Hopper Field Donation Challenge

Mon Mar 20, 2023 8:26 am

For anyone around here who has a particular attachment to the Marching Leathernecks and/or the Grammy-nominated Jazz Studio Orchestra, especially from the late '70s, '80s, and '90's, Dale Hopper was a huge part of what made many of those bands so great. Dale Hopper was the director of the Marching Leathernecks from 1976 to 1998 and was director of bands and the JSO until 2002. He died unexpectedly in 2005 at the age of 64: http://www.wiu.edu/news/newsrelease.php?release_id=3796

To honor him, money is being raised to rename the marching band practice field for him, and build a storage shed next to it for some of the marching band equipment to be stored.
https://www.givecampus.com/schools/West ... -challenge

meganeck · Mon Mar 20, 2023 11:09 am

It says raising money to rename the field, does it cost money to rename the field or is that for signage or something? Or is the money just basically for the building. Just curious sounds like a nice tribute, hopefully the money can be raised.

Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:31 pm

meganeck wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 11:09 am It says raising money to rename the field, does it cost money to rename the field or is that for signage or something? Or is the money just basically for the building. Just curious sounds like a nice tribute, hopefully the money can be raised.

There is currently a requirement (not sure if it's a state requirement or just our own foundation office requirement) that if a place is going to be named after someone, there has to be something newly built/new construction of some kind. I'm not sure of the exact details, but that's what I was told by the person spearheading it. So the money is technically going towards the storage shed (and probably a bit towards the signage), but the whole field/storage building area will be named after Hopper.

meganeck · Mon Mar 20, 2023 5:13 pm

ST_Lawson wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:31 pm
meganeck wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 11:09 am It says raising money to rename the field, does it cost money to rename the field or is that for signage or something? Or is the money just basically for the building. Just curious sounds like a nice tribute, hopefully the money can be raised.

There is currently a requirement (not sure if it's a state requirement or just our own foundation office requirement) that if a place is going to be named after someone, there has to be something newly built/new construction of some kind. I'm not sure of the exact details, but that's what I was told by the person spearheading it. So the money is technically going towards the storage shed (and probably a bit towards the signage), but the whole field/storage building area will be named after Hopper.

I didn't realize that, thanks for clarifying