Rolex honors achievements of ex-tennis players

Reflecting on her late coach Cissie Leary, honoree Lisa Hoffstein calls the award "bittersweet". The Penn tennis teams have two reasons to be proud, and their names are Bert Vogelstein and Lisa Hoffstein. The Intercollegiate Tennis Association recently announced that it will honor these two Penn alumni as the male and female recipients of the 1997 Rolex Achievement Award. The Rolex Achievement Award is presented to those former collegiate tennis players who have "achieved excellence in their chosen careers," according to a statement from the ITA. It is the person's contributions to society that are also taken into account in addition to their professional success. The ceremony for these Penn graduates will take place in New York City tomorrow at the Rolex U.S. Open party that coincides with the U.S. Open tennis tournament. Both the men's and women's tennis programs at Penn will receive donations of $2,500 in recognition of Vogelstein's and Hoffstein's accomplishments. Hoffstein played singles at the No. 3 position and doubles at the No. 1 position during her four years at the University. She captained the team in her senior year. Her freshman year was former tennis coach Cissie Leary's first year of coaching at Penn. This past winter, Leary passed away due to cancer. "The whole thing's a little bit bittersweet because she's the one who nominated me for the award. She was my coach and my friend," Hoffstein said. "I know she really wanted me to get this award, and I just wish she was around to be there." Hoffstein's fondest memories of her days as a Quaker revolve around Leary and the bond between the coach and Hoffstein and her teammates. Leary kept in touch with her former players, which may have helped the team stay so close. "[Leary and I] really remained friends over the years," Hoffstein said. "Our whole original team from my freshman year, we're all still friends. The entire team came back to Penn for Cissie's funeral 20 years later. That really says a lot about her and about our team." Hoffstein graduated cum laude in 1981 with a degree in political science. She earned a master's degree in 1981 from Penn's Graduate School of Education, and in 1988 she earned her M.B.A. with a dual major in public policy and finance from the Wharton School. "I don't so much differentiate between my volunteer time and my work time. I'm devoting my career towards hopefully making some difference for other people," Hoffstein said. After obtaining her M.B.A., Hoffstein became the Founding Director of the Wharton West Philadelphia Project. She designed the outreach program to support the economic and educational development of inner-city neighborhoods surrounding Penn. She also attempted to encourage volunteers from Penn's student body. The program hence became the model for the national University-Community Outreach Program. Since UCOP's establishment in 1990, Hoffstein has served as the national Executive Director. UCOP focuses on educational development, inner-city youth education and entrepreneurship. UCOP is backed by the Foundations of Milken Families. The Milken Young Entrepreneurs Program, UCOP's flagship component, connects inner city high school students with Wharton's M.B.A. students. "We've replicated the program that we started at Wharton. We're now running it at Wharton, at Columbia and at Berkeley through the Milken Foundation," Hoffstein said. "We're looking to expand to some additional sites." Vogelstein, the male recipient of the award, graduated summa cum laude from the College in 1970 with a degree in mathematics. He also won the Rosenbaum Award for his work in Semitic languages and literature. He attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and is now a cancer researcher at that school. While at Penn, he was a member of the men's tennis team, but did not play in the Saturday matches for religious reasons. Instead of having disdain for his beliefs, his teammates grew to admire his convictions. "It was very difficult for him to go on a road trip, but he accepted that very willingly because that's what he felt very strongly in," said Al Molloy, who coached tennis at Penn from 1959-90, said. "He was the type of person who was the first at practice and the last one to leave. He was a very tough competitor. Everyone on the team always enjoyed him because he worked so hard, and yet he had this strong moral obligation. He would have definitely played in the lineup." Though "very strong physically," as Molloy described him, Vogelstein's brain far exceeded his brawn. He was the first scientist to elucidate the molecular basis of a common human cancer. His research skills have netted him many rewards. Science Watch ranked Vogelstein No. 1 in the field of molecular biology in the spring of 1996. His discoveries are aiding modern research on cancer and its possible cure. "[His accomplishments] wouldn't surprise anybody," Molloy said. " I'm glad because he's done something for mankind. You knew it was going to happen, but you didn't know just when."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.