The Oregon Institute of Technology Foundation received a $1 million lead donation from Glen and Sherry Thomet of Klamath Falls to launch fundraising efforts to build an athletic fieldhouse at the Oregon Tech Klamath Falls campus.
The athletic fieldhouse project includes an 8,500-square-foot building that will be constructed adjacent to the Athletics building and will provide an all-season practice and workout facility for student-athletes, as well as serving as a site for community events, health and wellness programs, and academic health science and technology programs.
The fieldhouse project is estimated to cost approximately $3.5 million, which the Foundation is leading the fundraising for.
The Thomets, who have lived in Klamath Falls since 2000, became Oregon Tech Athletics supporters and received season tickets to attend Hustlin’ Owls basketball games.
“It turned out those tickets were right in front of the President [Naganathan] and his wife, so we got to know them a little bit, and then got to know the softball coach,” Glen said.
The couple continued to be basketball and softball attendees and became part of the athletic family at Oregon Tech.
“It has been a privilege to get to know and appreciate Glen and Sherry,” said Oregon Tech President Nagi Naganathan. “We are honored by the Thomets’ lead gift for the athletics fieldhouse project. This is another example of their caring support for Oregon Tech and our scholar-athletes, and we are deeply grateful.”
The Thomets support two endowed scholarships for athletes at Oregon Tech and contribute to a third one through the Rotary Club of Klamath County that is awarded to a student attending Oregon Tech.
When Glen asked Athletic Director John Van Dyke what more could be done to support student-athletes, Van Dyke shared the vision for the large indoor facility to protect students from inclement weather.
"The new fieldhouse at Oregon Tech will help our student-athletes train and practice indoors, away from bad weather,” Van Dyke said. “It will give them a year-round place to gather and work on their skills, and the Thomet’s gift is a crucial launch of this project and is greatly appreciated.”
“Glen and Sherry are unquestionably two of the most dedicated supporters of Oregon Tech’s students and programs,” said Oregon Tech Foundation Executive Director Ken Fincher. “Their investment into Oregon Tech will benefit decades of Owls.”
Glen says the donation is in honor of their son, Kip, who passed away in 2019, and the couple looks forward to memorializing Kip’s name at the facility.
To learn more about how you can help support students at Oregon Tech and methods for making a charitable contribution, contact Mira Wonderwheel, Executive Director of Development, at mira.wonderwheel@oit.edu.
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About the Oregon Tech Foundation
The Oregon Tech Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes and funds the educational, cultural, charitable, and service functions of the Oregon Institute of Technology.
