The Kenyon College board recently voted to rename the Kenyon Athletic Center after esteemed alumnus William E. Lowry Jr.
The fifth Black person to graduate from Kenyon in 1956, Lowry was also the first Black man initiated into Beta Theta Pi nationally. During his time as a student, he captained the football, baseball and basketball teams and was student body president. Later, Lowry served on Kenyon’s Board of Trustees for over 30 years, received an honorary degree and went on to meet U.S presidents and host an Emmy Award-winning television series exploring Chicago employment issues.
“His graciousness, his dedication to the College, his impact on generations of students as a student, as an alumni volunteer, as a trustee have just been tremendous,” Kenyon President Sean Decatur said in a press release from Kenyon College. “I can think of no more fitting honor than for one of the most public spaces— a space that’s a gathering point for students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members alike — to be named after Bill.”
Board member and Vice Chair Joe Lipscomb initiated the idea for the Lowry Center.
“I just thought Bill could be a role model for all the athletes that come after him at Kenyon,” Lipscomb said in the release. “They should know the story of Bill Lowry. They should know that here’s a person who had enormous impact through his leadership and character.”
Decatur and Board Chair Brackett Denniston III informed an astonished Lowry of the decision over the phone.
“To me, this building is one of the most significant buildings that we have on campus — and to feel that my name would be attached to that was beyond comprehension,” Lowry said. “This is big; it’s a wonderful thing. I’m humbled by it.”
Opened in 2006, Kenyon’s athletic center was designed by architect and alumnus Graham Gund, and it will be the first of Kenyon’s buildings to be named after a Black alumnus.
“We are thrilled to see our building joining Kenyon's long tradition of iconic buildings named for our most outstanding alumni, and there is no question that Bill is truly outstanding, both as a student-athlete during his time at Kenyon and today as a volunteer,” Director of Athletics, Fitness and Recreation Jill McCartney said in the release.
