Purdue News

February 13, 1998

Aquatics center campaign kicks off with a splash

The project is a cooperative venture among Intercollegiate Athletics, the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Leisure Studies, and the Division of Recreational Sports. The total project cost is estimated at $23 million, with $15 million coming from private donations and the remainder to be paid for through bonding authority to be requested from the Indiana General Assembly.

The campaign will be formally kicked off on Saturday, Feb. 14, with a facilities tour and a luncheon for past and present Purdue swimmers and divers and other members of the three participating areas.

So far, gifts have come in from Purdue alumni and lead donors, including Richard F. Shively, a West Lafayette native and former owner of WLFI-TV18; Mr. and Mrs. James F. Ackerman of Indianapolis; hotel and swim club owners Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Holloway of Middletown, Ky.; Olympic silver medalist and former Purdue swimmer Keith E. Carter of Cocoa Beach, Fla.; and the John Anderson Foundation of Valparaiso.

The new aquatics center will be built behind the Recreational Gymnasium on land that is currently occupied by an outdoor pool and diving well, three tennis courts and two basketball courts. The new center will replace the 40-year-old indoor and outdoor pools at the recreational gym and the 60-year-old pool at Lambert Fieldhouse.

Morgan Burke, director of Intercollegiate Athletics and former Purdue swim team captain, said the pools at Lambert Fieldhouse and the Recreational Gymnasium are in poor condition. "The pools simply are too old and too small to meet the athletic training needs of the swim teams and the fitness needs of the campus community," he said. "Because we don't have an indoor diving well, for instance, our divers must drive to Indianapolis to practice. We see this campaign as a great opportunity for the Purdue swim teams and for athletics to take an active leadership role in a project that will benefit the entire student body."

The plans call for a new Olympic-size pool with eight 50-meter lanes and a diving well with two 1-meter and two 3-meter boards and a tower with three diving platforms. The center will be home to the men's and women's swim teams and also will be open to users and guests of the recreational gym. According to Carol Stickel, director of the Division of Recreational Sports, planned changes to the recreational gym include a 17,000-square-foot cardiovascular and fitness training center on the basement level and the addition a 5,800-square-foot aerobics studio in the space currently occupied by the indoor pool.

"When the Recreational Gymnasium was built in the 1950s the needs revolved around mostly team sports, such as basketball and volleyball," Stickel said. "Since then, aerobics has blossomed, fitness is a way of life for both men and women, and our volume has grown to over one million uses of the facility per year. We simply must make these renovations to house more equipment and keep up with the demand." The infrastructure of the gym also will be upgraded with the addition of an elevator, a new air-handling system.

Academics also are a part of the project formula. Thomas Templin, head of the Department of Health, Kinesiology and Leisure Studies, said students and faculty will benefit from use of the facility for swimming and lifeguarding lessons and future research. "We are excited about the prospect of teaching and conducting research in the new facility," he said. "We also are looking forward to the opening of the Ismail Fitness and Nutrition Research and Education Center in Lambert Fieldhouse, near where the pool is now."

Shively, of Point Clear, Ala. has never hesitated to dive right in when it comes to involvement with Purdue. A 1941 Purdue graduate, he was the radio voice of Boilermaker sports on the university's station, WBAA, while a student at Purdue. In addition to his prior ownership of the West Lafayette CBS-affiliate WLFI-TV18, Shively has put 12 other television stations on the air throughout the country and presently owns two NBC-affiliated television stations in Nebraska. By contributing to the aquatics center campaign, Shively said, he's acting on a strong family connection with Purdue.

"I grew up on campus," he said. "My dad taught civil engineering, and I have 15 family members who have attended Purdue, including my three children. With the Prescription Athletic Turf in Ross-Ade stadium, the new JumboTron scoreboard, Mackey Arena, the all-weather track and the Mollenkopf Athletic Center, Purdue is already one of the most well-equipped universities in the country. The new aquatics center will be another jewel in Purdue's athletic crown. A world-class university needs world-class athletic facilities."

Ackerman, president of Cardinal Ventures LLC and a 1947 graduate, and his wife, Lois, are strong supporters of the university.

"Our family has an enduring relationship with the university and great confidence in its leadership," Ackerman said. "We felt it was important to support a project such as the aquatics center that would benefit the entire student body."

Holloway, a 1948 Purdue graduate, has not only contributed financially to the aquatics center campaign, but is donating his time as a volunteer.

"My wife, Doris, and I and our four children are all Purdue graduates and have benefited from the people and facilities there," he said. "That's why we want to give our time as well as our financial support to this campaign. The need for a new aquatics center is significant. We have two great, young swim coaches and they need a facility -- badly."

Carter, a 1949 Purdue graduate, is another pace-setting donor. The former Purdue swimmer and retired general manager of the Reliance Electric Co. of Cleveland won the silver medal in the 200-meter breaststroke in the 1948 Olympics in London. He said Purdue must have updated facilities to stay competitive. "The school sorely needs a new aquatics center, not only to keep the swim teams competitive, but to compete for and retain top-notch students, faculty and staff," he said.

According to Burke, once the financial goals have been met, the project will take an estimated 24 months to complete.

Sources: Morgan Burke (765) 494-3189
Carol Stickel (765) 494-3113
Writer: Kate Walker (765) 494-2073; e-mail, kate_walker@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A color photograph of the rendering of the new aquatics center is available. Ask for the photo called Burke.Aquatics. The kickoff event is not open to the public, but journalists are welcome. The tour at the Lambert Fieldhouse pool begins at 9 a.m. Saturday (2/14). The Recreational Gymnasium tour begins at approximately 10:15 a.m. Formal remarks will be made during a luncheon following the tours at the Atrium Dining Room of Hillenbrand Hall.

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