Nearly 25 years later, their commitment continues . . .
Guy Cipriano ’74 and his family, who helped introduce the squash program to Pingry in 2002, returned to the Basking Ridge Campus in January—specifically, the Miller A. Bugliari ’52 Athletics Center, which has housed eight squash courts since the building opened in 2017—to celebrate the dedication of the Cipriano Family Court.
This gift is their most recent commitment to Pingry and to Pingry squash; together with the O’Toole family, who also helped bring the squash program to Pingry, “their generosity has been instrumental in providing world-class, on-campus facilities,” said Head of School Tim Lear. “Most recent” because among the Cipriano family’s gifts to Pingry over the decades, they supported the construction of the Bugliari Athletics Center, and in December 2024, they dedicated the Cipriano Family Library on the Short Hills Campus. “The Cipriano Family Library and Cipriano Family Court are especially unique,” Mr. Lear explained, “because they bridge the full K–12 experience on both the Short Hills and Basking Ridge Campuses.”
Boys’ Varsity Squash Head Coach Ramsay Vehslage Jr., whose passion for squash runs in his family, detailed the history and expansion of squash at Pingry, from the fall of 2002 when he “jumped at the chance” to coach an Upper School team, to the program’s elevation from a club team with 11 students (2002-03) to varsity status (2003-04), to squash courts being built on campus in the Bugliari Athletics Center, to the fact that Pingry also offers Middle School and JV teams, with nearly 70 students playing squash at one of the three levels. Through it all, he said, “Guy has been a stalwart supporter of Pingry squash and a reliable sounding board for me.”
Along with thanking Mr. Lear and Mr. Bugliari for their leadership and impact, Mr. Cipriano recognized the people who have played a role in the squash program at Pingry: the late Bob Pyle ’56 (in June 2002, he co-wrote a letter to then-President of Drew University Thomas H. Kean to request that Pingry be able to rent courts at Drew), Polly and Terry O’Toole, former Director of Athletics Jo Ann DeMartini, Coach Ramsay Vehslage Jr. (“a tremendous leader and squash royalty”), Director of Squash and Girls’ Varsity Squash Head Coach Francis Odeh (“an individual of the highest quality as a player and as a coach”), and former Director of Squash Tina Rix-Stout.
Passionate about squash, Mr. Cipriano also spoke about his love for the game and its benefits for fitness, not the college search. “Squash is not about getting into college,” he said. “I first played squash in 1977—I was already in college. I realized that this is a great game to stay fit, work on your reflexes, and work on your fitness . . . squash is a lifelong game.” His son Peter Cipriano ’06 played squash at Pingry and said his favorite memories came from playing sports at Pingry; he has since gone on to win multiple racquets championships.
Mr. Cipriano even pointed out how easy it can be to play squash. “You just need one or three people to play! Make it part of your life. It’s going to make you physically strong, it’s going to make you mentally strong, it’s going to keep you healthy, and it’s going to make you happy.”
Pictured: Dana Betts, Special Assistant to the Head of School Miller Bugliari ’52, Head of School Tim Lear, Boys’ Varsity Squash Head Coach Ramsay Vehslage Jr., Guy Cipriano ’74, Debbie Ross, Peter Cipriano ’06, and Director of Squash and Girls’ Varsity Squash Head Coach Francis Odeh
Contact: Greg Waxberg ’96, Assistant Director of Communications, Writer/Editor