Providing Better Experiences

Greenwoods support new facility for future Ichabods

From Foundation Focus - Summer 2018

When Greg Greenwood, bba ’88, came for a recruiting visit as a high school student, he met with Coach Steve Anson at his summer baseball camp held north of the current Falley Field.

When he started at Washburn in the fall of 1984, the team played games at McDonald Field. Greenwood knew there was a vision to someday have a baseball field on campus. The Petro Allied Health Center had just been constructed and included new baseball locker rooms. It was a state-of-the-art facility.

“As a teenager, it showed me that Washburn believed in making investments in the right facilities for its programs,” he said. “Their alumni believed in making those investments, too.”

His wife, Jaena, ba ’89, was also heavily involved in campus activities such as Kappa Alpha Theta, Student Alumni Association and Nonoso. She credits many people on campus who helped her get to Washburn and provided her with opportunities for a great education.

After graduation, the couple built their lives in Topeka and are still close with many of the friends they made at Washburn. In honor of their time on campus, they recently made a substantial gift to the Indoor Athletics Facility to reflect their commitment as alumni to the vision of Washburn University.

“I just look at how many doors were opened once I got to Washburn, and I just think it’s so important to give back to an institution that gave so much to us,” Jaena said.

While the construction of Falley Field didn’t come about until after Greenwood graduated, he has gone back to watch the current team play many games there. The couple hopes the new Indoor Athletics Facility will have a great impact on Washburn Athletics.

“I think as you get older, you want people to have a better experience and leave the campsite better than you found it,” Greg said. “We want that for the next generation of students and for it to have an impact on all athletic programs.”