No. 7 January 28, 2004 The Anonymous Donor On January 22 a banner honoring Hopedale High basketball players who had scored more than 1,000 points was raised at the General Draper Gym. At the what??? Well, that's what it said in the Milford News story the next night. Has George Albert Draper really been promoted to general? A mistake on the part of the reporter, I suppose. The players honored were, Justin Lewis, who had passed the 1,000 mark in December, Don Lutz, (1963), Larry Heron, (1970), Cheryl Daudelin, (1989), Chris Tattrie, (1992), and Gina Richards. Let's move on to another Milford News story about the gym. On November 22, 1955, in a story about the dedication of the building, the paper reported, “The cost of the gym, $350,000, is being borne by an unknown benefactor, in memory of Mr. [George Albert] Draper.” As far as I know, the donor's name has never been made public. Around the time the gym was being built I recall that some were guessing that it might be Princess Boncompagni but I think that's unlikely. To see a guess on this matter go to http://www.hope1842.com/webgroup2.html If you have any information on this, please let me know. In 2015, it was confirmed by a member of the Hopedale Community House Board that the donor of the gym was Wickliffe Preston Draper, son of George Albert Draper. Dedication of the Gym Boston Celtics Play at the Draper Gym |
