Terra State Community College Receives Second Largest Gift in Its History
Terra State Community College in Fremont, Ohio, has announced a $600,000 gift from Frederick W. Recktenwald in memory of his late wife, Elaine Denman Recktenwald, that will provide significant capital improvements and renovations to the activities center. It is the second-largest gift in Terra State’s 56-year history.
This historic gift provides naming rights to the existing Student Activities Center (SAC) which will be renamed the “Elaine Denman Recktenwald Activities Center”. The Elaine Denman Recktenwald Activities Center at Terra State Community College will continue to be a long-standing community resource for use by students, nonprofit organizations, business and industry partners, and the community at large for activities throughout the year. The College will utilize this generous gift to implement significant renovations including the installation of a new permanent gym floor; expansion of storage spaces with external access points; addition of fitness space and equipment; and a covered entrance walkway marking the entry as a focal point to the facility.
“I’m pleased to make this gift in honor of Elaine and her 50-year dedication as a professor, fundraiser, and ambassador to Terra State Community College,” said Fred Recktenwald. “Elaine and I established an endowed scholarship in the Terra College Foundation many years ago to help students and I want to build on that investment to honor her. I appreciate the effort given toward making my request come to fruition by President Ronald Schumacher, Chair of the Terra College Foundation Board Tom Hoffman, and CEO of the Terra College Foundation Jennifer Fehnrich. They spent many hours working with me to ensure my wishes were fulfilled.”
“This generous gift will ensure Professor Emerita Elaine Denman Recktenwald’s legacy at Terra State Community College and will be felt by students for many generations,” said Terra State Community College President Ronald M. Schumacher. “We are deeply honored that Fred has chosen to honor Elaine through a gift to Terra State benefiting students and the greater community for many years to come.”
Terra State Community College has been an integral part of Fred and Elaine’s lives over the years beyond their initial contributions, which helped to establish the Denman-Recktenwald Endowed Scholarship in 2004. Professor Emerita Elaine Denman Recktenwald served as one of the first full-time Faculty members at Terra State and taught students in the areas of communications and speech for 35 years before retiring in 2007. Elaine also served on the Terra College Foundation Board from 2000 until her passing in 2021. Fred Recktenwald was a member of the Terra College Foundation Board from 2002 until 2009 and also served as Chair of the Foundation Board from 2002 until 2003. He also served the Terra State Community College Board of Trustees from 2003 until 2008.
“We are grateful to accept Fred Recktenwald’s generous investment of $600,000 in the futures of Terra State students and the community,” said Jennifer Fehnrich, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and CEO of the Terra College Foundation. “Listening to Fred talk about Elaine and understanding the level of devotion she gave to Terra State and the success of her students was incredibly inspiring. We are proud to provide naming rights and dedicate this facility to Elaine Denman Recktenwald.”
The Elaine Denman Recktenwald Activities Center marks the third building constructed on campus opening in 1992 after the initial two campus buildings of Roy Klay Hall (1979) and General Technologies (1985). The average number of guests using the facility is 15,000 people who attend a wide range of college and community events including Terra State Titan Athletics, commencement, concerts, job fairs, industry and manufacturing events, robotics competitions, and more.
For more information about the Terra College Foundation, please contact Jennifer Fehnrich at (419) 559-2261, foundation@terra.edu, or visit Terra.edu/Foundation.