Stanford Squash Loses Our Squash Angel, Sherry Posthumus
Stanford Squash recently lost one of our most beloved friends and program supporters. The Stanford Squash program was born under the guidance and support of Sherry Posthumus, the Athletic Director for Club Sports. We often remarked that Sherry was our “Squash Angel” because of all the miraculous ways she helped our program grow to become the solid program students, faculty, staff and the community now enjoy so much. Jason Miller, one of the student founders of the program and a former men’s team captain, worked closely with Sherry through several years:
“My recollections of Sherry are woven into a disjointed but poignant quilt. On the quilt, her gentle but unwavering dedication to club sports is juxtaposed with her mischievous smile and even more mischievous pranks. A picture of Roble Gym appears on the quilt; Sherry always noted that she was perfectly happy working for Stanford Athletics in a facility far away from DeGuerre because “that way, they can’t see what we’re doing over here in our little corner.” Each time she noted this to me, an impish smile would cross her face. A bright red spot on the quilt stands for the time that I got in deep, deep, scalding hot water with Stanford Admissions for advertising to prospective squash players that Admissions allowed us to submit a list of applicants we strongly favored for the squash program. Quaking in my boots as I walked over to Admissions to face the wrath of the Admissions Director, Sherry walked beside me and was the ever-calming presence during the meeting. A part of the quilt is reserved for the multiple Athletics Department meetings Sherry attended with me and my fellow squash co-founders, helping push our agenda for squash courts and a comprehensive squash program to then Athletic Director Ted Leland. There were so many other pieces to the quilt, but in its entirety, the quilt represents the comfort and warmth that Sherry provided me. It’s a quilt I carry with me and that I can and do turn towards when facing new challenges. I will miss Sherry dearly, but am thankful to have her spirit firmly implanted in my memory.”
Zan Feild worked closely with Sherry over many years on projects including PE classes, obtaining the new squash facility and bringing Squash Director Mark Talbott to Stanford:
“I vividly recall the first time I met Sherry. I was waiting outside her office to be interviewed for being the instructor-in-charge of the PE squash classes. Her office was busy with students coming and going as Sherry multi-tasked through a maze of tasks – all with great grace and a fun spirit which the students enthusiastically shared. Our interview was a fun way to start a memorable friendship that extended through the years. I always enjoyed my talks with Sherry, whether having lunch at the golf course while enjoying Arnold Palmers (I had never heard of this combination of half iced tea and half lemonade) or meeting in her homey office in Roble.
Sherry’s impact on the Stanford Squash program is foundational at the core. Sherry always supported students who had vision and needed resources to pursue their dreams and somehow Sherry always found a way. We often called Sherry our “squash angel” because of all the numerous ways she helped our program from providing PE classes to chairs for matches to funding opportunities to guidance and much, much more. Two of the most profound developments in the squash program in the past few years were the construction of the new squash center and the hiring of legendary Mark Talbott as the full-time squash director. I had the pleasure of working very closely with Sherry on both of these items and was amazed at her energy, enthusiasm, indefatigable spirit and humor in the face of very long odds and many challenges to a successful completion. The gift that the public sees from Sherry’s efforts are the new center and a thriving squash program but my own gift from Sherry that I carry the rest of my life was a lesson on how to maintain a positive perseverance in the face of overwhelming challenges.
Sherry lived that same positive perseverance even through her illness. Even as she was ill, she maintained a wonderful sense of humor – most notably a fun prank that she and Nanci Conniff orchestrated that played out while I was taking one of Nanci’s yoga classes! I will miss Sherry but I also know that she will forever be a part of who I am. Sherry accepted me into the Stanford club sports family with warm welcomes and a wonderful spirit and always supported me. My involvement with the squash program in turn has led to wonderful growth in my own life – a path that would not have been possible without Sherry’s trust and confidence in me. Thank you Sherry – you will be missed but not forgotten.”
Sherry was always about the students and placing their needs, goals and dreams ahead of all else in order to achieve the amazing club sports program she developed and fostered. Rich Sherwood was another student in the program that worked very closely with Sherry for several years. Rich was a former men’s team captain, the highest ranked men’s player to ever develop and play at Stanford and the recipient of college squash’s Skillman Trophy, squash’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, that was awarded by a vote of all the college squash coaches:
“One aspect of Sherry that stands out to me was the way she treated all of the students she worked with. She allowed a bunch of college students with little experience to run a summer camp, teach a class, run a club team, always assuming a level of maturity that we were not confident we had. But because she believed in us, encouraged us, and went way out of her way to help us through each process, we acted like we were that mature. When we made mistakes though, Sherry always defended us and helped much more than should have been expected to fix any issue we had. To have Sherry--someone who was that immediately friendly, trusting, encouraging, and loyal-- as a friend made me and many others grow enormously as people.”
One of Sherry’s lasting legacies, of many, was the success in helping to bring Mark Talbott to Stanford as the Director of Squash. Mark’s impact has been profound since that time. The women’s team is now a varsity sport, the endowment development has proceeded well and Stanford is reaching out in new directions with programs such as Urban Squash program which combines tutoring with squash for at-risk youth.
“Sherry Posthumus was the first person in the Stanford Athletic Department that I communicated with when I was contemplating moving with my family to Palo Alto. For me, it was a pipedream at first coming to Stanford and Sherry was my only contact within the university. It was for personal and professional reasons why I first wanted to come to Stanford, but I knew that the squash program was in it’s infancy and that it was a long shot that it would work out for me to make the move to Stanford. Sherry was the positive encouraging force that always kept the dream alive. She made it happen for myself and my family. She made it a reality for our squash program and everyone involved. Sherry was the steadying influence and soundboard for the squash program long before I came.
I was fortunate enough to spend my first year in Roble Gym, down the hall from Sherry. She always had the time for me and everyone else who wondered into her office, of which it was endless traffic. No problem was too small or too big. I have heard this from everyone whom has spoken about Sherry, and I know it is true, she was about the students, she cared. I am a better person for knowing her. I was lucky, and the squash program and Stanford were fortunate to have her guidance and help for so many years. I miss seeing her smiling face as I know so many people do. I have not been around Stanford long enough to truly appreciate all of the people that Sherry helped and befriended but I am sure it is countless. She was a wonderful, loving person and I am grateful that our lives crossed paths.”
Sherry’s unwavering support of the Stanford Squash program has affected all those who have enjoyed the program to date and has set a foundation that will continue to affect future generations of students, faculty, staff and the community. We will miss our Squash Angel but Sherry will forever be a part of our Stanford Squash family.