June 2, 2000
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) -
Dedication ceremonies for Lafayette College's $35 million Allan P. Kirby Sports Center were held at 6 p.m., Friday, June 2, in the sports center.
The center gives Lafayette the finest athletic complex of any college of
its size in the country. It includes a new, 110,000-square-foot intramural
and recreational sports facility attached to the previously existing Kirby
Field House. The field house itself has received a $2.5 million facelift
and interior renovations.
The new portion of the center, featuring a distinctive atrium overlooking
Fisher Field, includes the Kamine Gymnasium, which includes three
50-by-84-foot courts for basketball and other sports and an elevated
1/10-mile jogging track. The Buck Courts include six courts for racquet
sports, two for squash and four that can be configured for squash or
racquetball. A 6,600-square-foot fitness center and weight room includes a
full strength-training circuit, spacious free-weight area, and more than 30
cardiovascular machines. There is also a 35-foot climbing wall, an aerobics
area, and several offices.
Built in 1973, the original field house, which contains Ruef Natatorium, is
home to several varsity sports teams. It has been enhanced to include a new
sports medicine area and a new equipment room and renovated locker rooms
and administrative offices. The lobby and Athletic Hall of Fame display
have been completely modernized.
Major support for the sports center has been provided by the F.M. Kirby
Foundation, which made a $32.5 million gift to Lafayette, the largest gift
ever received by a college, university, or other non-profit organization in
the Lehigh Valley.
The $32.5 million contribution, which Lafayette has received in full,
includes $26.25 million for the sports complex and an additional $6.25
million in support of other objectives in the Lafayette Leadership Campaign.
The Lafayette Leadership Campaign, a six-year campaign with a goal of $165
million, will run through June 30, 2001. To date more than $155 million has
been raised in the campaign, which is the largest fundraising effort in
Lafayette's history and one of the most ambitious campaigns ever undertaken
by an undergraduate institution of Lafayette's size.
The total cost of the Allan P. Kirby Sports Center is $35 million. This
includes $26.5 million in construction and renovation costs and $8.5
million in endowment for operation and maintenance of the facility.
Approximately 75 percent of Lafayette students participate in varsity,
club, intramural, or other recreational sports. The intramural program
includes some three dozen sports. There are 15 club sports.
The Kirby foundation, headquartered in Morristown, N.J., is the family
foundation of the Fred Morgan Kirby family, which has been prominent in the
life of Lafayette for nearly a century. Seven family members are alumni,
four have served as trustees, and three received honorary doctorates from
Lafayette.
