A SWIMMING SUCCESS

A swimming success: How Elaine Kaplan Served Newburgh and the Mount

It’s a Saturday afternoon at Mount Saint Mary College, and dozens of local children from the Newburgh Armory Unity Center are having a great time learning to swim.

The lessons are structured after the American Red Cross’s renowned swimming program. Certified instructors – including volunteers from the Armory, the Mount’s swim team, and other local teachers – are the backbone of the year-round program. And none of it would have been possible without the vision and dedication of philanthropist Elaine Kaplan.

Elaine Kaplan is the late wife of Newburgh businessman and friend of the college, William Kaplan. Through the William and Elaine Kaplan Family Foundation, the Kaplans have done much for the Mount, including helping the college to acquire the properties for Hudson Hall and Sakac Hall. The Kaplan Family Foundation has also supported the Mount in scholarships and other projects including the renovation of Hudson Hall; the creation of the Elaine and William Kaplan Recreation Center and fields; building the Mathematics, Science & Technology Center; and transforming the Dominican Center into one of the college’s main living and learning hubs. Dated October 2, 1992, a plaque hangs in the college’s Elaine and William Kaplan Recreation Center dedicating the pool to Elaine, “whose generosity funded the construction of this pool for the health, education, and enjoyment of generations to come.”

In the book The Kaplan Family Foundation: A Living Legacy, William Kaplan recalls how Sr. Ann Sakac, OP, the fourth president of the Mount, asked the Kaplans for a $1 million donation to build a new recreation center. The original plans for what would become the Elaine and William Kaplan Recreation Center did not include a pool, which was scheduled to be added some time later.

“My wife, Elaine, participated in that initial meeting with Sr. Ann, and she said the college should build the swimming pool right away,” noted William Kaplan.

So it came to pass that the Kaplan Family Foundation nearly doubled their gift to the college, and the Elaine and William Kaplan Recreation Center opened with a regulation size gym for basketball and volleyball, a weight room, a track – and of course, a large swimming pool.

Today, the young students of the Newburgh Armory Unity Center – a free educational facility founded by William Kaplan – learn to swim every Saturday.

Husband and wife team Valerie Bryant MBA ’98 and Darren Bryant ’95, coordinators of the Armory swimming program and natives of Newburgh, say that teaching kids how to swim isn’t just for fun – it’s

Through a program spearheaded by the Newburgh Armory Unity Center and Mount Saint Mary College, dozens of local children are enjoying free swimming lessons on Saturday afternoons in the Mount’s pool. The program is overseen by Mount alumni Valerie and Darren Bryant.

giving them a skill that could save their lives. “You want to make sure that all kids are comfortable in the water,” said Darren. “If they learn to swim early, the water is their friend.”

For years, the Bryant family has wanted to create a local program to introduce more minorities to the world of swimming. It would be a chance meeting between Josh Bryant and William Kaplan that would give the family that chance. One day, William Kaplan came across Josh giving a private swim lesson. Afterward, he discussed with him the possibility of doing swim lessons for local children through a partnership between the Armory and the Mount. Once their son told his parents of the opportunity, the Bryants jumped on the chance to oversee the swim

program they had always envisioned.

“Hopefully some of these kids will love the sport like my family does,” said Valerie.

The other days of the week, the Mount’s Men’s and Women’s Swimming teams use the pool to practice, and the Mount’s Athletics Department hosts swim camps for local children throughout the summer. And sometimes, William Kaplan arrives early in the morning, before the center opens, to take a swim.

For the Mount, and for the local community, it’s difficult to imagine the Elaine and William Kaplan Recreation Center without the swimming pool that has served them so well for nearly three decades. The Mount community will always be grateful for the Kaplan family's generosity.

Remembering Senator William J. Larkin

Like the Kaplans, the late New York State Senator William J. Larkin, Jr. has done much to help Mount Saint Mary College grow and flourish. Although the senator passed away on August 31, 2019, he will always be remembered as a staunch advocate for his region, including the Mount. Senator Larkin was honored at the college’s Tenth Annual Gala Reception in December 2019.