Haugen Field Naming Ceremony and Chang Tennis Complex Dedication celebrate SJU baseball and tennis
April 22, 2017
The Haugen Field Naming Ceremony honored 40-year head baseball coach Jerry Haugen '76.
The Chang Tennis Complex Dedication Ceremony, honored Paul Winter '61 and his wife, Dr. Lian Chang.
On a gorgeous Earth Day in Collegeville, hundreds of Saint John’s University alumni, parents, students and fans gathered to celebrate the legacy and future of Saint John’s baseball and tennis. The Haugen Field Naming Ceremony, honoring 40-year head baseball coach Jerry Haugen '76, was followed by the Chang Tennis Complex Dedication Ceremony, honoring Paul Winter '61 and his wife, Dr. Lian Chang. The facilities are part of the stunning new SJU athletic venue that also includes Gagliardi Field, Becker Park, Haws Field Lynch Plaza and the Alpers Golf Learning Center. This comprehensive project was one of the centerpieces of Forward Ever Forward, The Campaign for Saint John’s, which will be celebrated at Homecoming 2017 in early October.
Abbot John Klassen'71, SOT '77, OSB, led the formal blessing and prayer at both ceremonies and Saint John’s president Michael Hemesath '81 saluted the respective families and friends who made it all possible.
In Jerry Haugen’s 40 seasons as Saint John’s head baseball coach he has amassed 785 victories, which places him in the top 25 on NCAA Division III’s winningest active coach list. Over the past five years he has led the Johnnies to three MIAC Playoff Championships (in 2012, 2015 and 2016) earning automatic bids each of those years to the NCAA Regional Tournament. Honoring Jerry with personal reflections were his SJU friend and teammate, Scott Becker '77; assistant coach, Thom Woodward '70; former assistant coach and player, Chad Krueger '99; and son and former player, Casey Haugen '07. Arguably, Haugen Field at Becker Park is the finest NCAA Division III baseball facility in the country.
The Chang Tennis Complex, which returns outdoor tennis courts to Saint John’s after a five-year hiatus, is named in honor of Dr. Lian Chang by her spouse, Paul Winter '61. Dr. Chang is a psychiatrist who specializes and loves working with the geriatric population. She consults for many nursing homes throughout the state of Minnesota. Lian was born and raised in Taiwan, Republic of China. She came to the United States in 1972 after receiving B.S. degrees in Human Nutrition from Catholic Fu-Jen University in Taiwan. Subsequently, she earned her M.S. in Human Nutritionby attending Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas Years later, Lian attended the University of Minnesota Medical School and completed her general Psychiatry Residency at the University of Minnesota. In 1995, she completed a Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship at the prestigious Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Centers Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Minnesota.
Individual tennis courts were named in honor of the following people: Karin Wendt (by Dave Wendt '63 and Jim and Chriss Renier), George and Marian LaDouceur (by Dr. Michael '79 and Penny LaDouceur), Michael Lilly '78 (by the Lilly Family and Michael's teammates and friends), Fr. Alfred Deutsch '40, OSB, (by Michael '61 and Jane Murphy), Raymond Rossini '70 (by Jamie '70 and Penny Volin, the Rossini family and Raymond’s teammates); and Johnnie Coaches’ Court (by former SJU tennis players). Offering reflections were Paul Winter '61, Dave Wendt '63, Mike LaDouceur '79, Pat Lilly '79, Mike Murphy '61, Jamie Volin '70 and head coach, Jack Bowe. The Chang Tennis Complex consists of seven United States Tennis Association-approved courts, complete with fencing, bleachers and a storage building.