Dedication of Fletcher Gym Draws Appreciative Crowd
A student told a fitting story during Friday’s dedication of the Mark E. Fletcher Gymnasium at the Aquatic and Fitness Center.
Colin Hood, now the vice president for organizations for U.Va.’s Student Council, recalled being invited to a Rotunda dinner during his first year, when he was a member of the council’s Safety and Wellness Committee. He had been told that he would be seated next to the chairman of the University Safety Committee, which would give him a good chance to do a little networking.
He arrived at his seat, and the man in the next chair introduced himself as Mark Fletcher, director of Intramural and Recreational Sports. After a polite interval, Hood excused himself and sought out another Student Council member. Was he seated next to the right person?
“Obviously, I had a lot to learn about Mr. Fletcher’s multi-faceted interests,” Hood said.
Fletcher was indeed the chairman of the University Safety Committee, and he and Hood became frequent collaborators between that dinner and Fletcher’s untimely death in June at age 57. The crowd of about 150 that gathered to honor him Friday was a testament to his reach on Grounds over his 24 years at U.Va.: besides several members of his family, there were faculty, students, all manner of University leadership, representatives of the Alumni Association (though Fletcher was not a U.Va. grad), and from Facilities Management.
The gym, open since 2004, had been nameless until the Board of Visitors approved the measure to honor Fletcher, whose office was nearby and who was a frequent user of the gym during often-competitive lunchtime basketball games. “It would have been inappropriate to have named it after anyone else,” said Leonard W. Sandridge, U.Va.’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, in his remarks.
Sandridge recalled Fletcher’s willingness to pitch in wherever needed. When they would discuss a project, he said, Fletcher would always offer, “Why don’t you just put that on my plate and let me handle it?”
“And I knew he would handle it better than I could myself,” Sandridge said. Indeed, Fletcher oversaw several important construction projects, including the expansion of Scott Stadium and the construction of the AFC.
“He built partnerships, brought people together and accomplished more in groups than we could alone,” Sandridge said.
“He exhibited — not talked about, but exhibited — the University’s core values,” he added. “He left the University a better place than it was when he came here.”
Patricia Lampkin, the University’s vice president for student affairs, remembered meeting Fletcher at a student affairs conference back in 1977, before either of them were employed by U.Va. Later, when the two new U.Va. employees were “introduced” at a student wellness conference, they laughed.
Lampkin lauded Fletcher’s commitment to students. Under his leadership, the number of student employees of IM-Rec Sports jumped from about 100 to 600, including several in supervisory roles. “They provide a major value to our institution,” Lampkin said, “but that also brings a huge experiential value to our students,” who gain leadership experience.
Lampkin also drew laughs when she mentioned Fletcher’s stubborn streak. Students must present their IDs to gain admittance to the University’s recreational facilities; for years, the Honor Committee campaigned to allow students to vouch for their peers who forget their ID cards.
“He would always sit down, year after year, and talk it through,” she said. “But he never changed his mind.”
Finally, the family was brought to the front and plaque was unveiled. Fletcher’s widow, Gina, choked back tears as she recalled her husband’s dedication to the University.
“It was truly a labor of love for him to work here, and with this community,” she said. When others sought to recruit him away from the University, “He would not even hear of it. He wanted to be at U.Va.”
(Thanks to Matt Riley for the photos.)
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Jim Ray | December 16, 2009 @ 8:35 pm
I am so glad to see Mark is remembered in this way. Mark and I met during a NIRSA presentation and had a major connection…Pete Gillen, came from Xavier University and since I managed our sport facilities and had daily contact with Pete he wanted to know everything about him. A two hour conversation turned into 20 year friendship.
Mark will be missed far beyond U.Va.
Jim