PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID OMAHA NE PERMIT NO. 389
A publication of the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging
New Horizons Claussen makes mark at UNO May 2026 | Vol. 51 | No. 5
By John Fey he Bible states in Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” And in 1969, one year after Omaha University became the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Connie Claussen created sports for female athletes at her alma mater. And as the 1968 advertising slogan for Virginia Slims cigarettes once said: “They’ve come a long way, baby.” It began with softball, and what a start it was. After graduating in 1963, Claussen began teaching physical education and two years later became chair of the department. She soon began the process of starting women’s sports, but it wasn’t easy. Title IX didn’t come to be until 1972, so scholarships for female athletes didn’t exist. (And it took three more years before financial aid kicked in.) Claussen rounded up players to be part of that first softball team and acted as its non-paid head coach. Her assistants were friends who also volunteered their time. One of her closest friends, Bev Sanders, later became the first equipment manager and a second mother to the female athletes.
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COURTESY PHOTO A couple of years into her coaching career, Claussen secured more funding for the physical education department, allowing her to cut back on her teaching workload. That initial year of softball also marked the beginning of the Women’s College World Series. It was born from talks Claussen had with Omaha Softball Association commissioner Carl Kelley. Starting in 1969, the WCWS was played at Omaha’s Dill Complex. The first three years of the tournament were recognized by the
national governing body known as the Division for Girls’ and Women’s Sports, forerunner to the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. John F. Kennedy College out of Wahoo, Neb., won the first three national titles, Arizona State took back-to-back crowns and Southwest Missouri State was the 1974 WCWS champion. Claussen’s 1975 team secured its first national championship trophy by beating Northern Iowa 6-4 – after losing to UNI to force the
if-necessary game. Connie Wichman was a member of that team and vividly recalls how Claussen managed the team that day. “We were all pretty down and depressed and thought we had just blown the whole thing,” Wichman said. “Connie was able to get our spirits up, and we won the second game. But I think if she hadn’t given us a little speech to get us back on track, we probably wouldn’t have won that second game.” Wichman enjoyed playing for Claussen. “She was great,” Wichman said. “She was all business, but she knew what she was doing.” SEEKING HELP FOR WOMEN’S SPORTS Getting administrative support for women’s athletics was difficult to say the least, Claussen said. Chancellor Ronald Roskens made it immediately clear he wasn’t in favor of the idea. She recalls: “He said, ‘One (athletic) program is enough,’ ” But help quickly arrived when one of the parents of a female athlete threatened to take UNO to court. --Claussen continued on page 9.
Raise your garden to new heights this year
Learning about how to get into leatherworking Leatherworking is the craft of creating items by hand or machine from leather, encompassing a wide range of products from functional goods like belts and bags to artistic pieces. Learn more about leatherworking offered in Walton, Nerbraska on Page 16.
By Melinda Myers Elevated and raised bed gardens can expand your planting options and make planting and maintenance easier and more convenient. You’ll be able to plant, weed and harvest with minimal bending or even from the luxury of a chair or bench. Elevated gardens are basically containers on legs. You can find plans to make your own or purchase one from your local garden center or garden supply retailer. Consider one on wheels or add your own for ease of moving. You’ll be able to
move your garden easier access. Purchase a prefab raised bed or into the sun or shade make your own from as needed each day or a long-lasting material out of the way when such as interlocking you entertain. Set the block, fieldstone, plasgarden in place first. tic lumber or naturally Once filled with soil, long-lasting wood. it will be very heavy Consider the available and difficult to move unless you have added space, your gardening goals and one that wheels. Those who provides a comfortable garden on a balcony height for gardening. should confirm the Select one with corners space will hold the or edges suited for sitweight of the elevated ting or narrow sides to garden bed once it is allow easy access from filled with moist soil a garden bench. and mature plants. Line the bottom Including raised of your raised bed beds in your gardens with hardware cloth and on or near your to reduce the risk of patio is another way animals burrowing to increase planting space and --Garden continued on page 8.