Angela Marie "Chickie" Geraci Poisson, formerly Angelea Marie Geraci (born June 18, 1931),
[ is an American former ]field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shootin ...
player and coach. She played on U.S. women's national field hockey team from 1953 to 1963 and was in the first class of inductees into the U.S. Field Hockey Association Hall of Fame.
Early years
She was born Angela Marie Geraci in 1931 at East Orange, New Jersey
East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was List of municipalities in ...
, and attended Clifford Scott High School
Clifford J. Scott High School was a comprehensive community public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in the city of East Orange, in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operated as part of the East Orange ...
in that city. She attended Trenton State College (later renamed The College of New Jersey
The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a public university in Ewing Township, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Established in 1855 as the New Jersey State Normal School, TCNJ was the first normal school, or ...
).
Professional and athletic career
After graduating from college, Geraci taught at the Southern Seminary Junior College in Buena Vista, Virginia
Buena Vista ( ) is an independent city located in the Blue Ridge Mountains region of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,641. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the independent cities of Buena Vista ...
, Sweet Briar College
Sweet Briar College is a private women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia. It was established in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams in memory of her deceased daughter, Daisy. The college formally opened its doors in 1906 and granted the B.A. de ...
in Sweet Briar, Virginia
Sweet Briar College is a private women's college in Sweet Briar, Virginia. It was established in 1901 by Indiana Fletcher Williams in memory of her deceased daughter, Daisy. The college formally opened its doors in 1906 and granted the B.A. deg ...
, and later as a tutor for five years at Vassar College
Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely fol ...
. In 1962, she was hired by the University of Bridgeport
The University of Bridgeport (UB) is a private university in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. In 2021, the university was purchased by Goodwin University; it retain its own n ...
as a physical education instructor and coach of the school's field hockey team.[ At least one source indicates that she remained as the team's captain in 1963.][ She also served as a game official in five sports, including field hockey, basketball, and volleyball.][
]
Family
She was married in 1963 to Francis W. Poisson, the athletic trainer at the University of Bridgeport.[ Her husband later became the school's athletic director and died in 2019. They had been married for 56 years and had three sons.
]
Honors
In 1988, she became one of the charter inductees into the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poisson, Chickie Geraci
1931 births
Living people
American female field hockey players
Sportspeople from East Orange, New Jersey
The College of New Jersey alumni
21st-century American women