Alice Putnam Willetts

Alice Putnam Willetts (1926 to 2020), known earlier as Alice Putnam and sometimes by the nickname Putty, was an American field hockey and lacrosse player and coach. Born in Ridley, Pennsylvania, she played basketball, lacrosse and field hockey at Swarthmore High School and went on to Temple University, where she competed in field hockey, basketball and tennis and graduated magna cum laude in 1947. She also introduced lacrosse to Temple and coached it there for three years. She was a member of the United States national field hockey team from 1946 to 1955 and of the United States national women's lacrosse team for twelve years. Her honours include being among the charter inductees of the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Temple University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977. After her playing career she taught at several schools and colleges and founded the Swarthmore Senior Citizens Association.