The new Macalester Athletic and Recreation Center will be named The Leonard Center, in honor of the late George P. Leonard '27 and his wife Wilma Fox Leonard '27 and their descendants, who have been long-time supporters of Macalester.
In a resolution passed May 16, the Board of Trustees said it was honoring the family "for such unselfish generosity and magnanimous contributions for the betterment of Macalester College." The resolution said the board "extends its utmost appreciation for the lives of George and Wilma Leonard and hereby conveys to their descendants its utmost appreciation and gratitude."
President Brian Rosenberg praised the Leonards' generosity. "It is important to recognize families who have had such a significant and long-lasting impact on the college," he said. "The Leonard family has been one of the families for whom Macalester has been a top priority and to whom the college owes our deepest gratitude."
Since 1923, when they entered Macalester, the Leonards "have had a long and rich history with Macalester" that "continues to this day through the support and enthusiastic involvement from their descendants," the resolution said.
Among the many projects the family has supported are the dance program, the Athletic Department, the field house, the Leonard Natatorium, the DeWitt Wallace Library, the Alexander G. Hill Ballroom in Kagin Commons and renovations of Wallace Hall and the Alumni House.
George and Wilma Leonard also have created endowed scholarships for many students "effectively repaying the $125 yearly scholarship (George received as a student) many times over," according to the resolution. The couple also supported summer collaborative research projects involving students and faculty members and honored their son Tom by establishing the Tom Leonard Fund, which promotes activities that strengthen student-faculty rapport.
In addition to their support for the college, the Leonards were praised by the board for their "lifetime of gifts of time and leadership," including George Leonard's service as a trustee from 1960 to 1973 and as a member of the Admissions Committee and for both of their involvement in reunion planning. George Leonard was selected a Distinguished Citizen in 1959, received an honorary degree in 1975 and was a charter member of the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980.
"In their personal and professional lives, George and Wilma have been the embodiment of the ideals and values that represent the best of Macalester," the resolution said.
George Leonard was in the construction business and managed a number of major projects including the Kingsley Dam in Nebraska and the Pan American Highway in Costa Rica.
The Leonard family has continued to support the college through the George and Wilma Leonard Charitable Foundation and through personal gifts. The resolution cites Mark and Candace Hewitt Leonard, the Leonards' son and daughter-in-law, for their support of the Leonard Center and the Institute for Global Citizenship buildings.
The names of other facilities within the Leonard Center will be announced later this summer.
More Leonard Center Information