Catherine M. Inglese, ’80, is no stranger to success. In her 11 years as head coach of women’s basketball at Boston College, Inglese led the Eagles to its first Big East tournament victory with a 75-57 win over Rutgers University. She has guided the Eagles to five appearances in the NCAA Tournament in the last six seasons, three of them consecutive.

Her record at the University of Vermont, where she served as head women’s basketball coach from 1986 to 1993, was equally impressive. While at Vermont, she led the team to two undefeated seasons in 1991-92 and 1992-93 with 52 straight wins and, in the process, established a new NCAA record for consecutive regular season victories.

More recently, there was the Eagle’s win against the then number three-ranked Connecticut Huskies last March. Under Coach Inglese, Boston, ranked number 23 at the time, defeated the Huskies 73 to 70 in the semifinals of the Big East Tournament, stunning the crowd of more than 10,000 gathered at the Hartford Civic Center.

“To beat them on their home court, in my home state of Connecticut was just phenomenal,” says Inglese. “So many of my family and friends were present. The fact that I was there…that I have this career, which I love so much…well, I know it all started for me in high school and college. Southern is a very special place. I’ve always appreciated everything I learned and experienced there.”

As does the entire Inglese family. Catherine’s parents, Vincent L. Inglese, ’54, and Nancy Daly Inglese, ’56, met at Southern — which was then New Haven State Teachers College — and credit the institution with launching their careers in education. Vincent retired as assistant superintendent of schools for Wallingford, Conn., having previously served 20 years as principal of Lyman Hall High School. Nancy, an early childhood education major, raised five children and also devoted 11 years to the tutoring and remediation of students.

The couple’s connection to Southern has remained strong, as has their friendship with classmates, notably, Anthero (Nick) Nicolau, ’57, and his wife, Eleanor Weiss Nicolau, ’54.

In 2003, Catherine, her parents, and the Nicolaus jointly established the Harry and Mary Inglese Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund in memory of Vincent Inglese’s parents. The scholarship was the brainchild of Vincent, who sees the scholarship as a form of “thanksgiving.”

Students who receive The Harry and Mary Inglese Endowed Memorial Scholarship must have high academic standing and be members of a men’s or women’s varsity athletic team. The recipients also must have graduated from the Wallingford Public School System, where Nancy and Vincent Inglese worked and all of the Inglese children were educated.

“Establishing a scholarship was a very meaningful way to pay tribute to my mother and father, both of whom contributed tremendously toward my own success,” says Vincent Inglese. “In addition, there is a definite need for scholarships at Southern. The university has done a great deal for our family, as has the city of Wallingford. This scholarship recognizes all of these aspects of our lives.”

For the Nicolau family, contributing toward the fund was a way to say thank you both to Southern and the Inglese family. In the midst of his junior year at Southern, Nick Nicolau left school to serve two years in the Marine Corps. While Nicolau was in Korea, his dad passed away and his mother was left to raise a young teenage daughter alone. “I had to go back to school solely on the GI Bill, which contributed all of $110 a month,” says Nick, who as an out-of-state student faced the additional challenge of finding and financing a place to live. Vincent invited his friend to stay with his family with the full blessing of his parents. For a mere $10 a week, Mrs. Inglese provided room and board — and did his laundry. “She wasn’t a good cook,” says Nicolau. “She was a great cook. In all seriousness, she was like a second mother to me and Vincent is like a brother.”

The scholarship’s criteria recognizes the important role athletics have played in the two families’ lives at Southern and beyond. Vincent Inglese, who participated in track and basketball at SCSU, went on to coach and serve as an athletics director at the college level. Prior to rising to national prominence as a college-level coach, Catherine Inglese was selected as Southern’s outstanding female athlete in her senior year, having excelled at both basketball and softball. Today, she is among the leaders supporting Southern’s three-year campaign for women’s sports. The campaign is called SCSU Women — Stand Up and Be Counted.

Nick Nicolau’s life also has been intrinsically tied to athletics. After graduating from Southern, he went on to earn a doctorate in physical education and had a 42-year career as a football coach at both the collegiate level and in the National Football League. As a coach, he worked with the New Orleans Saints, the Denver Broncos, the Raiders, the Buffalo Bills, the Colts, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the San Diego Chargers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Catherine and Vincent Inglese and Nick Nicolau all have been inducted into Southern’s Sports Hall of Fame.

But more than athletic prowess, friendship drives this Southern story. Like the Ingleses, Nick and Eleanor Nicolau met at Southern. Eleanor Nicolau raised six children and taught for three years.The couples even serve as godparents for each other’s children.

Both couples’ loyalties extend to their alma mater. “It’s important to remember how much we received through the state and Southern. This scholarship gives us the opportunity to give something back,” says Nancy Inglese.

Her husband, Vincent, concurs. “It cost us $10 a semester to attend Southern, and that was refunded to students who earned high grades. Today, there are many talented, potential students who cannot afford to attend Southern. They deserve the same opportunity that we were given.”