On June 11, at the Reunion Convocation, Tabor Academy announced that its new Campus Center, slated for completion in December 2022, will be named the Travis Roy Campus Center.
“Travis supported Tabor with his time, investment and thoughtfulness, and he championed the Campus Center,” notes Trustee Steve Sprague ’68, as he fondly remembers fellow Trustee Travis Roy ’95. “This project is something Travis felt strongly would enhance the student experience, and I’m really sorry that he didn’t stay with us long enough to see it completed.”
Sprague is a longtime supporter of Tabor and lead donor on the school’s new 22,000-square-foot building, now known as the Travis Roy Campus Center. He is one of many donors to support this important student-centered campus initiative.
“It’s hard to describe what this honor would mean to our son,” say Brenda and Lee Roy, parents of Travis Roy who passed away on October 29, 2020. He is remembered by those who knew him as being a true friend and a role model. “Letters we’ve received from classmates since his passing often refer to his kindness and outreach to others,” his parents share.
Travis Roy and Sprague served on the Tabor Board of Trustees together for several years. “I really admired him. He was a warm and friendly guy, and it was a pleasure working with him. I admired his thoughtfulness and good judgment,” Sprague recalls. “He truly loved Tabor and gave everything he could to the school. He’s somebody I wanted to be like. He embodied everything Tabor represents. We’re all going to miss him and felt it was important to honor him in such a central and permanent place at the school.”
Travis Roy started at Tabor as a junior, spending two years at the School by the Sea that left a lasting impression on him. He played soccer, golf and hockey at Tabor and served as a Proctor during his senior year. “He loved the Tabor community like no other. During his time at the School by the Sea, Travis formed lifelong friendships that saw him through both the highs and some of the darkest days of his life,” say Brenda and Lee Roy. “While his initial goals at the school might have been hockey related, it was important to him to be seen as more than a hockey player. He participated fully in every aspect of the school that he could,” his parents share.
While at Tabor, Travis Roy also discovered a knack for ceramics, a skill he was proud of beyond his love of sports. “The ceramics award he received senior year was, in fact, one that he was most proud of,” say Brenda and Lee Roy.
Travis Roy stayed connected to his seaside alma mater throughout his life. He served as a dedicated Tabor Trustee since 2014 and was the Class of 2015’s esteemed graduation speaker. “As a trustee, he loved spending time back on campus interacting with students and catching up with faculty members who were now some of his closest friends,” say his parents. “He would say without question that his time at Tabor whether as a student, an alumnus, or as a trustee were the best days of his life. He took his role as a trustee very seriously and saw it as his opportunity to give back to the school that he loved so much.”
“I am thrilled that we are naming this wonderful new facility after Travis Roy who I had the pleasure of meeting earlier in my career and who I found to be an inspiration,” says Head of School Anthony Jaccaci. “This facility, located in the heart of the campus, is purposely built to create the relationships that make a Tabor experience so special and unique and befit Travis’ spirit of kindness and grace.”
“When asked what we thought of the idea of having the new Campus Center named for Travis, in addition to the Hockey Rink, we could only respond with tears,” admit Brenda and Lee Roy. “One of Travis’ primary goals while on campus was to be seen as more than just a hockey player. He excelled in soccer, golf and ceramics, and saw himself as an ambassador to all students. The Chapel Speech he gave toward the end of senior year outlining his Ten Rules of Life exemplifies this. There is no doubt in our minds that Travis would be honored, humbled and thrilled to have his name placed on the new Campus Center, a meeting place for the entire Tabor community. It would be the absolute highest tribute Tabor could bestow on him.”
And so, his memory will live on through the Travis Roy Campus Center. This project has been in the works for several years now and is one that has been near and dear to many of the school’s leaders, including both Travis Roy and Sprague. “Because that’s what Tabor needs,” Sprague asserts.
“I am eager to have this facility support programs on campus in new and innovative ways that have been in consideration for many years,” adds Jaccaci. “This is a well-conceived and planned building that will serve many different purposes and will do so thanks to intentional design and planning.” Jaccaci also notes that large-scale projects like this one are not possible without the generous support of donors.
“Why I support Tabor is simple. Tabor took a chance on me,” Sprague notes. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without Tabor,” he adds. “Tabor really set me on the right path, and I’ve loved Tabor all my life.”
“We are fortunate at Tabor for the care and dedication that has been given to this project,” Jaccaci says, “and now, with Travis’ name, this space will be a jewel in the school’s facility crown.”
To learn more about the Travis Roy Campus Center or to make a supporting donation in memory of Travis Roy ’95, visit taboracademy.org/getcentered or email Amy Duffell.