Chemistry on the Court

Alumna establishes endowments to support science faculty and women’s tennis

When Christy Copper ’91 reflects on her four years at Mary Washington, a few names come to mind.

Ed Hegmann, UMW’s longtime athletic director and women’s tennis coach, taught her about leadership and accountability. Former President William Anderson and wife Jane rooted on her tennis team through two national championship wins. Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Ray Scott helped her secure a research internship that paved the way for graduate school.

“Mary Washington changed my life,” said Christy, who earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry there before pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee. “So many people cared and wanted me to be successful.”

A chemistry professor at the United States Naval Academy, she believes it’s critical that faculty have access to resources, equipment, and professional development so they can teach today’s students. That’s why she established the Christine L. Copper ’91 Endowment for Chemistry Research and the Athletic Endowment for Women’s Tennis at the University of Mary Washington through her estate plan.

“If you can make faculty feel valued and supported, it ensures a better experience for students,” said Christy, citing other influential chemistry professors she had like Bernard Mahoney and John George. “They were always available to help in the lab.”

Hailing from Worcester, Pennsylvania, Christy and her mother found Mary Washington in a college tennis guide and dropped in on Coach Hegmann while touring schools in the southeast. His enthusiasm for the tennis program, along with the regional scholarship Christy earned, quickly won her over.

At Mary Washington, Christy worked hard on the tennis court, becoming the only student-athlete in the school’s history to play on two national championship teams, both as a first-year student and a senior, securing her a spot in UMW’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.

During college, she was recognized as a three-time All-America selection and the most decorated player in Mary Washington’s tennis history. In her four-year career, she held a singles record of 114-30, and was named the NCAA Division III National Senior Player of the Year and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1991.

Through tennis, she bonded with President Anderson and his wife, who invited Christy and her roommate to live in the guest house on the property of Brompton during her senior year.

“They essentially adopted the team,” said Christy, who recalled mingling with faculty members at parties at their home. “It was very cool to feel like part of their family and tutor and hang out with their children.”

Christy (center, in front of trophy) with the rest of the Mary Washington women’s tennis team and Coach Ed Hegmann at the NCAA Tennis Championships in 1991. Photo courtesy of Christy Copper.

Christy has been recognized as the most decorated tennis player in Mary Washington history and the only student-athlete at the school to ever play on two national championship teams. Photo by Barry Fitzgerald/University Archives Centennial Image Collection.

Christy also enjoyed the broad liberal arts and sciences education she found at Mary Washington, taking classes in psychology, geography, and history with professors such as Christopher Kilmartin and the late Marshall Bowen and James Farmer. “It was like story time every evening with Dr. Farmer, hearing about all he had done in his life,” she said.

And she made lifelong friends both on the tennis team and with fellow chemistry majors, while earning top grades and scoring graduate admission to the University of Tennessee. There, she focused on analytical chemistry, a subject she had studied with Professor Scott at Mary Washington.

“It’s about finding a better way to look for a particular chemical in a sample,” Christy said. “In the post-9/11 era, we were looking at poisons in drinks, explosive residue in the environment, and better ways to analyze ink on paper.”

Now in her third decade at the U.S. Naval Academy, where she also serves as the faculty athletics representative, Christy explores human physiology and biochemistry, helping athletes and officers train and perform better.

“I wanted to be at a small school like Mary Washington, engaging in hands-on research with my students,” Christy said. “I hope I can make as much of an impact on them as my professors did on me.”

Now an analytical chemistry professor at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, Christy’s research focuses on human physiology and biochemistry to help athletes and officers train and perform better. Here, the student on the bike is being fitted with a mask so Christy and her students can test his maximal oxygen uptake, which is an indication of his aerobic fitness. Photo courtesy of Christy Copper.

“I wanted to be at a small school like Mary Washington, engaging in hands-on research with my students,” Christy said. “I hope I can make as much of an impact on them as my professors did on me.” Here, one of her students pricks an athlete’s finger so a blood lactate level can be obtained to indicate how hard the body is working during exercise. Photo courtesy of Christy Copper.

For more information about estate planning, visit https://umw.giftlegacy.com/ or contact Executive Director of Planned Giving Jeremy Vaughn ’08 at jvaughn@umw.edu or 540-654-2063.

-Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 for the Gift Planning Connections newsletter, Spring 2025