Final Four in both tries. At the close of the 1982-83 season, her final one at Clark, Stevens was named District 1 Converse/WBCA Coach of the Year as one of her players was awarded Division III Champion Player of the Year. During her six-year stint at Clark, Coach Stevens posted an impressive 123-42 (.745) overall record. In addition to coaching basketball, she had an assortment of responsibilities, including directing the softball program (1977-83), acting as coordinator of women’s athletics, and serving as Clark’s assistant athletic director.
In 1983, Stevens left Clark for Division I University of Massachusetts-Amherst, where she was head women’s basketball coach for three years. From there, she took the head coaching position at Division II Bentley College. In her 20-year tenure at Bentley, Stevens has posted a 554-102 (.845) overall record, earned 19 NCAA tournament berths, captured 10 regional championships, and made five consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II Final Four — including a trip to the 1990 National Championship game. She has posted nine 30-win seasons, won 14 Northeast-10 regular season titles, and earned conferences Coach of the Year honors 12 times. On the national stage, Stevens has three times been named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II National Coach of the Year (1992, 1999, 2001); and she received distinction as Division II Coach of the Year by the American Women’s Sports Federation following the 1988-89 season. In April 2006, she was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Stevens’ career has also been one of firsts, as she became the first women’s basketball coach in New England to reach the 500 career-win plateau. She was the first Division II coach -- and only the sixth overall -- to reach the coveted milestone of 700 career wins. Holding prestigious positions off the court as well, Stevens served as the 1994-95 president of the WBCA.
Coach Stevens was a three-sport athlete at Bridgewater State College, competing in basketball (three years, captain), softball (two years), and tennis (two years, captain). She graduated in 1976 with a health and physical education degree. In 1993, the Southbridge, Mass. Native, who now resides in Waltham, Mass., was inducted into her alma mater’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
One of the Cougars’ top players in the 1960’s, Bob Zarzynski was a four-year letter-winner (1959-63) whose accomplishments on the court are both long and impressive. As a sharp-shooter, Zarzynski was not only adept at cutting to the basket, but he was also noted for his outside range. Affectionately known as “Zar,” he finished his junior year as the team’s leading scorer. His leadership abilities and presence on the court earned him the team’s admiration and respect as he was named captain in his senior year. That same year, he earned UPI All-New England Small College Honorable Mention and was selected to play on the Greater New England Boston All-Star squad. Zarzynski also was voted by his peers in The Scarlet student newspaper as the 1963 Athlete of the Year. In addition, he received the Fred Hebert Trophy, awarded by the Clark Athletic Department to the senior male athlete who contributes significantly to the intercollegiate program.
Originally from Endicott, N.Y., Zarzynski came to Clark after a two-sport standout career at Seton High School, where he played basketball and baseball. “Zar played hard,” said Bernie Becker, a childhood friend and high school teammate. “He really excelled in basketball and always played a level above where he should have been. Zar was a natural three-point shooter – we called him ‘Mr. Outside’ -- and the second leading scorer on our team.”
Upon graduating from Clark with a bachelor's degree in business administration, Zarzynski, stayed actively involved in sports, coaching youth basketball and baseball leagues for many years. He has been a United Way and Red Cross volunteer, and he served on the Board of Directors for Twin Tier Home Health. Currently, Zarzynski is a Human Resources Director at the Bridgewater Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing.
Bob and his wife, Barbara, have been married 42 years and live in Endicott, N.Y. They have five children: Robbyn, Jaime, Robert, Tod, and Korey.