Norwich officials announced that they will name the university’s newly constructed, $23.2 million civilian student residence hall Dalrymple Hall in honor of current university trustee Peter Dalrymple ’65 and his wife Marlene ‘66, of Houston, Texas, in recognition of their lifetime of philanthropy to the university.
The modern, energy efficient residence located next to South Hall, opened in Fall 2014 as the second of a three-building plan to house civilian students on campus. With 182 bedrooms, Dalrymple Hall has capacity for 285 occupants.
Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), among other aspects, Dalrymple Hall uses strategies that reduce water usage by over 25 percent, and is heated by steam produced from Norwich’s biomass plant.
The Dalrymples gave the lead gift for a fund-raising challenge established by Norwich Trustee Emerita COL (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Retired), and the Tawani Foundation, which committed $25 million in advance of the University’s $100 million Forging the Future 2019 Bicentennial campaign.
At the time, Peter Dalrymple said: “Marlene and I want to make sure that other young men and women have the same opportunity that we had to develop our strong values and moral compass. This country would be a much better place if all or our leaders in government and industry had Norwich training and values.”
The couple participated in the funding of the $5.7 million renovation of Sabine Field in 2013 from a grass playing field to a synthetic turf field and illuminated stadium and also provided a $1 million challenge for his class to celebrate their 50th reunion.
“The rewards of a Norwich education far exceed any gift we could give back to the university,” said Peter and Marlene Dalrymple. “We are humbled and honored to have this residence named Dalrymple Hall.”