06/07/2024
By Mary Gallant

Assoc. Professor Emerita Claire Chamberlain of the Physical Therapy and Kinesiology Department, a pioneer of women’s athletics at the university, has died after a short illness. She was 79.

During her 37 years as a faculty member, coach and leader, Claire touched the lives of many students, faculty and staff. Some faculty teaching in the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences today were students in Claire’s classroom and gym classes.

Claire leaves behind a strong legacy for women’s sports. She co-founded five women’s sports teams at Lowell State starting in 1971, including softball, volleyball, basketball, tennis and field hockey. She served as head coach of the women’s tennis and basketball teams as well as the co-ed archery team. She also served as coordinator for Title IX, a 1972 federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in education, programs and activities.

In 2022, UMass Lowell Athletics recognized Claire and Assoc. Prof. Denise Lagault during the 50th anniversary of Title IX for their leadership in women’s sports. During an interview, Claire refers to her work on Title IX and women’s sports: “I guess I want to be remembered as a good teacher and all that it embodies. I don’t want anyone to assume. I want them to know what the work was and what went into it and why it was important.” Watch the interview with Claire and Denise.

In 1971, Claire began her career in the Department of Physical Education. During her tenure, she taught 21 different courses within the undergraduate physical education program and created the minor in coaching. In 1991, she joined the Physical Therapy and Kinesiology Department, serving as the first academic coordinator of clinical education for the undergraduate B.S. in Exercise Science program. She chaired the department from 1984 to 1991.

When she retired in 2008, Claire stayed engaged with the university by attending events, mentoring new faculty and donating funds. In May of 2017, she established the Professor Claire Chamberlain Endowed Scholarship Fund to support students pursuing an undergraduate teaching degree in the School of Education at UMass Lowell.

If you would like to make a memorial donation to the University of Massachusetts Lowell in support of the Professor Claire Chamberlain Endowed Scholarship Fund, please give online at www.uml.edu/givenow or mail to: UMass Lowell Advancement Office, 1 Perkins St., Lowell, MA 01854. Checks should be made payable to UMass Lowell and note that the gift is in memory of Prof. Claire Chamberlain.

A private burial was held at Fair Ridge Cemetery, Chappaqua, New York. Find more information about Claire in her obituary along with an opportunity to post your memories of her.