Homecoming Weekend began with the dedication of a newly renamed dormitory, as McCartney North took on the name of Kenneth Tator ’63 and his wife Maureen Tator following a donation.
The building will now be called Tator North. Both the Tators were present at the weekend dedication.
“Maureen and I are happy to support Lafayette,” Tator said at the ceremony. “As a former student, Lafayette provided me with wonderful opportunities that contributed to my success.”
Tator is the former director and son of the founder of Kenneth Tator Associates, a civil engineering company. Holding a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Lafayette and an MBA from Columbia University, he is a registered professional engineer in California, Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
In addition, the Tator family also finances the Kenneth B. ’63 and Maureen Tator Scholarship Fund for engineering students. Tator also named Lafayette College as a beneficiary of his will in July 2020.
Despite the donation, members of the student body appear relatively indifferent towards the name change.
“I don’t really care at all. I still call it McCartney,” Ethan Schwartz ’24, a resident of Tator North, said. “I haven’t heard a single person say ‘Oh, I’m about to go to Tator.’ Why rename an existing building as opposed to naming a new building Tator?”
Casey Wong ’24, Schwartz’s suitemate, believes any donation to Lafayette deserves to be honored at the college.
“If they donate that much money and have a scholarship, I guess the Tators deserve to have a building named after them … [their actions are] an overall good,” Wong said.
Both Tator North and McCartney South opened in 2020 after a $20 million construction project. The second phase of the McCartney Street housing is currently under construction and is one component of several construction projects scheduled to finish in time for Lafayette’s bicentennial. The new residence hall will include space for more than 160 students and is projected to open in time for the fall 2024 semester.
