Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Howe Constable
Longtime Princeton resident and Princeton University’s first women’s squash coach, Betty Constable, 83, passed away Tuesday, September 9, 2008. She was born November 8, 1924, and grew up in Weston, MA and, later, in New Haven, CT where she married her husband, W. Pepper Constable, Jr., in May 1950.
The dominant squash player of the 1950s, Betty was a central force behind the growth of women’s squash in the U.S. Constable was a 5-time U.S. National Squash Singles Champion. The Howe Cup/U.S. National Squash Team Championships, was named in honor of the Howe family women – Betty, her twin sister, Peggy, and her mother, Margaret – all U.S. national champions. Besides her five national titles, Betty took four veterans (over 40) titles, three veteran doubles titles, and played in three Wolfe-Noel competitions (helping win America’s only victory ever in Great Britain, in doubles in Edinburgh in 1950).
Constable, a member of the U.S. Squash Hall of Fame and the College Squash Association Hall of Fame, achieved an unmatched record of success; as first head coach of Princeton University women’s squash team, she left an unmatched win-loss record of 117-15 during her tenure from 1971-1991; ten of her teams finished their seasons with an undefeated record. In addition, she mentored three national intercollegiate champions, Wendy Zakarko, Nancy Gengler and Demer Holleran, who won seven individual championships between them.
In 1973, she helped create the intercollegiate division of the Howe Cup, which began in 1973 as the brainchild of Betty and Pennsylvania coach Ann Wetzel, also a former national champion. Constable’s mother, Mrs. Howe, donated the trophy for the intercollegiate division. Under her leadership, Princeton won the cup 12 times in the 19 times that they competed for it.
Mrs. Constable is survived by her children, W. Pepper Constable III, of London, England, Margo Constable of Idledale, CO; Kacey Constable Nugent of Old Saybrook, CT, and Liza Constable of Nelson, NH. Also, by three grand-daughters and two grandsons: Hadley Nugent, Piper and Zoey Hewitt, and Philip and Jesse Constable. Her husband, Pepper, died in 1986; Her son, W. Howe Constable, 54, died in August 2008.
A memorial service will be held 2 p.m. on Sept. 28 at the Princeton University Chapel. A reception at Prospect House will follow. Burial will be on Nantucket October 5th.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations in Betty’s memory be made to the Friends of Princeton Women’s Squash at Princeton University, c/o Gail Ramsay/Friends Donation, P.O.Box 71, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-0071.

