Giving Profiles

Roger Vredeveld ’79

Occupation:
Baylor English instructor, All-American swimmer and former Baylor coach

His Gift:
A generous contribution for the construction of the new aquatic center.

What is your history at Baylor?
I swam for Baylor for six years and coached for ten. I was the head coach for five years and then gladly became the assistant for five years before moving away from it. I just finished my 22nd year as a teacher, and I feel like I am continuing my education along with everyone else at Baylor.

Why did we need a new aquatic center?
Regulations changed, and the blocks in old pools had to be made shorter. About three years before the new pool was built we had to take them out completely. That meant swimmers couldn’t dive at all and had to be in the pool to start. As a result, we couldn’t hold meets, which are necessary to offset the cost of the program. In addition, the pool was leaking. It was clear the pool had to be replaced, and the question was what to build. We could have built an eight-lane, 25-yard pool with a diving well. If we did that, we’d be better off than we were, but we’d still have fewer lanes per gender than our rival schools. The feeling was, “We’re already building a building, why not go all the way?”

What role did you play in making the dream a reality?
I figured that I better put my money where my mouth was after a being such a big advocate. I gave because I love Baylor and want to support it. I wanted Baylor to have an impressive pool because I love swimming, and I felt it could help us long term in attracting day and boarding students.

How does the aquatic center change the Baylor swim program?
Our boys were 14th in the state in 2005 and second in 2006. In the past we couldn’t find the 16 it took to fill out a lineup, and we lost every dual meet for two years. Then we went undefeated in 2006, beating McCallie after losing to them for eight years! Last year a boy from Jamaica and a girl from Ireland expressed interest in the swimming program. We recently hired a new head coach (Dan Flack), and the quality of resumes we received during the search was unbelievable —all because of the new pool. Dan is fired up because we’ve got it all. We’re in a whole new universe now.

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