Kuyper family gift largest in school history, propels Central initiative
PELLA — In a powerful reaffirmation of its multi-generational partnership with Central College, the descendants of Pella Corporation founder P.H. “Pete” Kuyper and their family foundations have teamed for a transformational $4.2 million gift for the college’s athletics complex, which bears the family name.
It’s the largest gift in the college’s 163-year history.
Forever Dutch, an initiative to upgrade Central’s A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex, was launched Jan. 30. Project costs for the first two phases of the initiative will exceed $15 million. But propelled by the lead gift and additional support garnered in the initiative’s quiet phase, the college now has about $11 million available for the project and a spring groundbreaking is anticipated for the next component, an expansion of P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium, the athletics department headquarters.
“The Kuyper family’s enduring legacy of commitment to the students of Central College is far-reaching and unparalleled,” said president Mark Putnam. “With this gift, the family members have yet again demonstrated the depths of that commitment. They are exceedingly devoted to Central on a personal level, as is reflected, not only in their abundant financial support but in five generations of steadfast service as trustees, spanning two-thirds of the college’s history. The family’s generosity, spirit and service have played an enormous role in Central’s success, and the same could be said for their leadership in the Pella community. It is a partnership we deeply cherish.”
The Kuyper family’s service to the college extends for more than a century. P.H. Kuyper’s father, A.N. Kuyper, was a college trustee in the early 1900s. His visionary leadership was critical, as noted by then-president Ken Weller in September, 1977, at the dedication of A.N. Kuyper Stadium (at the Kuyper family’s request, the facility was renamed Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium in 2006). The stadium was the first expansion of the athletics complex beyond the gymnasium and was a key component of the college’s master plan.
“During a crisis which threatened (Central’s) very existence, A.N. Kuyper stepped in and pulled it through,” Weller said then. “The family has been doing it ever since.”
At the 1977 event, Weller said Pete Kuyper was insistent that the athletics complex not simply be adequate.
“He made to me what, for him, is a typical remark: ‘If we’re going to do it, let’s do it right!,’” Weller said then.
Putnam noted that family ethos endures. It’s helped make Pella Corporation successful and is part of why the family is so passionate about upgrading the complex that bears its name. “There is a deeply felt legacy of commitment that passes to succeeding generations,” Putnam said. “They take very seriously the fact that their name is part of the complex and feel a sense of obligation to continue stewarding the family’s gifts.”
The Kuyper family’s involvement at Central was never about bricks and mortar. The gifts are reflective of its commitment to fostering whole-person student development, encompassing mind, body and spirit.
Pete Kuyper, who started what was then known as the Rolscreen Company in 1925, in 1942 established the Rolscreen Scholarships, which remain Central’s top academic scholarships and played a fundamental role in establishing the college’s academic strength. The family’s benevolence also provided for the college’s Chapel, constructed in 1982, representative of Central’s spiritual undergirding.
“We are richly blessed to have the Kuyper family members’ support,” said athletics director Eric Van Kley. “They share our core values and their generosity helps ensure our continued ability to make a difference in the lives of Central students. Our students and coaches are beyond excited about the improvements Forever Dutch will bring.”
Van Kley noted that Central’s athletics facilities receive extensive student use beyond varsity teams. More than 94 percent of Central students utilized the Kuyper Athletics Complex on a regular basis in the past year.
P.H. Kuyper set the standard for service to the college with an amazing 46-year tenure on Central’s board of trustees (1914-60), then held emeritus status for another 21 years. His daughter, M. Joan Farver, now serves as Chair Emerita of Pella Corporation and is an emerita trustee of Central after serving as an active trustee from 1979-2002. Her brother, the late H.S. “Stu” Kuyper, was the company’s president from 1977-80. In 1987, a new facility was added to the north side of P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium and was named H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse in his honor.
Farver’s husband, Paul Farver, was also a trustee from 1961-79. Their son, Charles Farver, was a Central trustee from 2001-05, and their daughter, Mary Farver Griffith, served on the board from 1991-2004. Another family member, Betsy Farver Smith, was a trustee from 2004-14 as was Stu Kuyper’s son Pete, who served from 1991-96.
Joan Farver’s grandson and the son of Mary Griffith, Chip Griffith, is a current trustee, joining the board in 2014 and extending the family’s legacy of Central leadership to a fifth generation.
Individual donations to the Forever Dutch initiative include a lead gift by Joan Farver, who has provided unwavering support of Central students throughout her life. Financial commitments were also provided by Charles Farver, Mary Griffith, Pete Kuyper, Chip Griffith, the Joan Kuyper Farver Foundation and the Peter H. and E. Lucille Gaass Kuyper Foundation.
The Forever Dutch initiative has already provided enhancements to the football, baseball, softball and soccer venues. Phase two will fund improvements to 46-year-old P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium. Construction begins in the spring for the first component, a building expansion, which will provide a new south entrance with an atrium, expanded lobby, Hall of Honor and All-America corridor, highlighting more than 200 of the college’s most decorated student-athletes. An expansion to the west will create new varsity locker room space for men’s and women’s squads, a new expanded wrestling room and space for a hitting cage for softball, baseball and men’s/women’s golf. Also included are major infrastructure replacements and enhancements.
Fundraising will continue for the second component of phase two, an interior renovation that will provide a new team meeting space, new offices, athletic training room improvements and recruitment space. Additional practice and competition space could follow.
