We recently caught up with Jack Lingo '01 (recreation and leisure studies) and Bill Lingo '03 (art) and learned that these brothers have been keeping busy since commencement. After college, Jack went on to play for New Jersey Pride Major League Lacrosse and the Baltimore Bombers North American Lacrosse League. He has coached the sport at Cape Henlopen High School since 2002 and was named Delaware High School Lacrosse Coach of the year in 2014 and 2015. When he's not throwing the ball around, he works as a real estate agent for Jack Lingo REALTOR. He has a son, John Lingo IV, with his wife, Tessa. Bill works as general manager at Jungle Jim's River Safari Water Park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware (see photo). He and his wife, Samantha, have a two-year-old daughter, Raelee, and they're expecting a baby boy in May. In his free time, Bill restores classic cars and hunts waterfowl. Both brothers live in Lewes, Delaware. We asked them to share some of their favorite Virginia Wesleyan memories:
Jack Lingo '01 says:
I remember doing a presentation in [Associate Professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies] Dr. John Braley's
outdoor recreation class. I chose to do a presentation on snakes. A teammate of mine, Art Hamilton, let me bring his python to class, and I fed it a mouse at the end of my presentation. Everyone was very entertained. I got an A in that class. Sorry, mouse.
My best lacrosse memory would have to be when we beat Hampden Sydney in 2001. They were ranked in the top 10 nationally at the time. I would have never come to VWC if it weren't for Kyle Hannan. He gave me a second chance at lacrosse and school. I also owe a lot to Bobby Wynne and Mike Pounds. I was very lucky to have three outstanding coaches during my career at VWC.
Friends? Too many to list. I think my brother and I got along with everybody. We enjoyed supporting all the sports teams. We come down every fall for the alumni game. Its great catching up with old teammates and meeting the new players.
Bill Lingo '03 says:
Some of my favorite memories at VWC are working on ceramic projects in the art building, and getting in late-night wrestling matches with the basketball team. My favorite lacrosse memory is winning at Roanoke in front of a tough crowd. We dealt with a lot of heckling, so when the final whistle blew, instead of jumping in a pile with the rest of the team, my brother and I ran straight to the opposing fans to heckle them and celebrate.
My favorite teacher was [Professor of Art
] Dr. Phil Guilfoyle because he would let me try new things in the Art Department and spent lots of time helping all the art students with projects after hours. He taught me how to weld steel, which led to me doing full restorations on cars after college that involved metalwork and paint jobs.
The small classes and campus made it easy to make friends and get to know your professors. I was friends with anyone from other student athletes to international students. Although my grades weren't great the first few years, the small class sizes allowed the professors to notice the effort I was making and give me additional help when I needed it.
Read about other distinguished graduates in the Featured Alumni section of our website.
