Catholic Memorial alumnus gives $1 million donation toward Infinity Fields project
A Catholic Memorial High School alumnus has donated $1 million toward the school's recent purchase of Infinity Fields Baseball Park in Waukesha.
Tim Sullivan, a 1971 graduate of the school and the former president, CEO and director of Bucyrus International, donated the funds as part of the campus's expansion project. He went on to earn a degree in business administration from Carroll University, according to a news release from the school. Sullivan has also served as chair of the Wisconsin Council on Workforce Investment, the release said.
Sullivan was a member of the school's football, basketball and track teams, as well as a member of the school's Letterman's Club and Senior Drama Club.
He earned the Catholic Memorial Alumni Legacy Award Recipient for Professional Achievement in 2011 for his contribution to the community.
"We are pleased to participate in CMH's expansion of its athletic facilities with the purchase of the Infinity Sports Complex. Success in life is built on a solid foundation in academics, but also, in skills learned while participating in athletics. Sports provide the basis for learning: dedication; teamwork; courage; competition; perseverance, and figuring out how to win, all attributes critical in achieving life's goals. We hope this expansion further enhances CMH's ability to teach young adults the skills necessary to be successful," Sullivan said in the news release, on behalf of his family.
Catholic Memorial's purchase of Infinity Fields Baseball Park will add 36 acres and a 51,000-square-foot indoor athletic facility to Catholic Memorial's campus. The deal is expected to close later this month.
When the project is complete, the facility will have turf baseball, softball and soccer fields, as well as 8 acres of the Miishkooki Wetlands made available for use by the school's science program.
The indoor facility, which is one of two locations for NX Level Sports Performance, consists of "full locker rooms and showers, a practice football turf field, a full-size basketball court that also serves as two full-sized volleyball courts, a weight room space, and sand pits, batting, pitching and golf cages," the school's news release said.
"All of us at Catholic Memorial High School are thrilled and very appreciative of the generous $1M donation provided by alum Tim Sullivan," said Catholic Memorial High School President Donna Bembenek in a Nov. 15 email. "Tim clearly sees the vision of how the property can advance CMH students both academically and through extra-curricular activities.
"We are excited about the potential within our STEM program, internship program and of course athletics. Nearly 60% of our students are involved in STEM courses and ninety-six percent of CMH students participate in at least one team, many of which are noncut. Through athletics, students learn teamwork, leadership skills, perseverance, resilience and more. Tim hopes his gift motivates others in the community to support the project."
The school also said in its release that the project will provide expanded options for its internship program and that the expansion of its campus aligns with its strategic plans. Currently, the school offers opportunities in the biomedical science, engineering, computer science and business fields as part of its internship program.
The school purchased the land for $5.3 million, and with improvements, the cost totals about $8 million. Along with Sullivan's donation, Bembenek said several other long-term supporters from the Catholic Memorial community have donated towards the project.
Among the donors is Muskego-based Inpro Corp., which donated $100,000 toward the project. Another is the Kinateder family, who Bembenek said made "a significant donation" that the family wanted to keep the amount of the donation private. The rest of the donors wanted to stay anonymous, Bembenek said.
Bembenek said the school is seeking to raise $3.5 million for the improvements and said that nearly $1.7 million has been raised so far, including Sullivan's donation.
"The funds raised will allow the school to make several facility improvements including turf fields for baseball, softball, and soccer," Bembenek said in her email.
Bembenek said the school will work with the community and current facility users "to build a master facility plan and timing for the improvements."
"We are excited about the leagues and tournaments already planned for next year and will work around those schedules as we build the project timeline," said Bembenek.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Catholic Memorial alumnus donates $1 million toward campus expansion
