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Georgetown University Gets Record Gift for Sports: $50 Million
Georgetown University received a $50 million gift that “will support an innovative leadership program for the university’s 750 student-athletes and fund the completion of the sports field situated in the heart of campus,” the university announced last week. The record donation for the athletics program is one of the biggest ever for the school and comes from Peter and Susan Cooper of Newport Beach, California, parents of five children, all of whom are Georgetown alumni. The Coopers’ son-in-law also went to Georgetown. “Georgetown is deeply grateful to Peter and Sue for their commitment to our students and their ongoing dedication to our campus community,” said John DeGioia, president of Georgetown University, “This investment will allow us to provide extraordinary opportunities for students engaged in intercollegiate athletics, preparing these young people for success both on and off the field.” According to the university, “the historic gift will underwrite a pioneering, academically based program that develops leadership skills and opportunities for students involved in one or more of Georgetown’s 29 Division I sports and teams.
“The gift also will enable the university to further develop the centrally located Multi-Sport Field that is currently home to Georgetown’s football, field hockey and lacrosse teams, as well as club sports and university-wide events. “As permanent recognition of the Coopers’ generosity, the three-year-old student-athlete leadership initiative will be named the Cooper Athletics Leadership Program and the existing Multi-Sport Field will be renamed Cooper Field when it is completed in an estimated 12 to 18 months.”
Alley Subject of D.C. Council Debate
An alley entry off Potomac Street between N and O streets NW was the subject of heated debate at a recent D.C. Council meeting after being sold off as five lots by the city accidentally in a tax auction several years ago. At the hearing, District Council Chairman Phil Mendelson and Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans expressed support for a bill that would seize the alley entry, which is used by neighbors, city garbage collectors, using eminent domain. Owner of one of the lots, Kebreab Zere argued to the council that if the neighbors or the city want to buy his property, “they need to pay the fair market value.” According to the Current Newspapers, Zere has applied to construct a
home on the site. The Historic Preservation Review Board will consider the matter by the end of October. Neighbors who spoke at the hearing complained about the city’s error in selling off the lots in the first place, while Evans, appearing frustrated, said, “This is a ridiculous issue.”
Rickshaw Rider on Global Trek Arrives in Georgetown
We’ve all heard of a slow boat to China. Well, this is the story of a long ride to Brazil. Chen Guanming, a 58-year-old from Jiangsu Province in eastern China, was seen bicycling Oct. 8 on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown. He stopped briefly to look at the footwear at Comfort One and Mephisto Shoes and show his press clips. His ultimate goal? The Rio de Janeiro Olympic Summer Games in 2016. The farmer — who had never traveled beyond his village — become so inspired by his nation’s 2008 Olympic Summer Games in Beijing that he began pedaling his tricycle rickshaw, at first around China, and then he decided in May 2010 to ride across Asia and Europe to London. With just his tented rickshaw and his belongings stored behind his seat, Chen biked across Asia, through Europe, to England — in time for
Chen Guanming, global rickshaw rider with the Olympic spirit, stopped on Wisconsin Avenue near Dumbarton Street Oct. 8. the 2012 London Olympics. By then, his journey for the Olympic spirit had gotten noticed. Well-wishers chipped in and bought him a ticket for the opening ceremony of the London Summer Games. The smiling, energetic Chen has no sponsors to speak of and accepts the kindness of strangers all around the world. He gives rides on his bike and does little jobs to keep his trip going. He speaks Mandarin only and knows a few English words like “email” (he thinks that includes “press clips” in his folder), “toilet” (good to know), “thanks” and “good luck”
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