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                         November 21, 2003

$6 million pledged for new Rugby complex

Story by Spc. Eric S. Bartelt
Features editor

Artists' rendition of the new Army rugby complex

The Association of Graduates announced Tuesday a $6 million pledge from Lee and Penny Anderson to support the construction of a new Army Rugby Sports Complex at West Point.

Lee Anderson (USMA ‘61), currently the chairman and chief executive officer for API Group, promises this gift on the heels of several generous contributions during the Bicentennial campaign that included support for the Kimsey Athletic Center and the Department of Military History’s staff endowment rides.

"He’s an extremely generous individual who has made it clear that his generosity toward West Point is based very much on that he’s been successful in life because of what he learned at West Point," said retired Lt. Col. W. Freed Lowrey, AOG’s senior major giving officer. "(Anderson) says he owes everything he’s accomplished to West Point through his experiences and the leadership skills and values he learned as a cadet, and now feels an obligation to give back to the academy."

Anderson’s past gifts have helped cadets go on trips to Normandy, the Ardennes, and Civil War battlegrounds to study military campaigns. The 6’7" former Army basketball player’s tremendous affinity for West Point and cadets has led to his numerous gifts.

"Lee loves cadets and loves the interaction with cadets, and when he was here in September for the Kimsey dedication, he met with a number of cadets that went on the history staff rides and getting their positive feedback is what really pleases him," Lowrey said. "To him the most important thing is the positive feedback he receives and the thanks he gets from the gifts he gives and what it allows the cadets to do -- that’s a value that can’t be measured."

Despite the fact that mens’ and womens’ rugby don’t have permanent facilities at this time, they’ve both been successful throughout the years.

Rugby, which has been a sport here since 1961, has produced many military leaders of character and the men have achieved a top ten national ranking every year since 1989.

The men’s A-side team became Northeastern Region champions this past weekend by beating Norwich 25-24 in the semi-finals and Cornell 48-15 in the finals. The C-side also beat Air Force as well as Army Rugby continues its excellence.

"Of all the sports at West Point, in developing the warrior ethos in our cadets, rugby is the closest sport to that," Lowrey said. "Rugby’s action is non-stop and it’s a very brutal, hard fought sport. It’s great at developing individual, combat, and team skills which makes it a superb sport for West Point."

The project is estimated at $10 to $14 million with the plans to build it at the current rugby practice site behind the Shoppette, although it may ultimately be built at Target Hill Fields down near the Hudson River past Shea Stadium, which is now being used for cadet intramurals.

"The Superintendent has approved a fund raising effort to build this facility," Lowrey said. "The $10 to $14 million includes a building, two fields (practice and competition), lights, a scoreboard, stands for fans, and the building will have mens’ and womens’ locker rooms, a weight room and a training room -- this will be a nice facility."

Lowrey’s job as a major giving officer is to solicit major gifts of $25,000 or more from individuals, and he’ll be hard at work to try to get the other $4 million to kick off the project.

"We need the support of alumni, friends of West Point and friends of Army Rugby," Lowrey said. "With Anderson’s gift, the first big hurdle is out of the way, and the more gifts we receive can help close the door. We need a lot of people to step up to make this a reality."

The hope is for the construction of the Rugby Complex, which will be named after Anderson, to start sometime in 2005.