CARLISLE, Pa. – Thanks to the generosity of Tom ’78 and Judianne Hare P’22, P’25, Dickinson will unveil the Hare Family Sports Performance & Training Center this fall as well as several new professional-grade field surfaces enhancing Dickinson athletics for today’s and tomorrow’s student-athletes. The state-of-the-art training facility and new fields for men’s and women’s soccer add to the Hares’ transformational philanthropic impact for Dickinson athletics, which includes endowed funds supporting baseball, softball and soccer as well as many improvements to Dickinson Park.
“Dickinson is a great school, and the student-athletes here are some of the best,” says Tom, a former All-American Red Devil student-athlete himself. “I truly believe if we can help the college raise the level of its athletics facilities and resources to match its academics, there’s no limit to what Dickinson can accomplish.”
Professional-Grade Playing Surfaces
In addition to the training center, the Hares’ gifts have enabled Dickinson to resurface the soccer stadium field as well as two grass practice fields with what Head Women’s Soccer Coach Ted Zingman calls “pristine, professional-grade playing surfaces.” “Our game field will be Bermuda grass, the Cadillac of grass playing surfaces, making us the lone stadium in this region of Pennsylvania with this type of field,” he adds. “We now have one of the premier grass stadium and training facilities in the country.”
Head Men’s Soccer Coach Jorge Chapoy also sees the new fields having a transformational impact for the men’s team. One practice field, he notes, was already completed for this season, and being able to practice on the high-quality grass made a huge difference for the team. Now, with the new Bermuda grass surface recently installed at the stadium, the Hares’ gift will pay even larger dividends next season and beyond.
“This is just transformational for us,” he says. “Not many Division I programs in this region have a field of this quality, let alone Division III programs. We’re already seeing results because it’s making a huge impact as far as recruitment, but I can’t wait for us to start playing on it. And then with the brand new locker room and training facility, Tom and Judianne have been life-changing for the trajectory of this program.”
Permanent Support
Most powerfully, because of the permanently endowed funds the Hares have created to support future maintenance of the fields, their giving not only has an immediate impact, but it also will bolster Red Devils student-athletes well into the future.
“Tom and Judianne’s support will be a vital part of the men’s and women’s soccer programs’ future success and will greatly enhance the players’ experiences moving forward,” says Zingman. “The Hare Family Soccer Field Maintenance Fund will ensure that the fields are forever maintained so that future generations of Dickinson soccer players can excel on these beautiful surfaces.”
This long-lasting impact, however, didn’t just come from the Hares’ belief in the excellence of Dickinson athletics—it also came from their desire to push Dickinson athletics to the next level. They were already giving to Dickinson because of the positive experience their son, Cole ’22, had on the baseball team. But when their daughter, Charlotte ’25, suffered a season-ending soccer injury because of the uneven playing surface at the time, the Hares could have soured on supporting athletics at the college.
“That was a hard time,” recalls Judianne. “Just seeing her go through that injury and then not being able to play. We knew that the field just wasn’t good enough for the team, but we also knew Dickinson needed our support to fix that.”
So rather than turning away, the Hares leaned in. They made gifts to support field improvements as well as new locker rooms and facilities enhancements at Dickinson Park.
“Tom and Judianne are a great example of how powerful it can be when families partner with the college to enhance athletics,” says Director of Athletics Celine Cunningham. “Parents can see firsthand the power of their student-athlete’s experience, and they can also see firsthand the program’s needs. The Hares stepped up to push our programs to the next level, and we’re all truly grateful for their philanthropy.”
Vice President for College Advancement Carlo Robustelli agrees. “We’re so thankful for the Hares’ vision and their willingness to collaborate with Dickinson to truly push our athletics program forward,” he says. “These are exactly the kind of partnerships we seek with our donors, where we can match their vision with the college’s priorities.”
A Ripple Effect
The Hares’ giving has had a ripple effect, inspiring numerous other parents and alumni to join them over the last few years. More than a dozen donors were inspired by their leadership-level giving to also support the facilities at Dickinson Park, which provide dedicated locker rooms and training resources for the men’s soccer, women’s soccer, baseball and softball teams as well as a year-round space to house their equipment.
The facility has made a significant difference for the baseball team, enabling the players to train around the clock, which has helped the team make it to back-to-back Centennial Conference Championship games in 2023 and 2024.
“The support from the Hare family has been an absolute game changer for our baseball program,” says Head Baseball Coach Craig Hanson. “Through their generosity, we have built one of the best indoor training facilities in all of Division III baseball. Not only does the facility help with overall player development, but it also has been a deciding factor for many of our incoming recruits. Taking a potential recruit through the new locker room, training room and indoor facility sets our program apart and has allowed us to bring in a higher caliber of player. We are so fortunate to have the support of the Hare family, and I will forever be grateful for their support of our program.”
Head Softball Coach Matt Richwine agrees. “The Hare family’s support has greatly transformed our training and practice capabilities,” he says. “The training center gives us far more options to be productive in the preseason and during the season. The endowment is going to make a lasting change to the benefits of our current and future athletes.”
Building Momentum
The momentum created by the Hares’ giving has also reached well beyond Dickinson Park. Donors this year have given more than $2.6 million to the McAndrews Fund for Athletics, supporting all 25 varsity teams as well as a new state-of-the-art video scoreboard at Biddle Field.
Seeing the ripple effect of their giving makes the Hares feel even better about their decision to lean in to supporting Dickinson athletics. They were recently back on campus to cheer on Charlotte as she graduated, after returning to the field this year for a successful conclusion to her soccer career at Dickinson. And the family will be returning this fall to celebrate the official naming of their training center in October.
“It’s been so gratifying to see this community come together,” says Tom. “It really shows that when the college, the coaches, the student-athletes and families work together, we can truly accomplish great things.”
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