A legacy of leadership and love for sport and school

By Margaret Wilson

Cynthia Oaks Linville ’80, P’13’18 (left) and Jud Linville ’79 P’13 ‘18 (right) attend the grand opening of Wallach Sports Performance and Lacrosse Center. They have continued a legacy of philanthropy to the College, most recently naming the locker rooms in honor of former coaches. Pictured with Coach Pat Myers (center).

Cynthia Oaks Linville ’80, P’13,’18 still vividly remembers sitting on the top bleachers in Alumni Memorial Gymnasium, watching basketball games with her sisters, Susan Oaks Little ’78 and Sally Lou Oaks Loveman ’84. Long before she became a Lafayette graduate herself, she often visited campus as a young girl, joining her family on trips led by her father, Dr. Wilbur “Billy” Oaks ’51.

“He was a devoted alum and an incredible cheerleader, specifically for the sports teams,” Linville says of her father. “He was a connector, very much a people person. I remember being so proud of being at a place that my father loved so much.” 

Billy Oaks, former captain of the men’s soccer team, was a committed benefactor of the College throughout his life and career as a physician. He served on the Board of Trustees and received the Lafayette Medal for Distinguished Service in 2001, as well as the Joseph E. Bell ’28 Alumni Distinguished Service Award the following year. In 2011, he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Public Service. Oaks Stadium at Gummeson Grounds is named in his honor, and a monument celebrating his legacy stands near the soccer pitch. 

Lafayette ran in the Oaks family’s blood, with Linville and her two sisters eventually attending. Linville, who played field hockey and lacrosse at Lafayette, married her high school sweetheart, Jud Linville ’79, P’13,’18, also a student-athlete. Two of their daughters and two of their nieces attended Lafayette as well. 

“Our entire family has this commitment to the school, because our love for our dad was so inherently visceral,” Linville says. 

Dr. Wilbur W. Oaks ’51

It was that love that inspired the Linvilles to honor Billy Oaks in 2011, creating the Dr. Wilbur Wilson Oaks ’51 Leadership Development Fund, which funds the Oaks Leadership Academy. The Academy aims to develop, challenge, and support Lafayette student-athletes and coaches in their quest to become effective leaders in academics, athletics, and life.

“My father truly believed that on the field, you become a leader of consequence,” Linville says. “You can then take those attributes learned on the field and apply them to become a true leader in the world. I think one of the things we’re proudest of is founding the Oaks Leadership Academy.” 

Each semester, students in Oaks Leadership Academy go through a program of leadership development programming, including interactive workshops, 360-degree feedback, one-on-one coaching, peer mentoring, supplemental online training, and educational resources. One of the hallmarks of the program is the opportunity to connect together student-athletes across different sports, imbuing a spirit of camaraderie reminiscent of Oaks’ approach to athletics. 

“It didn’t feel right to me that all the sports were in silos,” Linville says. “One of the foundational goals of Oaks Leadership Academy, for me, was to give the opportunity for leaders within their teams to be immersed with leaders of other teams, so they could share ideas back and forth.”

For students involved in the Academy, it provides an opportunity to see how the world they’ve built on the field can inform the way they show up in the world. 

Kendra Daly ’26, defender on the women’s lacrosse team and a member of the Academy, has found the experience to be transformative.

Kendra Daly ’26 is a defender on the Lafayette women’s lacrosse team and a member of Oaks Leadership Academy. | Photo courtesy of Lafayette Athletics

“Through discussions with other student-athletes, I’ve learned how different leadership principles apply both on and off the field,” Daly says. “Oaks [Leadership Academy] has helped me develop not only as a leader and teammate, but also as a student, family member, and friend.” 

Student experiences like these are central to the goals Linville and her husband had when creating the Academy. During her time as president of the Maroon Club, Linville was able to be on campus to engage with students whom her family, and her father’s legacy, helped support. 

“After every session I was privileged to be a part of, student-athletes would come up to me and say [Oaks Leadership Academy] has been such a game changer for me. It’s helped me gain internships. I’ve had fun with it, I’ve grown,’” Linville says. “I think they all appreciated the fact that they were meeting new people, and they felt honored to be a part of it.” 

For Daly, the benefits of her participation in the Academy are already bearing fruit. She has a job lined up after her graduation in 2026, planning to join JPMorgan Chase as part of its Corporate Analyst Development Program. 

“The Academy helped me understand that leadership can show up in small, consistent actions,” she says. “[At my JPMorgan Chase internship], my habits reflected my dedication, initiative, and willingness to connect, all qualities emphasized by the Academy, which helped me stand out.”

The Linvilles were able to create Oaks Leadership Academy before Billy Oaks passed away in 2015, allowing him to see firsthand the impact he has had on the world of Lafayette athletics through his dedication and his family. 

“There’s an amazing sense of fulfillment when you donate to something you love,” Linville says. 

“I think it really opens your heart to something. It lightens your spirit … there’s so much you get back emotionally from giving to a school, and as a bonus, you get to see the results.”