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| WESTFIELD Although the Boston Marathon happens in the eastern part of Massachusetts, there is a Westfield State College connection at almost every level - from runners to marathon officials. This Western Massachusetts college often has runners from among its faculty, staff, students and alumni and the college has staffed the race with several volunteers for nearly 20 years. In the past two years, the college delegation has graduated from staffing a runner checkpoint to "ambassador" status. Carlton Pickron, dean of academic achievement, is co-chair of the Boston Athletic Association's ambassador program, which includes a total of 62 volunteers. The ambassadors help organize the start of the race, among other duties. Several of the ambassadors are Westfield State employees, students or alumni and they were be stationed primarily in Hopkinton, both assisting the runners and helping with crowd control. "One of our jobs is to get information to the runners," Pickron said. "The runners are sent reams of information, but there is still a lot of confusion before the race. The most common question we hear is, 'Where do I start?' The second most common question is, 'Where are the portapotties?'" A partial list of ambassadors from the Westfield State staff includes Nanci Salvidio, Laurie Simpson, Pat Romano and Trevor Hodge, but several other staff, students and alumni were be on the scene. At the other end of the race, at least two Westfield State alumni, Lance Campbell and William Lamonte Powell, are Boston Athletic Association officials active in welcoming the many world-class athletes, who come to compete in the marathon. The college volunteers were rooting for two runners who have special missions. Robert Rausch Jr., associate professor of movement science and president elect of the Massachusetts Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (MAHPERD), ran to raise funds to support a bill in the state legislature, H1199. The bill seeks to improve physical education in schools by establishing minimum guidelines and recommending certified physical education instructors. Also, Doug Meehan, SKYFOX reporter for Fox 25 TV and 1988 Westfield State graduate, was running to raise funds for breast cancer research at the Auerbach Breast Center at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. "Doug's Run" was in honor of Meehan's friend, Jeannie McManus, who was treated at the center. |