(Written: June 2012)
Dave L. Kachel, a Whitewater community leader for many years, was a long-time supporter of UW-Whitewater, including its intercollegiate athletics department. Kachel and his wife Lolita backed the university in many ways, most noticeably with their support for a number of renovation and construction projects, including the main gymnasium, the Williams Center, the Kachel Fieldhouse, the Student-Athlete Center, the Coulthart Family Pavilion, and Perkins Stadium. This support also included upgrades to the UW-Whitewater track and soccer facilities and ancillary areas that were later combined into the Kachel Family Sports Complex.
Kachel was also concerned about the welfare of the entire university, as well as the surrounding community. UW-Whitewater’s Kachel Center is part of its College of Arts and Communications, and the Kachel Innovation Center was included in the new Hyland Hall for the College of Business and Economics.
The Kachels, both UW-Whitewater graduates and long-time Whitewater residents, were honored with induction into the UW-Whitewater Athletic Hall of Fame for Distinguished Service in 1998.
Kachel passed away in February 2011.