“In my life, I believe I’ve had but one coach: Carlo Cherubino. This interview is dedicated with love and gratitude to him. May his memory forever be a blessing in my life.” – Joan Lipscomb Arthurton ’87
The journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step, and for Joan Lipscomb, there was no doubt as to where she would lace up her shoes and begin that journey.
“When people would ask me where I was going after grammar school, I would say CBA because my three brothers attended there. Once I understood why that wasn’t an option, Holy Names was always the only choice,” Lipscomb says. “When I was six years old, I was a flower girl for my cousin, Terry Johnson Valentino ’75 when the graduation ceremony was outside on the front lawn. I joined my cousin, Chaliss Pounds ’85 when I entered as a freshman in 1983. I remember so many people knowing my name when I got there. I felt like a rock star who they had been waiting for!”
She says she vividly remembers being asked what she was most looking forward to when she arrived at Holy Names, and her answer was simple: running track, and having a locker! Both of her wishes would come true. Unlike grade school, AHN had plenty of locker space available. As for running, all she had to do was catch the eye of the man who would be mentor to so many student-athletes over more than four decades.
“In PE classes during the fall we would play soccer. I couldn’t handle the ball, but I could run, so that’s what I did; just ran up and down the field. One afternoon, I was in the Resource Center with friends and Coach (Carlo) Cherubino stopped me in my tracks. ‘Hey you! I see you running out there. You should join the track team.’ That day changed my life.”
Lipscomb, a member of AHN’s Athletic Hall of Fame, with a new wing dedicated to her former coach, says she can’t tell you where her medals are, the records she set, or even the venues where she made AHN history.* What she does remember is the time spent and bonds created with her teammates, and her coach.
“We were a tight-knit group of girls from “O-ly Names” as one memorable track official would say. We were proud, confident, well-trained, and well-mannered. When we showed up at a meet, we knew what we had to do. We didn’t talk to Coach until the meet was over. And if we didn’t follow the plan, it was a very long and quiet ride home, even from Troy or Schenectady.”
When Coach Cherubino passed away in November of 2024, it’s that bond that helped Lipscomb and her teammates navigate the loss. “Carlo had a magnetic personality. I wanted to be the best for him and he knew that. I loved being coached by him. My parents and I trusted him completely from the beginning. I remember my father telling him ‘I’m entrusting you with my daughter. If anything happens to her, keep walking.’ I looked forward to our practice every day, just to spend time with him. I was quoted in a newspaper article as saying ‘If he (Cherubino) told us to jump off a bridge, we would.’ We laughed about that for weeks after. When a big race was on the horizon, he always had us ready, as in ready to peak; ready to win. I was always amazed by his ability to do that for us. You know how a horse trainer gets a horse ready to run its best race? That’s what he did for my teammates and me. He just knew.”
Since graduating from AHN, Lipscomb has become an alumna of both Georgetown University and The College of Saint Rose. She says Holy Names instilled in her “a heaping amount of confidence that I could go anywhere, do anything, and be amazing.” After living in D.C. for several years, Lipscomb returned home to her adoring parents, earned her master’s degree in special education, and at present, is in the homestretch of her career as a teacher in the South Colonie CSD.
She also takes the time to share some of the wisdom passed onto her with current and prospective Holy Names students. Lipscomb delivered an address at the Fall 2024 Open House in which she talked about AHN being the place to fulfill your dreams and become your best self. She says the best advice she can give to today’s students is “never stop believing that you can be great at whatever you choose to do. My four years at AHN brought my sense of self into view. Discover yourself at Holy Names.”
Once you’re here, those bonds that are formed last a lifetime. Such is the case with Lipscomb’s dear friend and fellow Hall-of-Famer Pam Birnbach. “As students, we often joked ‘we would never come back to school to work’ thinking that our trajectory would take us to the other side of the world and moreover, what would it say about us if we ended up where we finished? Now, when I look back at that time, I am thankful that we were able to come back and learn our profession from true professionals. I am grateful too that I had that time with Pam. That’s how much we loved Holy Names. And Holy Names loved us too.”
Whenever back on campus, Lipscomb says she feels an overwhelming sense of pride and agency for all she accomplished during her four years. “I believe in Holy Names, its motto and creed, and being a part of this community in different roles and at distinct times in my life have impacted me in immeasurable ways. When I am on campus, I have this sense that ‘This is my school. And yes, I was a BOSS!’ I am eternally grateful for friends, teachers and administrators who walked these halls with me and taught me how to be humble, outspoken, loyal, athletic and fierce. Staying involved keeps me connected to the school and is a testament to the joy I experienced as a student. For our legacy to endure, it’s important that today’s students see me on campus. When students see me, they know they are in the right place. They belong. It’s my way of showing gratitude for all Holy Names did for me.”
*Joan was the Howard C. Nolan Athlete of the Year Award Winner in 1987, and set the school record in the 400, 600, and 800m at the NYS qualifiers.