Generations of Success
Jan. 24, 2011
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – One afternoon in 1984, Ray Applebaum was driving around Miami on business when he heard Bill Foster on the radio asking for support to bring basketball back to Coral Gables. Inspired by Foster’s plea, Applebaum made a quick detour and stopped by the Hecht Athletic Center, where he immediately gave $10,000 dollars to help return a men’s basketball program that had been dormant for 13 years.
Ray and his wife Fredi, who were in attendance together at the last home game in 1971, have been closely involved with the University of Miami athletic department ever since.
The Applebaum’s initial commitment, unbenowned to them at the time, made them one of the Founding members of the Golden Canes. With their 25-plus years of loyalty since, we arrive at the present day when the family has yet again come through for the athletic department, this time in the form of a generous donation toward the construction of the Theodore G. Schwartz and Todd G. Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence.
“On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff, I sincerely thank Ray & Fredi for their continued generosity, support and loyalty,” Hocutt said. “The Applebaums have been a fixture of the university community for three generations and continue to position athletics for greatness, both in the classroom and in competition.”
The Ray & Fredrica Applebaum & Family Student-Athlete Study Lounge will be an essential part of the Schwartz Center for Athletic Excellence, providing a first-rate academic center to help Miami’s student-athletes tackle a rigorous schedule of academics and sharpen their skills for their most important game —life.
“When Kirby Hocutt and Jesse Marks approached us about the Schwartz Center, we knew that our family had to do our part to help to continue the greatness at UM with this transformational project,” the Applebaums said. “We want to do whatever we can to better the student-athletes’ experience and open the doors of the university to students who are also talented competitors.”
Ray, the President of Driveway Maintenance, Inc., and Fredi, a Speech Pathologist who now administrates and manages commercial property, have long been Hurricanes. Both graduated from UM, Ray’s brother and nephews attended UM while their daughter Melissa was an All-America tennis player under current head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews.
Since their initial support in the mid-80’s, the Applebaums have continued to show their love for the `Canes. They were among the initial donors for the construction of the BankUnited Center; and most recently assisting in the renovation of the Neil Schiff Tennis Center – a place their daughter called home as a UM student-athlete from 2002-06. A senior captain and owner of the program’s single-season doubles wins mark (38), Melissa, who is currently the head women’s tennis coach at FIU, initially committed to Duke but realized she was a `Cane through and through and decided she belonged in Coral Gables.
Her commitment to UM, and her parents support over the years, is proof of just how serious the Applebaums are to playing their part in helping assure continued success of the UM athletic department.
“Our initial commitment to supporting the `Canes was to bring basketball back to UM, and later to develop the Golden Canes program,” the Applebaums said. “Our love has not, and will not, ever waver. Our love for UM is strong. We believe in the strong tradition of excellence at UM and the mission of the University as a private institution.”
