Syracuse Athletics names new dining center for alumnus Joe Lampe after $1 million donation

Syracuse held a celebratory ribbon-cutting and a naming ceremony at the John A. Lally Athletics Complex on Friday.

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Syracuse University recently announced a $1 million donation from the family of Joe Lampe and will name the new cafeteria in the John A. Lally Athletics Complex in his honor.

Lampe, a Syracuse graduate and former chair of the school’s Board of Trustees, died in 2018. The donation from his trust was directed by Shawn Lampe, his widow and trustee.

Joe Lampe earned his undergraduate degree from Syracuse in 1953, as well as a law degree from the school in 1955. He helped pay for his schooling by working in the school cafeteria during his first year of college. The new dining area will be named the Lampe Culinary Hub.

“When Joe was ready to go to college, his father had a financial setback,” Shawn said in a press release from the school. “That’s why he got the job in the cafeteria. He was a determined person. Nothing got in his way when he put his mind to something. He believed his education enabled him to be successful. Joe wanted to help students with financial challenges and give them opportunities to be successful.”

During his life, Lampe contributed to the school’s Student-Athlete Fund and established the Joseph O. Lampe Endowed Scholarship, which is awarded to the captains of the football and men’s basketball teams.

Before a $25 million donation from former football player John Lally and his wife, Laura, sparked an ongoing renovation in the school’s athletic facilities, the collection of buildings and fields that included Manley Fieldhouse, the school’s soccer stadium and its practice field had been named the Joseph O. and Shawn Lampe Athletic Complex.

“As a real estate executive and a fundraiser, Joe understood how things must evolve to meet current needs and demands,” Shawn Lampe said. “I know he would be pleased to have his name in a location in the new athletics complex where there will be energy and intention to help students.”

Lampe made his living in Phoenix, Arizona, where he settled in 1957 and benefitted from the eventual real estate boom. He specialized in real estate law and eventually launched his own real estate business.

He served on the school’s Board of Trustees beginning in 1987 and was its chairman from 1998 to 2004.

The school has celebrated its fundraising efforts over the past two years, including an announcement that it set a record for athletics fundraising last year at more than $45 million.

In addition to the cornerstone gift for the Lally Athletics Compex, the school has announced major donations in recent years that include a $5 million donation from Howard and Louise Phanstiel, a $3 million donation from Ed Pettinella, a $2 million donation from former football player Michael Bill, a $2 million donation from Joyce Hergenhan, a $1 million donation from former football player David Tate and a seven-figure donation from former football players Arthur and Chandler Jones.

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