David Wells was only 3 when he began exhibiting heroic traits. During a family trip to the park, he toddled over to his Mom and Dad and alerted them that his infant brother Jimmy had fallen into the duck pond. Later, when David began making a name for himself in Little League baseball and basketball, he valued and expected good sportsmanship among players, coaches, and yes—even parents. Once after a game, 11-year-old David took his Dad to task for 'over-parenting.' "Dad!" David said outside. "Calm down! You're embarrassing me!" In fact, the only "bad" thing friends and family recalled David ever doing was getting expelled from junior high for kissing a girl.

These and other memories of the former athletic director and head men's basketball coach at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, were shared with family, friends, and members of the community on Saturday, July 14 at memorial services for Wells, 50, who died earlier this month in Mesa, Ariz. He is survived by his wife, Jodie Burton (head women's basketball coach for CMS); three sons, John, Todd, and Michael; his father and stepmother, John F. and Lois Wells of Sonoma, Calif.; and hundreds of student athletes who competed with, for, and against Wells during his 32 years with CMS athletics.

The hour-long Celebration of Life was held in one of Wells' favorite places: Ducey Gymnasium. In his honor, the Rev. Douglas B. Edwards of St. Ambrose Episcopal Church officiated over ceremonies from a podium placed at the free-throw line, while recounting some of Wells' accomplishments. David's brother, Tim—one of five siblings—shared many of his brother's passions. Both Edwards and Tim Wells outlined for Saturday's guests how capably David played sports. During the 1960s,Wells's father moved the family to an Oakland suburb because he wanted his children to grow up in a diverse environment. Despite his stature (not yet 5-foot-seven), a growing David continued excelling in sports.

"He had an adeptness and understanding of the game at a young age," Tim Wells said. "David did know more than the next guy, and the next coach." Wells could out-skill many of the giant jocks on the court and field. His favorite quote—and perhaps a telling one—was by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm." By 1968, Coach Bill Arce of then-Claremont Men's College recruited David for its baseball team. He was named team captain his last three years as a player.

While sports were a passion, they never overshadowed his commitment to family. Wells vacationed in Minnesota with Jodie, their sons, and with extended family—fishing and water-skiing. Tim says his brother learned that family was "always number one" from their father, who was the single-greatest influence in David's life. David's agility came from his mother, the late Mary Elizabeth Wells, who made the all-state girls' basketball team in high school. "And like his mother, David was kind, hopeful, courageous, and had a real sense of determination," Tim Wells said. The celebration included songs by David's brother, Robert, and his sister, Mary Wells Cutone. Members of the youth baseball team that David was coaching when he passed away presented Jodie with a plaque from their Mesa, Ariz., tournament—a championship they continued to play in Wells' memory. They earned the plaque for their runner-up finish, losing the last game by a run.

"And maybe (that loss) was fitting because David had lost his own battle while he was with us," Edwards said of Wells' six-year battle with cancer.

Guest musician George Allan, on bagpipe, led family and friends in a recessional to the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, where reception guests reminisced and enjoyed David Wells' favorite Motown hits.

After his tracheotomy, Wells wrote on a yellow notepad, as his trademark voice failed. Tim Wells recounted how once during a cancer support group meeting, David had asked a member to read something he had written. It said: "I just had one of the most wonderful moments of my life, standing on the ladder and cutting down the net with my wife."

"David was our hero," Tim Wells said. "Everyone respected my brother—adults and children alike."

Wells with wife Jodie. They are the only husband and wife team to coach men's and women's basketball on the same campus.