How did you first get involved with the Terrapin Club?
Alex: Bob and Geraldine started going to Maryland Basketball games Lefty Driesell's first year as coach. A group of Terrapin Club members (Heise, Rymer, DesRoches, Jenkins, and Perry) introduced themselves and encouraged them to join the Club to get football tickets, basketball tickets, and as a bonus, free ACC tournament tickets.
What motivates you to give so generously?
Alex:Â To support the scholarships for worthy student athletes, plus great seats to the best games in town! Geraldine and Alex also have degrees from U of M.
Do you have a message you would like to share with other donors and fans?
Alex: Never give up on the Terps!
Do you have an anecdote about Maryland Athletics or the Terrapin Club that you would share?
Alex: One year in the early '80s, Bob Novak, Jack Heise, and John Rymer drove to Charlottesville to the the Terps take on UVA. After the Terps won a nail biter at the buzzer, they headed for home, but stopped at the Bavarian Chef for a celebratory beverage. Lo and behold the replay of the game they had just witnessed was beginning on the television at the bar. So they stayed and watched the entire game. When the finally got home to Rockville in the wee hours of the morning, they pressed "play" on the Betamax and watched the game a third time.
Also, despite a demanding work schedule, Bob Novak--with the generous indulgence and help of
Gary Williams--was able to attend every basketball game--home and away--in the 2001-2002 National Championship season.
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Who is on your Mount Rushmore of Maryland AthleticsÂ
Alex:
Gary Williams, Lefty Driesell, Len Bias, Juan Dixon.    Â
What do you hope Maryland Athletics will achieve this year?
Alex: We would have loved to see the football team make a bowl game, but it's such a crazy year, I'll take a Penn State smackdown any day. And would love to see Men's and Women's basketball both make the Sweet 16 (and beyond!).
If you could go back in time and witness one Terps game live (in any sport), what would it be and why?
Alex: The ACC tournament finals against NC State in 1974, despite the heartbreaking result. It's been called one of the greatest games in college basketball history.
What is the first Maryland game you ever went to?Â
Alex: The first games Bob and Geraldine Novak saw in Cole Field House were the Kentucky-Texas Western Final Four in 1966. And then Bob took his father to see Lefty Driesell, who was coaching the upstart Davidson Wildcats, lose a close one to North Carolina in the 1969 NCAA tournament because Lefty was starting his new job in College Park the following season.
What do you want to see Maryland Athletics achieve moving forward?
Alex: Keep on advancing as a great educational institution and fearsome turtles in the athletic arenas.
What makes Maryland Athletics so special?
Alex: Terps Athletics have always been special for overcoming disadvantages and biases and for never giving up!
