Linda K. Vaughan, 71; led Wellesley College athletics

A noted researcher and author in the field of sports psychology and founding co-chair of the Friends of Wellesley College Athletics, or FOWCA, in 1986, Dr. Vaughan had held the title of professor emerita of the Department of Physical Education and Athletics since retiring nine years ago.

Remembered as “an outstanding teacher, coach, mentor, avid photographer, and lover of wildlife,’’ by Bridget Belgiovine, chair of physical education and recreation and director of athletics at the college, Dr. Vaughan died Oct. 17 at her home in Wellesley after a long battle with cancer. She was 71.

Dr. Vaughan, who was given FOWCA’s Exceptional Leadership Award in 1990, was told by Belgiovine shortly before her death that the award and a varsity crew shell would be named in her honor. Dr. Vaughan had conducted a major study of the history of crew at the college and was its first varsity crew coach.

“When I told her of those honors, Linda’s eyes lit up, a smile appeared, and she shared her pride for FOWCA and Wellesley College. That moment will stay with me forever,’’ said Belgiovine, who oversees 13 varsity sports. “Her passion and commitment were gifts to all that had the opportunity to interact with her. Linda’s years at Wellesley included the period of tremendous growth in opportunities for female student-athletes.’’

Ann Batchelder of Wellesley, who taught at the college for 38 years and was associate chair for physical education with Dr. Vaughan, said “Wellesley College was really Linda’s home. She was a teacher at heart, and all those who worked with her not only grew as individuals but also passed on that growth to their own students. She really cared about her colleagues.’’

Batchelder recalled that 20 years ago when a part-time instructor in the physical education department had a chronic illness and found it difficult to make ends meet, Dr. Vaughan loaned her $1,000, knowing it would never be repaid.

“Linda had a magnetism that drew people to her and made each of them feel special. When I walked across campus after her retirement, I was invariably asked by someone from another department or from the administration, the motor pool or paint shop how Linda was doing,’’ said Batchelder. “She was contacted by her former students on a regular basis right up until her death. Wellesley’s school colors are royal blue and white, and I think she truly bled Wellesley blue.’’

Kathy Hagerstrom of Wayland, associate professor and head basketball coach at the college from 1991 through 2009, recalled that when she was going through the hiring process, Dr. Vaughan, then on the search committee, first asked her “What do you do for fun?’’

“I’m not often at a loss for words, but I was then and I learned quickly that Linda, who could be a tough administrator with high standards, also had a playful side,’’ said Hagerstrom. “I always wanted to do well for her because of her accomplishments and her presence. She helped me develop as a teacher-coach. She mentored but never meddled.’’

Connie Bauman of Natick, associate professor of physical education whom Dr. Vaughan hired in 1979, said she was “the quintessential educator. I’m eternally grateful for her example and support even after she left Wellesley.’’

The college honored Dr. Vaughan last year after establishing an endowment fund for the Friends of Wellesley College Athletics. Dr. Vaughan made her gift in honor of Katherine Curtis (“Kitsy’’) Rigler, a member of the class of 1961 who served on Wellesley’s board of trustees and was the alumna co-chair - with Dr. Vaughan - of FOWCA for its first seven years.

“I was fortunate to have been part of the growth and development of Wellesley’s intercollegiate athletics program and now am honored to be able to help ensure its continued pursuit of excellence,’’ Dr. Vaughan said at the ceremonies, where the student body thanked her for being “a true role model for each of us. Both current and future student-athletes shall see many great things come our way because of your gift.’’

Dr. Vaughan was a 1956 graduate of the Hathaway Brown School for Girls in her hometown of Shaker Heights, Ohio, where she received the Janet McGean Scholarship as the student who had contributed the most to the school. She attended Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y., where she received bachelor of science and master’s degrees and was given the Aldrich Award for proficiency in sports. She also was a PhD recipient at Ohio State University.

She first came to Wellesley College in 1962 as a physical education instructor, then moved to Smith College in Northampton, where she was director of the master’s thesis program in physical education for several years before returning to Wellesley.

Dr. Vaughan was involved in a 1979 project in women’s exercise physiology at the Army Research Institute for Environmental Medicine in Natick. Conducted when women were first being enlisted as regular soldiers, the studies were important in demonstrating that women were able to undergo the same demanding physical training as men.

“When she came back from that sabbatical,’’ recalled Bauman, “we fondly called her ‘the Colonel,’ and the nickname, which she loved, stayed with her.’’ Last June, Bauman arranged a reunion of faculty Dr. Vaughan hired in the 1980s that included a group salute to “the Colonel.’’

Dr. Vaughan, once a canoe guide at a girls camp in the Adirondacks, spent many summers at Long Lake, N.Y., where she enjoyed canoeing, usually with a camera at her side and one of her four flat-coated retrievers in the bow. A world traveler who photographed wild animals in their natural habitats, Dr. Vaughan exhibited her photos at a one-woman show at Blue Mountain Gallery in the Adirondacks.

Mary Coyne of Wellesley, a former professor of biological sciences at the college, accompanied Dr. Vaughan on photographic excursions to Africa, the Arctic, Galapagos Islands, and Alaska. “She was always trying to get the best shot, and we’d sometimes sit for hours to get them, usually after carrying 25 pounds of photography equipment,’’ recalled Dr. Coyne, who said a photo of penguins walking through deep snow in single file was one of Dr. Vaughan’s favorites.

“She also liked to take pictures at our athletic events and share them,’’ said John Babington, Wellesley College cross country coach. “I knew Linda as a warm and friendly person who always greeted me with a smile.’’

A memorial service for Dr. Vaughan will be held today at 1 p.m. in Village Congregational Church in Wellesley. Bells will be rung from the college tower during a procession from the service to a celebration of Dr. Vaughan’s life at the College Club at Wellesley College from 2 to 4 p.m.