Like many of her students and athletes, Sharon Spalding came to Mary Baldwin in 1989 chasing a dream. Though she held a full-time job at Rockingham Memorial Hospital, she wanted to coach volleyball.
And coach she did for 10 years, winning an Atlantic Women’s College Conference (AWCC) volleyball championship in 1995 and coaching multiple players to all-conference honors.
“Some of my most special memories of Mary Baldwin are of my volleyball teams and our trips,” Spalding said. “This is back when we had one van and no phones. We picked a player to bring the CDs for the trip. We sang and played car games. Lots of great times.”
Coaching volleyball was only one facet of Spalding’s 31-year career, which was capped with emeritus status as professor of physical and health education. She held roles and led teams of both students and staff across Mary Baldwin and helped make the university what it is today.
Now several months into her retirement, Spalding looks back on her Mary Baldwin journey, and those with whom she walked, or (knowing Spalding) often ran.
“Most of all, I miss the people, to include faculty, staff, and students,” she said. “I was able to work with some great people over my 31 years.”