NORFOLK, Va. -- Legend. Pioneer. Championship coach. Power on the court. Hall of Famer. Academic stalwart. Beloved great.
Family, friends and teammates used those words repeatedly at a celebration of life on Sunday at Old Dominion's Constant Center in memory of Anne Donovan, who died of heart failure on June 13 at the age of 56.
Marianne Stanley and Nancy Lieberman were among those in attendance, in addition to Donovan's family: sisters Mary Grab, Patrice O'Donnell, Michele DiPlano and Kathleen Donovan and brother Kevin Donovan. Wendy Larry, who coached ODU for 24 years, was also in the house along with former players, administrators and community members, each with a story to tell about the Ridgewood, New Jersey, native who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995 and in the inaugural class of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame four years later.