Providence College Athletics

Friar Athletics Loses A Great Friend

Friar Athletics Loses A Great Friend

Helen Bert was a pioneer of women's athletics at Providence College.

Oct. 2, 2002

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Helen A. Bert, a former coordinator of women's athletics and associate athletic director at Providence College, died on Monday, September 30. Bert was 80 years old.

Widely known as a pioneer of female athletics, Bert was appointed as the first woman in the Providence athletic department in 1971 by former PC Athletic Director Dave Gavitt. Upon her hiring on September 29, 1971, Gavitt said: "We are delighted to get a woman of Mrs. Bert's caliber to head up our Women's Recreation Department. With the arrival of women on the Providence College campus, we are doing all in our power to give the girls a well rounded recreational and physical education program."

In the fall of 1971, Providence College, which had previously only admitted males, had accepted 300 females into the student body. Lisa Connolly Gilbride was a freshman in that class. She played tennis and basketball for the Friars and was the first woman to earn the College's Athlete of the Year honor in 1975. After graduating, she was hired by Bert, her former tennis coach, to be the women's tennis coach at Providence. "When women first arrived at PC, they had not anticipated that there would be a need for women to have athletic activities," Gilbride stated. "Dave (Gavitt) hired Helen to look after the women. Helen created the women's center, which welcomed all the female students, not just the athletes. She came in at the beginning of Title IX and never stopped crusading for the female athletes. It was through her that we learned about passion, vision and courage."

Bert began as the Coordinator of Women's Athletics and was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director in 1974. She was elevated to Associate Athletic Director under Lou Lamoriello in 1982. Under Bert's tutelage, 12 Division I varsity women's sports were established as well as the first athletic scholarships given to women's basketball players in 1975. Her programs gained regional and national attention and produced several All-Americans.

Ray Treacy, who is the Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Operations at Providence College, was hired by Bert in 1984 to be the Women's Cross Country and Track & Field Head Coach. "Mrs. Bert was a true champion for women's athletics at Providence," Treacy stated. "The track and cross country programs were a beneficiary of her vision."

Bert graduated from Hunter College in New York, N.Y. She served as athletic director and coach of the girls' basketball team at Cardinal Spellman High School in New York before joining the PC athletic department.

On February 24, 1984, Bert was inducted into the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame, becoming the first woman inductee at PC. In addition, she also was inducted into the North Providence Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 1996. After 17 years at Providence College, Bert retired in 1988.

The funeral for Helen Bert will be held on Friday, October 4 at Russell J. Boyle & Son Funeral Home, 331 Smith Street, Providence, with a mass at 10:00 a.m. at St. Pius V Church on Eaton Street, Providence. Visiting hours are Thursday, October 3 from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Helen A. Bert Scholarship Fund would be appreciated.

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