St. Lawrence University Celebrates Official Dedication of the George W. Karpus '68 Athletic Center
Over 250 Laurentians gathered for the dedication of the George W. Karpus ’68 Athletic Center at Appleton Arena on October 26, becoming the first to see St. Lawrence’s 95th building on campus.
The building’s namesake and lead donor addressed the crowd, sharing his modest roots and emphasizing the transformative impact of his college experience. At St. Lawrence, Karpus excelled in physics, making the Dean’s List and joining the American Institute of Physics while sharing his expertise as a lab instructor. A dedicated student-athlete, he competed in football, track and field, and intramural baseball and basketball. Karpus later launched a successful career in investments and investment management.
“I was one of you guys 60 years ago,” he said, addressing the many student-athletes in the audience. “Never did I imagine that I would be in a position to give back to a place that gave me so much…this is my way of supporting the next generation.”
The Karpus Athletic Center includes an expansion of the Michael “Buddy” Cornacchia ’74 Strength and Conditioning Center for all student-athletes, as well as new locker rooms and team facilities for the field hockey and softball teams, and the men’s and women’s lacrosse and rowing teams. It will also feature the McGinn Video and Media Room, the Dotty & John Hall Coaches Strategy Room, the Riesenberger Players Lounge, and the Haehl Athletic Training and Treatment Center. The new center positively impacts the entire campus community as it opens up more space for all students in the current Stafford Fitness Center.
“Today a fresh new chapter begins as the Karpus Athletic Center ushers in a new era of teamwork, recruiting, mentorship, and friendship,” said President Kate Morris, leading a round of applause for all of the donors whose generosity has transformed the University’s athletic facilities, including lead donors Tom Dolan ’74, the Dolan Family Foundation, Trustee Emeritus Michael W. Ranger '80 and Virginia R. Ranger P'17, an anonymous Laurentian donor, and many others whose names now grace some of the facility’s key spaces.
Addressing students, President Kate Morris said, “You are the inspiration for all of this work … You inspire all of us, including me.”
