Elizabeth Ashforth Bacon ‘78 was a top multi-sport athlete who played a major role in the development of the Camel women’s lacrosse program in the mid-1970s. Bacon entered Connecticut College in 1974, just two years after the passage of Title IX, a federal law that had a tremendous impact on the growth of the athletic programs for girls and women. Since the College did not sponsor a women’s lacrosse team, Bacon led the effort - with the help of teammates - to establish the program for the 1976 spring season.
As a three-year starter at the third home position, Bacon was a two-year captain in 1977 and 1978. She also was honored with the squad’s Most Valuable Player Award both in her junior and senior seasons. In the squad’s final game of the 1978 season, Bacon closed out her lacrosse career scoring the lone goal in the Camel’s exciting 1-0 victory over Division I Yale University.
“In addition to being a phenomenal athlete, Elizabeth was a tremendous asset in getting the women’s lacrosse program off the ground,” praised Charlie Luce, the College’s director of athletics from 1974-1992. “She was so far ahead of other athletes and was one of the best lacrosse players we had during my tenure. In fact, she probably could have played on any Connecticut College women’s lacrosse team at any time in school history. And while Elizabeth was the standout player of the team, she was also very humble and a true team player.”
In field hockey, Bacon had an immediate impact as a freshman forward. In addition to serving as captain of the junior varsity squad, she acted in several varsity contests and led the Camels in scoring. Her prowess on the field as a rookie earned the respect of her teammates, who selected Bacon a team captain as a sophomore. After taking off in the fall 1976 to study abroad at Westminster College in Oxford, England, she returned to the field as a senior and again was a team co-captain for the 1977 season. Bacon close her field hockey career earning selection to the 1977 Northeast College All-Star Team.
Complementing her leadership on the field, Bacon was well-respected on campus and was chosen for one of the prominent housefellow positions in Marshall residence hall during her senior year.
One year after graduating from Connecticut College with a B.A. in child development, Bacon earned a master of education degree from Lesley University. In 2008, she began doctoral work at Lesley and currently is a PH.D. candidate in the field of educational psychology.
Professionally, Bacon is the director of This is MyCity!, a Worcester, Mass., nonprofit organization that she founded in 2004 as an after-school program for the city’s students who are challenged academically, economically and socially. In 2007, Bacon was the founding director of Worcester’s Blackstone Canal Horse and Wagon Tours, which she continues to oversee. For her work in the community, she received a Blackstone Valley Tourism Council ARISTA Award in 2010.
Prior to these positions, Bacon was an elementary school teacher in Ithaca, N.Y. and Worcester, Mass. from 1979 through 1984. After taking time off to stay at home with her children, she returned to work in 1994 as a reporter for the Millbury/Sutton Chronicle, a position she held until 1999.
For the next five years, Bacon was director of education for Preservation Worcester, a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods representing the culture, history and architecture of the city. She later was a founding member and executive director of Worcester’s Arts & Humanities Educational Collaborative (now known as CultureLEAP [Learning through Education & Arts Partnerships], a coalition of cultural institutions, funding partners, and the Worcester Public Schools that encourages students, teachers and administrators to become life-long learners and active participants in Worcester’s cultural life.
In addition to her professional positions, Bacon has held several volunteer leadership roles within her community. She served on the Sutton (Mass.) School Committee (1986-1991), including one year as a committee chair, was a 10-year board member for the Performing Arts School of Worcester (1986-1996); led efforts to develop the Sutton Cedar Swamp Nature Trail and was on the PTA Nature Trail Committee (1992-1997); was active in the Massachusetts charter school movement (1994-1998); and served on Sutton’s Historical Commissions (1999-2007) Arts Council (1998-1999).
Bacon served on the Connecticut College Parents’ Committee from 2006-2009 while two of her children were Camel student-athletes. Margaret ‘07 competed in soccer, lacrosse and track & field, while Samuel ‘09 played lacrosse.
