On Friday, Heidelberg University officially opened the doors to its newest crown jewel: Frann’s Fieldhouse. The $27.4 million, fully donor-funded facility is more than just a building. It is a dream realized, a legacy fulfilled, and a living tribute to the life, vision, and legacy of Frann Zverina, Class of 1974.
When Frann first stepped onto Heidelberg’s campus in the fall of 1970, she was full of energy, optimism, and school spirit. A health and physical education major from Shaker Heights, Ohio, she set out to be a four-sport athlete. She gave basketball, tennis, volleyball, and softball a try, but by her own admission, she wasn’t a standout in any of them.
Instead, Frann made her mark in other ways. She kept the bench warm, cheered loudly, and sometimes even got herself into trouble with her boisterous sideline antics. While her playing career may not have filled the record books, Heidelberg gave her something much more important: her voice, her confidence, and a sense of belonging that led to her lifelong mission to live with purpose and to lift others higher.
She never stopped using her voice to make Heidelberg better and stronger.
With Frann close in our hearts, the dedication was marked by excitement, energy, pride, and no shortage of emotion. For those who knew her, stepping into the Fieldhouse feels like connecting with her spirit. Every detail reflects her tenacious belief that Heidelberg could be lifted higher if students, alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, and friends – indeed, the entire Heidelberg family – played their part.
A heart for service
In every sense, Frann was a champion for others. Lifting others higher was her personal mission, and she carried it with her into a career devoted to philanthropy and service. Her generosity touched organizations across Ohio; she gave her time, her resources, and her heart to causes that mattered.
But none was closer to her heart than her beloved Heidelberg – her greatest passion. A fourth-generation Student Prince, she cherished the friendships, opportunities, and lessons she found on campus and throughout her life.
Frann poured her heart into Heidelberg. She gave faithfully to The Heidelberg Fund every year since her graduation and supported the renovation and restoration of France Residence Hall and the presence of women’s leadership there. She served with energy and honesty on the Alumni Council, later rising to its presidency and as a result, joining the Board of Trustees in 2017. These roles, she had said, were dreams come true.
Even when a cancer diagnosis came just a month later, she never stepped back, never wavered.
“Frann was authentic, courageous, and committed,” recalled President Rob Huntington. “She didn’t hold back her opinions, and she expected the same in return. I admired that about her. And I will always remember her fierce hugs.”
Creating opportunities
While Heidelberg was her overarching passion, Frann’s great love was for the Softball Team. Her advocacy was unmatched. She was the lead donor who made Frann’s Field – the team’s home field in Peaceful Valley – a reality, giving the team a true home. Since its opening in 2015, the field has seen championships, tournament titles, and unforgettable walk-off victories. Players and coaches often joke about “Frann’s Magic” at work on the diamond!
But for Frann, it was never about wins and losses. It was about giving young women the facilities, the pride, and the opportunities to make them successful in life after Heidelberg. It was about belonging. It was about building something lasting. And she didn’t stop with softball.
A larger vision
Even as she beamed from the softball bleachers, Frann was dreaming bigger. And her biggest dream was about to come to fruition. Frann’s cancer diagnosis forced her to take stock of her life and estate plans.
In August 2018, just weeks before her passing, she returned to Heidelberg one last time with a clear, concise plan for her legacy. She envisioned something that would touch every corner of student life – a facility that would bring students together to train, to play, to learn, to lead, and to thrive. A place where athletics and academics, wellness and belonging, leadership and pride converged under one roof.
During that last visit, Frann shared her dream about a Fieldhouse for all students with President Huntington and Ashley Helmstetter, Vice President for Advancement, Marketing, Alumni, and Community Relations. “That was an extremely emotional, tear-filled conversation for all three of us,” he remembered.
The product of that discussion was the single largest gift in Heidelberg’s history and the turning point in building a fieldhouse more than four decades in the making.
More than bricks and mortar
Frann was aware of the decades-long discussion of Heidelberg’s need for a Fieldhouse and the multifaceted value that would provide to the campus. And during that final visit in August 2018, she made her bold intentions clear. She would provide the single largest gift in Heidelberg’s history.
Today, Frann’s Fieldhouse brings together academics, athletics, recreation, wellness, and community – a place of belonging for all, exactly as she envisioned.
“Frann’s Fieldhouse is a testament to her belief in opportunity and belonging,” said Ashley Helmstetter, Vice President for Advancement, Marketing, Alumni, and Community Relations. “This is more than just a building. It’s Frann’s spirit made visible.
“Our hope is that Student Princes for generations to come will come to understand what Frann hoped for them and that her ultimate belief in every single student is one of the things that made her so special.
“She didn’t need to be a star athlete to be our biggest champion,” Ashley added.
Lasting legacy
On dedication day, Frann’s presence was noticeably felt – in the excitement, the laughter, the tears, and the joy of seeing her dream come to life. Her legacy of generosity, courage, authenticity, and her relentless drive to make life better for those who follow has forever changed her Sweet Alma Home.
Frann Zverina never stopped believing in Heidelberg. And now, at Frann’s Fieldhouse, that legacy of love will echo for generations, with every student who finds community, opportunity, and pride at Heidelberg.