Naming campaign reaches $250,000 milestone for Greg Swepston Gymnasium

Naming campaign reaches $250,000 milestone for Greg Swepston Gymnasium

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of a local community committee, The Ohio State University at Marion is pleased to announce that the $250,000 fundraising goal has been met and the campus gymnasium in the Alber Student Center, will be named the Greg Swepston Gymnasium in honor of the beloved Marion resident, coach, mentor and former major league baseball scout.

Fundraising to support the renovation of the gymnasium for current and future students at The Ohio State University at Marion and Marion Technical College began in July 2022 as part of the Phase 2 renovation project for the Alber Student Center which was completed in late summer 2023. Specific renovations to the gymnasium included, refinishing the floor, replacing lighting and acoustical panels, replacing doors, adding a window, and painting the walls and ceiling.

According to Ohio State Marion Director of Development and Community Relations, Cathy Gerber, two years of tireless efforts from grassroots community fundraising resulted in realization of the naming opportunity. Gerber shared that "the university will celebrate with those who knew Swepston and contributed to honor his legacy during an Evening of Gratitude later this year that will include all the donors that made all the Alber Student Center renovations possible. This will be a wonderful time to celebrate the legacy of Greg Swepston, a man who meant so much to so many."

Ohio State Marion Dean and Director Greg Rose said, "the commitment and energy of this group was amazing to watch, and their appreciation of the impact Greg Swepston had in the community and in others' lives clearly was a driving force."

Swepston was a member of the Ohio State freshman baseball team, and after graduating from Ohio State, he moved to Marion where his first job was as a teacher and coach in the Marion City Schools. He rose through the ranks, becoming a varsity baseball and basketball coach in the late 1960s and early 1970s before serving for a decade as Marion Harding's athletic director. Swepston spent roughly six decades as a major league baseball scout with the Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos. He was also a longtime season ticket holder for Ohio State football and basketball games and routinely attended road trips and bowl games.

Committee member Dick Brown shared that he and fellow committee members knew Ohio State raised funds through naming opportunities and they wanted to get behind someone whose name they could support in fundraising efforts. For Brown and other committee members, no one fit the bill better than his lifelong friend and colleague Greg Swepston.

"He had spent so much time in the Marion education system and had connections to Ohio State and Marion," said Brown.

"He and I coached together at the middle school level and we both ended up at the high school," said Brown. "He was the head baseball coach, and I was his assistant. When I was head basketball coach, he was my assistant at Harding High School," Brown added.

The two worked together later in their careers, Brown serving assistant principal at Harding High School and Swepston as the athletic director. With so many common interests and the amount of shared time the two spent building young minds and athletes in the Marion area, it is no wonder they became the best of friends.

"He is one of the 4 or 5 best friends I have had in my life," said Brown. "Socially we spent a lot of time together. We are both great baseball fans," Brown recalled. "He put together a group of baseball fans and traveled to major league parks around the country each year. Sometimes 2-3 parks per summer."

Eventually the group had visited every baseball park in the country, Brown recounted.

According to Brown, Swepston's love of baseball and Ohio State began early in life. Not only did Swepston play for the Ohio State baseball team but his family were friends of the legendary Woody Hayes.

"We put together a summary of Greg's life with Ohio State so when we went out to raise money, we could share with donors how close he was with Ohio State," said Brown. "We are tickled to death." "The man deserves the recognition," he added.

As part of the special local committee that took on the task of raising funds for the gymnasium naming, Dave Gorenflo shared that he had the privilege of knowing Swepston in multiple capacities.

"He was a part of half of my Marion City School career as a student from 7th through 12th grade. He was a coach, health teacher, junior high basketball coach, my high school baseball coach, and a friend ever since," said Gorenflo.

"He became my mentor as I got into education," Gorenflo added. "He helped with my classroom preparation and was most influential as I became a head baseball coach. Most of what I learned in that role, I learned from him and have had the privilege of sharing it with others."

Gorenflo said, he was very impressed with the success of the campaign, but not surprised. "The response is indicative of the impact Greg Swepston made on the Marion community. It is impressive that most donations came from individuals," he said.

"My favorite story coming out of this whole thing, Gorenflo shared, "it was amazing to (Ohio State Marion development program coordinator) Jodi Somerlot how many people claimed Greg Swepston as their best friend." "Greg treated everyone as their best friend," Gorenflo said.

"That is Greg Swepston in a nutshell," he said. "His best friends have now given him a tremendous honor."

Another committee member, Bob Cyders, was instrumental in helping establish a matching grant. The Cyders-Patrick Family provided significant funding for a match challenge for donors to the Swepston Gymnasium funding effort, which has made achieving the goal of $250,000 possible. For Cyders it has always been about Swepston's positive contributions to the Marion community and those he personally impacted.

Cyders said, "I think it (the campaign) was successful because of who Greg was. His influences were so far reaching, you can't even begin to imagine. There are a lot of people out there who absolutely loved Greg Swepston."

"There are a lot of leaders in my generation in and around Ohio that owe their careers to the example that Greg set," said Cyders. "He was an awesome role model."

Thinking about honoring the legacy of Swepston, Cyders and other committee members echoed the idea that naming the gymnasium at Ohio State Marion in honor of Swepston

"The gym, the whole project was emblematic of who he was," said Cyders. "It was Marion. It was athletics."

Cyders felt that for the campus it allows Ohio State Marion to provide an up-to-date athletic facility for students who chose to attend the Marion campus for their higher education now and in the future.

"He supported Marion and Ohio State. That is what this whole project was about," he concluded.