UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 11, Page 1
November 12, 1992
Formal ceremony dedicates new Bob Carpenter Center
Reminiscences, tributes, thank you's and congratulations filled
the Bob Carpenter Center Tuesday afternoon at the center's formal
dedication ceremony.
More than 900 persons, including government and University
officials, alumni, trustees, faculty and donors, attended the
hour-long program in the center's Acierno Arena, which was festooned
with blue and gold banners and balloons for the occasion.
The 134,000-square-foot facility is named in honor of R.R.M.
(Bob) Carpenter Jr. (1915-1990), long-time trustee and benefactor of
the University.
University President David P. Roselle welcomed the guests, noting
that "excitement is the best single word to describe our happiness
about the new Bob Carpenter Center.... Today, we celebrate the
commitment and the dedication of all of you in helping us to complete
this building."
The ceremony began with the awarding of a University of Delaware
Medal of Distinction to G. Dallas Green, Delaware '56 and former
manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. (See accompanying story.)
Several individuals connected with the building, its namesake,
its funding and its construction brought remarks.
Richard A. Martin, vice president of Helmuth, Obata & Kassabaum
(HOK) and one of the lead architects for the Bob Carpenter Center,
said, "We believe and hope the many future visitors to this facility
share our belief that this building makes a statement about the
University's commitment to excellence, and we commend the
administration for their support of our efforts."
He thanked some of the many people involved in the collaborative
effort, including the staffs of several University offices involved
with the project. "These people are some of the most dedicated with
which HOK has ever been associated on any of the over 40 college
campuses on which we have worked, and I'm especially proud of the fact
that now, at the end of a challenging three-year process, we think of
these people as more than just clients, we count them among our
friends."
R.R.M. (Ruly) Carpenter III, University trustee, chairman of the
Bob Carpenter Center campaign and son of the man for whom the center
is named, said, "This facility is one that my family, the University
and especially the state of Delaware can take tremendous pride in. It
is an excellent example of what can be done when the private and
public sectors work together in an atmosphere of cooperation and
trust."
He said that over 1,387 individuals, businesses and foundations
throughout the state and across the United States have given in
amounts ranging from $1 to $1 million.
"We have exceeded our original goal of $6 million and are still
working hard to raise additional money to help meet some of the
unforeseen expenses that have occurred due to the size and complexity
of this project," Carpenter said.
"It's very obvious to me that the large number of individual
donors and the wide range in the amount of gifts prove that the Bob
Carpenter Center is truly a community undertaking, involving the
state, the University and people from all walks of life who joined
together to help make this dream a reality," Carpenter said. "Each of
our many contributors will always be able to look at this facility and
say with pride that they helped build it."
The $20.5 million cost of the building includes Delaware state
appropriations of $12 million spread over four fiscal years.
Representing the Delaware state legislature at the ceremony were Terry
R. Spence, speaker of the State House of Representatives, and Richard
S. Cordrey, president pro tempore of the State Senate.
"It's always rewarding to be part of a winning team, and that's
certainly what the Bob Carpenter Center symbolizes," Spence said. "At
the forefront is the University itself, its achievements in both the
academic arena and the athletic arena, a combination which has led to
the University's reputation for quality. There is the winning
combination of the University and Bob Carpenter, an exceptional man
who dedicated half a century to the pursuit of excellence in higher
education. Finally, there is the partnership of the University of
Delaware and the state of Delaware, a partnership founded in a common
goal to guarantee the best for the citizens of our state, the best of
educational opportunities and the best of facilities which can only
enhance our quality of life."
"The Bob Carpenter Center is a very special building, and it is
much needed for the University of Delaware," Cordrey said. "It adds a
dimension to the University, to the community and to the entire state
for something that we can be very proud of and it is going to be used
tremendously over the next many many years."
Roselle, saying that one person who makes it happen is at the
heart of a great project, introduced that one person for the Bob
Carpenter Center: Delaware Gov. Michael N. Castle, who received a
standing ovation from the crowd.
Castle hailed the new facility as the "realization of a dream
that a lot of us had when we sat down and said, 'What could we do that
would be very unique and special in the state of Delaware for the
University of Delaware?'
"The answer was, Castle said, "a place where people could play
basketball and attend basketball games so we would become competitive
and go to the NCAA as the men's team did last year, ...a place where
more people, as Dave Roselle said, would gather in the state of
Delaware than any other place in the state, ...where we could have
entertainment, where the young students in Delaware and other
individuals in the state of Delaware would be able to come here to see
a Bill Cosby (And where could you have seen him in Delaware before
this was built?), a place that would be a showplace."
To accomplish this goal, a cooperative venture was struck. "We
did something that has not been done that often in this state, we
forged a partnership with the University of Delaware and the state of
Delaware and we were able to raise $20-some million and...construct
this beautiful place," Castle said.
Andrew B. Kirkpatrick Jr., chairman of the University's Board of
Trustees, officially dedicated the building and presented it to the
president on behalf of the board.
"Here at the University, we could not be more pleased and
grateful for this magnificent building we dedicate today," Kirkpatrick
said.
While contributions came from many, he cited in particular "the
state of Delaware and hence the citizenry of our state. The will to
make these contributions required dedication, and the dedication of
our state government was the product of some very real and special
leadership throughout state government."
Kirkpatrick asked Mrs. R.R.M. Carpenter II to assist in unveiling
the facsimile of a plaque that will hang in the lobby of the new
building. It reads: "This building is dedicated to R.R.M. Carpenter
Jr., counselor to and benefactor of the University of Delaware for 50
years, and the values he held so dear-perseverance, integrity,
loyalty, trust and the pursuit of excellence."
Mrs. Carpenter said, "I just want to thank each and every one of
you for what you have done to support this wonderful facility and to
help Bob's dream come true."
The ceremony concluded with the cutting of a blue and gold ribbon
that stretched across the front of the platform area, followed by a
reception that featured music by the Faculty Jazz Ensemble and the
University Marching Band.