A group of alumni, families, and friends who have supported Colby athletics for more than 100 years.
The C Club organizes functions in support of Colby athletics, recognizes and honors Colby athletes, and more. All former Colby athletes are part of the C Club affinity group. The annual C Club Awards Ceremony takes place during Homecoming weekend in the fall.
Dr. H. Alan and Dorothy Hume
Dottie and Dr. H. Alan Hume’s generosity led to the creation of the Colby-Hume Center on Messalonskee Lake, a beautiful setting that holds a special meaning for the Colby community. Colby’s crew teams have been based at the Hume Center and practiced on Messalonskee Lake since 1991 and benefit from a boathouse built for them by the Humes. Alan and Dorothy Hume acted as “godparents” to the teams and were in large measure responsible for the teams’ ability to achieve varsity status in 1993. Alan passed away in Feb. 2020.
Candice Parent
Candice Parent spent 26 years as a coach and administrator at Colby. She not only honed the skills of her athletes but also inspired them to reach for greatness both on and off the court. As Head Coach of Volleyball, Parent helped the Mules to four straight 20-plus win seasons from 2002 to 2005, including a 37-4 record (10-0 in NESCAC play) and a trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament Final Eight in 2005. The 2005 team was the first Colby team in any sport to win a NESCAC Tournament Championship. She was named NESCAC Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2005 and reached a milestone in the 2012-13 season, earning her 300th career victory at Colby. During her time at Colby, Candice also served as an assistant coach for women’s basketball and softball. Candice was heavily involved in volleyball in the Waterville area and throughout Maine, earning the Rick Pierce Award from the Yankee Volleyball Association for her efforts. Candice tragically passed away in October of 2023.
The 2003 Women’s Crew Team
The 2003 Women’s Crew Team is the most successful in Colby’s history, capturing the 2003 NCAA Division III Rowing Championship, Colby’s only team national championship in school history. Colby earned the automatic qualifier – the only automatic bid in Division III in the country – by being the top finisher among all New England Small College Athletic Conference schools at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)/National Invitational Rowing Championships (NIRC). Before winning the national championship, the team finished an impressive second in the country in 2002. NCAA Championship Team: Emily Allen Tyler ’03, Eleanor Boyce ’03, Vivienne Ho ’03, Leah Robertson ’03, Laura Mistretta Kirk ’04, Andrea Piekarski ’04, Cameron Fisher ’04, Kathryn O’Neill ’04, Leah Hagamen ’05, Megan Loosigian ’05, Anne Szender ’05, Caitlin Chamberlin ’05, Caroline Andresen ’05, Elizabeth Curran ’05, Elizabeth Johnson ’05, Sarah Dunham Gray ’05, Elizabeth Shepherd Christensen ’06, Margaret Duggan ’06, Rebecca Reisman Torrisi ’06, and Sarah Hoskinson ’06.
The C Club is an organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for alumni, families, and friends to show support for Colby College and its athletic program. We accomplish our mission by:
- Organizing functions and events that bring alumni, families, and friends together in support of Colby athletics such as the Jack Deering Tailgate and C Club Dinner.
- Recognizing student-athletes for their athletic and academic achievements, strong character, and leadership qualities.
- Honoring alumni and friends of the College who have made significant contributions in support of athletics at Colby (C Club Person of the Year Award), as well as members of the Colby family who have achieved noteworthy career success in athletics or in a career related to athletics (Carl Nelson Sports Achievement Award).
- Building a large and diverse community that is representative of the Colby community and its athletic program.
This award is presented annually to a member (or members) of the Colby family, not necessarily alumni, who have shown dedication and support to Colby athletics by his/her/their service to the College and particularly to athletics at the College.
C Club Person of the Year Recipients
- 1951 Cecil Clark ’05
- 1952 Howard Ferguson ’31
- 1953 C. Wallace Lawrence ’17
- 1954 Clayton Johnson ’25
- 1955 Joseph Wallace ’43, Gordon Jones ’40
- 1956 Leonard Grant ’15, Carl MacPherson ’26
- 1957 Ludy Levine ’21
- 1958 Ray Greene ’47
- 1959 Clair Wood ’28
- 1960 L. Russell Blanchard ’38
- 1961 John Davan ’33
- 1962 Jack Deering ’55
- 1963 Pacy Levine ’27
- 1964 George Beach ’41
- 1965 Kershaw Powell ’51
- 1966 Clarence Dore ’39
- 1967 Frank Carpenter ’14
- 1968 Carl Wright ’47
- 1969 John Kennedy ’13
- 1970 Robert Lee ’51
- 1971 Roy Shorey, Jr. ’54
- 1972 William Bryan ’48
- 1973 Robert Burke ’61
- 1974 David O’Brien ’58
- 1975 Harold Alfond L.H.D. ’80
- 1976 Ted Hodgkins ’25
- 1977 Bink Smith ’62
- 1978 Robert Sage ’49
- 1979 Thomas O’Donnell ’27
- 1980 Arthur “Red” O’Halloran ’50
- 1981 Carl Nelson
- 1982 Robert Clifford, Jack Kelley, Lee Williams, John Winkin
- 1983 Norman “Cy” Perkins ’32
- 1984 Marjorie Bither
- 1985 John, Pete, Mary, Barbara Joseph
- 1986 Evelyn Kellett ’26
- 1987 Clifford Came ’42
- 1988 Thomas Lizotte ’74
- 1989 Dennis Dionne ’61
- 1990 Donald J. Short ’64
- 1991 Linda Mitchell Potter ’66, Wayne Fillback ’64, Peter Jaffe ’62
- 1992 Richard McGee
- 1993 Ormonde Brown ’51
- 1994 James Hayes ’76
- 1995 William Marvin ’65
- 1996 Sid Farr ’55
- 1997 Art Brennan ’68
- 1998 L. Sandy Maisel, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Government
- 1999 William R. Cotter, Lawrence R. Pugh ’56
- 2000 Edward Fraktman ’53
- 2001 Tom Austin
- 2002 Patricia Valavanis Smith ’80
- 2003 Alfond-Levine Family (Family of the Century)
- 2004 Jim Wescott
- 2005 Alex Wilson ’73
- 2006 Deborah Aitken
- 2007 Edward J. Burke Jr. ’60
- 2008 Louis V. Zambello Jr. ’55
- 2009 Edward M. Woodin ’69
- 2010 Jill Gordon, Charles A. Dana Professor of Philosophy
- 2011 Richard L. Whitmore H’90, P’91
- 2012 James H. Crook ’78
- 2013 Karl Dornish Jr. ’54
- 2014 William L. Alfond ’72
- 2015 Carlton “Bud” Reed ’53* and Betty Cummings Reed and family
- 2016 Don Rice ’56
- 2017 Joe Boulos ’68
- 2018 John J. “Jack” O’Neil III ’77
- 2019 Alexander Buck Jr. ’78
- 2020 Anne O’Hanian Szostak ’72 and Michael Szostak ’72
- 2021 Douglas Terp ’84
- 2022 Tim O’Donnell ’87
- 2023 Matt Hancock ’90
- 2024 Dr. H. Alan and Dorothy Hume
Honoring a Colby person for achievement in the athletic world, this award was first presented in 1988 to Carl Nelson.
Carl E. Nelson Sports Achievement Award Recipients
- 1988 Carl Nelson
- 1989 Tom Whidden ’70
- 1990 Jan Volk ’68
- 1991 Curt Gowdy, Jr. ’75
- 1992 John Winkin
- 1993 Ronald Ryan ’62
- 1994 Eugene Hunter ’48
- 1995 John Simpson
- 1996 Jack Kelley
- 1997 Lee Williams
- 1998 Charles Holt
- 1999 Maureen Pine ’84, Carol Simon ’85, Carol Anne Beach ’88, Jen Holsten ’90, Katharine Cowperthwait ’91, Sura DuBow ’92
- 2000 Stephen Freyer ’68
- 2001 Elmer C. Bartels ’62
- 2002 Laura Halldorson
- 2003 No award given
- 2004 Boyd Sands ’59
- 2005 David Arseneault ’76
- 2006 Michel Picher ’67
- 2007 Richard J. McGee P’82
- 2008 Robert W. Auriemma ’59
- 2009 John “Swisher” Mitchell
- 2010 Reagan L. Carey ’01
- 2011 Richard L. Whitmore H’90, P’91
- 2012 Steven M. Curley ’60
- 2013 Norman P. Gigon ’59
- 2014 Mark Serdjenian ’73
- 2015 Mark Kelley ’80
- 2016 Hilary Gehman ’93
- 2017 Eric DeCosta ’93
- 2018 Erika Ayers Nardini ’98
- 2019 Mark Jackson ’95
- 2020 Brian O’Halloran ’93
- 2021 Melinda Williams ’03
- 2022 Tim “Westy” Weston
- 2023 Jennifer Lally Kent ’90
- 2024 Candice Parent
Honoring a standout team performance from the history of Colby Athletics.