»ĘÉ«Ö±²„

Skip to main content

Alumni gift launches Dal Event Centre

Itā€™s current and future students like Katie Cameron and the entire Halifax community that Ian Oulton (BAā€™66) and his wife Dr. Margaret Oulton (PhDā€™75) want to support with their lead gift to the new »ĘÉ«Ö±²„ Event Centre.
Ian Outlon with varsity hockey player Katie Cameron Ian Outlon and »ĘÉ«Ö±²„ Tigers hockey player Katie Cameron

±Ź“Ē²õ³Ł±š»å:ĢżMay 24, 2022

By: Jodi Reid

Note:Ā Since posting, the »ĘÉ«Ö±²„ Event Centre has been officially named The Oulton-Stanish Centre.

Ian Oulton (BAā€™66) looks forward to cheering on Katie Cameron when the Tigers hit the ice in the new Dal Event Centre.Ā Ā 

Itā€™s been over 50 years sinceĀ Ian OultonĀ (BAā€™66)Ā laced up his skates as a Tiger, but his support as a volunteer and donor for »ĘÉ«Ö±²„ athletics and recreation programs has been unwavering ever since. Now thanks to a generous financial gift by him and his wife,Ā Dr. Margaret Oulton (PhDā€™75), construction on the much-anticipatedĀ »ĘÉ«Ö±²„ Event CentreĀ can begin.

The »ĘÉ«Ö±²„ Event Centre will feature an NHL-sized rink with an alternate floor surface allowing for Dal and community events. The »ĘÉ«Ö±²„ Physiotherapy Clinic will move into its new, state-of-the-art home on the Event Centreā€™s second floor. Varsity, club, and intramural teams, which were relocated to the Halifax Forum when the old arena was torn down in 2012, will return to campus, offering easier access for many students. Beloved community activities like public skating and Dal Tiger hockey camps will also make a comeback.

ā€œI believe very strongly that Dal should have a rink on campus, and this will be a great facility for the entire community,ā€ says Oulton, who saw an opportunity to make a gift that would move the project from the planning stages to getting shovels in the ground when the current »ĘÉ«Ö±²„ administration and the Department of Athletics & Recreation made the Event Centre a top priority. ā€œIā€™m excited that this is getting underwayā€”itā€™s been a long time.ā€

Teams that play together, stay together

Oulton has remained close friends with his varsity hockey and football teammateĀ Dr. William (Bill) Stanish (MDā€™70), who is the lead fundraising volunteer for the Event Centre campaign. For more than 50 years, the two have been meeting almost daily to walk and chat, often about the Event Centre. As an early lead donor to the campaign, Oulton says it feels like they are still teammates, just working towards a different goal.

ā€œMost of my friends are still from my university daysā€”athletics was a great way to get to know people and to develop those close friendships,ā€ says Oulton. ā€œWith athletics you learn how to win and lose and get along. The ability to communicate and work with people is by far the most important aspect of my business. I attribute that to athletics.

ā€œMy university days were very formative years. Iā€™ve always felt gratitude toward Dal for giving me an education in the broadest sense.ā€

A place to call home

Katie Cameron, a second-year psychology major from Riverview, N.B., plays defence on the Dal varsity womenā€™s hockey team. With construction set to begin this summer once site preparation work is complete, Cameron and her teammates are looking forward to the opportunities the Dal Event Centre will bring, like hosting national championships and encouraging participation. ā€œIā€™m super excited this is happeningā€”this new facility is going accelerate our program a lot,ā€ she says.

ā€œBeing able to walk from class or Dalplex to the rink within five minutes is going to make a huge difference,ā€ says Cameron. ā€œThe new facility will also be really accessible for students on campus, so weā€™ll see more fans able to go to games and other activities.ā€

Cameron adds that where a team practises is where they spend most of their time, so being on campus will make them feel more connected to Dal. ā€œHaving the Event Centre on campus is just going to make it feel so much more like a home and really feel like itā€™s ā€˜ours.ā€™ā€

Oulton fondly remembers the countless hours he spent in the old arena as a player and later as a Tigers supporter in the stands.

ā€œWe had all sorts of characters at the rink in those daysā€”it was a great environment,ā€ he recalls. ā€œWhen you turned off University Avenue onto LeMarchant and South and you saw the Dal rinkā€”with the football field and then Shirreff Hallā€”for me, that was where Dal began.ā€

Now with the Oultonsā€™ support, varsity athletes, Dal students, faculty and staff, and the Halifax community will be able to make the »ĘÉ«Ö±²„ Event Centre their home for years to come.