>From Bucknell's Sports Information office. Bucknell Mourns the Death of Track Coach Arthur Gulden Visitation, funeral and memorial services set for later this week May 21, 2001 LEWISBURG, PA - The Bucknell University campus mourns the death of Arthur F. Gulden, longtime head coach of the cross country and track & field programs, who died Saturday (May 19, 2001) while attending the Eastern College Athletic Conference and IC4A Track & Field Championships in Princeton, New Jersey. Gulden, who was in his 31st year at the helm of the Bucknell program, succumbed to complications related to his lengthy battle with cancer. He was the son of the late Arthur Gulden and of Harriet Blette Gulden. He is survived by his wife, Linda; a son, Arthur Frank William Gulden and daughter-in-law, Andrea, of Lewisburg; five daughters and two son-in-laws; Darlene A. and Michael Dunlop of Lewisburg, Bonnie S. Gulden of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Wendy L. Gulden of Virginia Beach, Va., Christine L. and Patrick Osmond of Eden, Utah, and Abby Francine Harriet Gulden of Lewisburg; six grandchildren; Terra Dunlop, Ashley Dunlop, Max Dunlop, Cody Osmond, Kirsten Osmond, and Caitlin Osmond; and a brother, Jim Gulden, of Lewisburg. Arthur Gulden was 58. "Art was an outstanding individual who made so many contributions not only to Bucknell cross country and track, but to the entire department and everyone that knew him," said John Hardt, Bucknell's Director of Athletics and Recreation. "Art was always the first to ask each Monday morning how the other programs fared over the weekend, and no one cared more about the student-athletes at Bucknell than Art did. He was truly one of the finest coaches in the world of collegiate athletics. It was an honor to have worked with Art, and he will be greatly missed." A 1964 graduate of Rutgers University, Gulden received his master's degree at Rutgers a year later. He served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army for two years, then returned to Rutgers for three years before coming to Bucknell to begin his illustrious career with the Orange and Blue. Gulden took a program virtually from scratch and, through years of commitment, effort and sacrifice, developed the Bison program into one of the most respected programs in the East. During his 31 years as its mentor, he led Bucknell to 68 conference titles and maybe more importantly, he demanded success in the classroom. His teams regularly boasted among the highest grade-point averages of any on campus, and he coached nearly a dozen student-athletes whom earned national Academic All-America honors. In addition, he taught a freshman seminar at Bucknell entitled, "Sport as a Social Institution." Coach Gulden earned the respect of his peers in both the East Coast Conference and the Patriot League, and in fact was named Patriot League Coach-of-the-Year 20 times in the 11-year history of the conference. Bucknell alumni returned to Lewisburg in the spring of 2000 for a very special celebration marking Art Gulden's 30th year at Bucknell. Five years earlier the alumni did the same, honoring Gulden that night with the announcement of the Art Gulden Scholarship. Gulden's coaching career has been marked by many highlights. His men's cross country teams won 18 straight conference titles between 1975-92, and won three IC4A championships. Arguably Bucknell's most nationally-accomplished sports program, the Bison men's cross country program qualified for the NCAA Championships nine times in the last 21 years, and at one point compiled a remarkable dual-meet winning streak of 167 -- spanning 16 years. During the fall of 1999, it was the women's turn. For the first time in school history the women earned an at-large selection to the NCAA Championship where they finished 24th in the nation. Fiercely competitive and equally tenacious, Gulden's teams reflected his personality. His training regimen, developmental program and competitive philosophy consistently paid dividends as the Bison regularly made phenomenal improvements in their college careers. Many of Gulden's runners continue to race together long after graduation, and the Bison have enjoyed outstanding success in the Alamo Alumni Runs, a series of road races sponsored by Alamo Rent-A-Car in which alumni from numerous schools compete as a team representing their alma mater. Bucknell has also made its presence felt with outstanding performances at the annual Hood-to-Coast Relay the past three years. Gulden served as chairman of the TAC Eastern Regional Olympic Development Committee, as a member of the NCAA Cross Country Executive Committee, and as a member of the U.S. Olympic Development Committee for Distance Running. He was past president of the IC4A Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association and was the District II Coach of the Year five times. He served as president of the U.S. Cross Country Coaches Association in 1991-92, and coached the U.S. national team at the World Cross Country Championships in Norway in 1989. Gulden was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints where he was a High Priest. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and hiking, and loved all sports. His passion was his rural home in East Buffalo Township and the outdoors. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Arthur Gulden's memory to the American Cancer Society or the Arthur Gulden Scholarship Fund at Bucknell University. A closed casket visitation will be held at the Gary H. Cronrath Funeral Home, Inc. on South 2nd and St. Louis Streets in Lewisburg on Wednesday (May 23) from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. The funeral service will take place at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Ridge Road in Northumberland on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday at 11:00 a.m. in Rooke Chapel on the Bucknell University campus, to be followed immediately by a reception at the Terrace Room in the Langone Center. At the request of the family, for those whose schedules require them to make a choice between the funeral service and the memorial service, please attend the memorial service on Saturday. Any current Bucknell students or alumni that wish to return for the funeral or memorial service and are in need of housing should contact the Office of Housing and Residential Life at 570-577-1195 to make their reservation. All rooms will be paid for by the Office of Deans of Students. (The most notable athlete who was coached by Art Gulden was Thomas McLean, the 1976 NCAA 800-meter champion, who is now USATF's Executive Director of Programs-WM)
