Pankowskis pledge $250,000 to third stage of project

The final stage of the capital campaign for the Jensen Center’s 3Stage Expansion Project moved much closer to its overall fundraising goal recently with the receipt of a $250,000 grant from Dallas and Edith Pankowski of Plover. Longtime residents of the area, the couple told the Spirit that they have fond memories of attending the Center’s many musical presentations. “We believe that the Center is an integral part of the civic and cultural foundation of central Wisconsin and wish to be part of its modernization,” Edith, who founded and taught in the interior architecture program at UW-Stevens Point, added.

Dallas and Edith each earned doctoral degrees from major research universities, and each has also received honorary doctorates from UW-Stout, Dallas’ alma mater. They sponsor a pair of engineering scholarships at Stout and are funding an atrium addition to its recreational gymnasium building.

Locally, the Pankowskis have funded a trio of handicap-accessible floating fishing piers at Lake Pacawa with signs designed by Edith. Other funded projects include the lighted trails at Standing Rocks County Park, again with signage by Edith and the outdoor theater at UW-Stevens Point’s Schmeeckle Reserve, named the “Pankowski and Friends Amphitheater.”

In honor of the grant to the Jensen Center, its theater will be named in the Pankowskis’ honor, and the theater’s entrance doors will be redesigned by Edith.

Recently retired from their construction, real estate, and management business, the couple are adventure travelers and have visited all seven continents, including three weeks on an ice-hardened Russian vessel in Antarctica. Their other adventures include rafting the length of the Grand Canyon and other whitewater rivers around the world; hiking in Madera, the Azores, and Albania; climbing Mount Kilimanjaro; cycling through Europe; hiking, ice climbing, and camping in Greenland; paragliding off the edge of a cliff with a parachute; skydiving from 14,000 feet; and searching for polar bears hundreds of miles above the Arctic Circle. Those travels gave the couple the opportunity to visit approximately 140 countries and autonomous provinces.

“Our most strenuous trip was hiking and sleeping at 19,500 feet at a Mount Everest base camp on the difficult-to-reach Tibetan side,” Edith said.

While this grant represents a major step forward for the 3Stage Expansion’s capital campaign, donations are still needed to fully realize the vision of this ambitious project.

Stage 1, the International Bank of Amherst Terrace, is already seeing community use and is expected to add additional charm to future activities, events, and parties at the Center for many years to come.

Stage 2, a fire alarm and sprinkler system, was recently completed, filling a need for increased safety as the Center’s offerings continue to expand and attract more visitors.

Stage 3, an expansion of the stage’s wings and storage, along with expanded office space, is the final piece of the project and is needed to allow the Center to handle productions more comfortably and safely. Original estimates for the stage expansion were obtained almost two years ago and are being revised to reflect the increased costs of materials and labor. At presstime, an estimate of more than $1.2 million was being used as the overall goal for the entire 3Stage Expansion Project.

Jensen Center Executive Director Brent Frankenhoff said, “We are overwhelmed and deeply appreciative of all the support that the community has provided, and we’re excited to see how close we are to our goal. The Pankowski gift, along with the American Asphalt gift, leaves us needing approximately $100,000 to fund this project. We just need that final push from donations of all sizes to put us over the top.”

A donation form can be found elsewhere in this issue, and permanent recognition of donors of $1,000 or more who wished to be publicly acknowledged is being planned.

Edith and Dallas Pankowski on one of their international trips.