St. Norbert College in Wisconsin said that Fred and Carol Wakeman have provided a $1 million gift commitment through a trust toward the construction of the new Donald J. Schneider Outdoor Athletics Complex at the college in De Pere.
As a result of the gift, the new athletics complex’s stadium entry plaza will be named after Fred and Carol Wakeman.
Fred Wakeman, a 1950 graduate of St. Norbert College, retired in 1994 following a 41-year career with Green Bay Packaging. He worked his way up in that company to become an executive vice president, and retired as chief financial officer.
The Wakemans’ gift was received by the college at around the same time as Donald and Patricia Schneider’s $4 million dollar lead gift announced a few weeks ago. To date, $7.4 million has been raised for the estimated $12 million project, which will include a 400-meter track, appropriate space for all field events, field turf for football and soccer, and a new locker room building.
Construction on the new athletic complex is estimated to require 15 months to complete, and work will begin after 90 percent of the funding has been identified, the college said. St. Norbert College will continue to work with the city of De Pere in developing plans for the site.