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ball season ticket holder for 30 consecutive years; he's been a men's basketball season ticket holder for 15 consecutive years; and he also enjoys watching the men's lacrosse team plus the men's and women's tennis teams. "I haven't missed many football games since 1982 when coach George Welsh arrived," Lear said. "When we lived in North Carolina, we'd travel four and a half hours to see a game." In 2013, over Thanksgiving weekend, the Cav- aliers played Virginia Tech at Charlottesville. Because the Lears' grandsons, John Barwick and Brooks Barwick IV, had been away at college for the previous three years, their granddaughter Olivia Barwick and the latter young men spent the entire Thanksgiving weekend visiting Ron and Olive. Since the family hadn't been to a football game for a while, at Olivia's suggestion they attended the game and enjoyed their time together. "Our grandchildren Olivia, John and Brooks have seen many UVa games throughout their lives," said Lear, whose daughter, Diane Barwick ('85), also graduated from Virginia. "The quality of the coaches [football coach Mike London and basketball coach Tony Bennett] as individuals is outstanding. "They're of high character and recruit players with the same values." As far as Lear is concerned, the same could be said of the entire coaching staff at the University of Virginia. "On the whole, I think we have some quality coaches," said Lear. "Look at the baseball coach [Brian O'Connor] and both tennis coaches [men's coach Brian Boland and women's coach Mark Guilbeau]. "What's been outstanding is what Brian has done with his program. Olive and I both play tennis. Brian has built that program from ground zero to where it is today. He's won the national championship [in 2013 which was the first NCAA Division I men's tennis championship won by a Virginia men's tennis team and again this year]. Moreover, he's competed for it nearly every year." — Mike Scandura In the rear, left to right, are Ron and Olive Lear. In the front, left to right, are their grandchil‑ dren: Olivia Barwick, John Barwick and Brooks Barwick IV. PHOTO COURTESY THE LEAR FAMILY