Jim and Sandy Napolitan
Franklin College has received a $1 million gift commitment from board of trustees member Jim Napolitan and his wife, Sandy (Mock) Napolitan.
The gift will designate the renovated and restored lower level of the Elwood Fitness Center as the Drs. James and Sandra Napolitan Athletic Complex.
“We were struck by the fact that only 17 years after James Naismith hung up a peach basket and invented the game of basketball, Franklin built this incredible facility — the first of its kind in Indiana,” Jim Napolitan said in a news release on the announcement. “Just twelve years later, the Wonder Five brought national fame to its floor. That kind of legacy deserves to be preserved and celebrated, which is why we felt inspired to give.”
The Napolitans have a history of giving back to the college. This includes the donation of the Napolitan Alumni House and a major contribution to the construction of the Napolitan Student Center. They have also supported the advancement of the arts by funding multiple rooms in the Johnson Center for Fine Arts. In addition, their investments have helped bring to life the Von Boll Welcome Center, the renovation of Richardson Chapel, and the development of Branigin Athletic Field, the news release says.
The couple also established maintenance endowments to preserve the Napolitan Alumni House and the Franklin College Science Center for future generations. They also created the Napolitan-Mock Endowed Fund in Psychology and two additional endowed scholarships — one benefiting education majors and the other supporting students studying mathematics. Beyond their financial contributions, the couple has also opened their home to host numerous alumni gatherings, strengthening the bonds within the Franklin College community, the news release says.
Their current gift will help restore the Elwood Fitness Center, which was originally constructed in the early 1900s and expanded in the 1920s to accommodate the large crowds following the Franklin Wonder Five basketball team — which earned the national championship in 1923. The 19,425 square-foot facility is currently used for limited practice activities. The lower level of the building once housed an indoor pool and the entire physical education and athletic departments, but is now only used for storage, according to the news release.
The planned renovation and restoration will preserve and restore the exterior of the historic building while retaining its architectural integrity. At the same time, the interior space will transform into a modern, functional space for students to pursue fitness, recreational and athletic activities. The gymnasium will be restored primarily for recreational use. The Napolitan Athletic Complex will provide office, locker room and support service areas for the football, men’s and women’s soccer and women’s lacrosse teams that compete across the street in Faught Stadium, according to the news release.
Jim Napolitan was elected to the Franklin College Board of Trustees in 1997. In 1980, he made the career change from clinical psychologist to commodities trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where he continues to work today, according to the news release.
Sandy Napolitan majored in psychology at Franklin College and graduated cum laude in 1960. She formerly served on the Franklin College Alumni Council and helped re-energize an alumni club for Chicago-area Grizzlies. She is an active Tri Delta alumna who has enjoyed helping host mini-reunions for her Franklin College sorority sisters, according to the news release.
Sandy Napolitan’s family laid the foundation for her and her husband’s service and gifts to the college. Her grandfather, James Franklin Mock, was a 1895 graduate of the College. Her father, Eugene W. Mock, and her brother, Roger F. Mock, are among the 17 family members who have attended the college. Four from the family have also served on the college’s board of trustees, the news release says.
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