KUA Receives Historic Gift for Athletics & Wellness

 

Today we are excited to announce that Kimball Union has received a $10 million bequest from Phillip H. Morse ’60, marking the largest capital gift commitment in the Academy’s history. I wanted to share this with you, our KUA community, as we celebrate this extraordinary legacy gift to launch the vision for the Morse Athletics and Wellness Center and the development of a centralized Athletics and Wellness Quad.  

 

Phil’s generosity will lead the way toward transforming the student experience and advancing one of KUA’s top strategic priorities. His gift will significantly enhance KUA’s ability to support student-athletes and coaches in the pursuit of excellence, while also creating a best-in-class environment for health and wellbeing for the entire community.

 

The Morse Athletics and Wellness Center will join existing facilities—Whittemore Athletic Center, Akerstrom Arena, Pope Field Complex, and the Barn Field House—within a pedestrian-friendly quad anchored by a new grass gathering space. The new facility will feature a multi-court gymnasium, indoor track, locker rooms, multipurpose spaces, an expanded athletic training facility, and spectator seating to elevate training, competition, and recruitment. 

 

As Vice Chairman of the Boston Red Sox since 2004 and a partner since 2002, Phil understands the power of sport on and off the field of play. At KUA he was a standout student-athlete during his post-graduate year; earning varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball, captained the basketball team; and receiving the Fred Wesley Wyman Award for Most Valuable Player. He was mentored by legendary KUA coaches George Akerstrom and Robert “Stretch” Gillam ’56. 

 

He experienced the indelible bonds created through athletics and proudly supports a facility that will have such meaningful impact on so many young people in the future. His enduring friendship with teammate Donald F. McBeth ’60, forged on the 1959 football field and carried through college, Sigma Chi Fraternity, and military service, will be honored with an internal named space in the Center. 

 

Phil founded North American Instrument Corporation in 1969, pioneering the Morse Manifold, a transparent fluid delivery system still used in cardiac catheterization procedures today. Phil currently resides in Jupiter, Florida; and with his late wife Susan, has a long legacy of philanthropy. They gave many gifts to their alma mater, the University of Maine, which transformed its athletics program through the realization of the UMaine Athletics Facilities Master Plan, the Morse Field, and the Morse Arena. Morse is also helping advance patient care with a transformative gift to the new Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute. 

 

It would be impossible to overstate my gratitude to Phil for launching the vision for an athletic facility that matches KUA’s longstanding commitment to exceptional athletic programming. His early achievements laid the foundation for a remarkably successful career, and his enduring loyalty to the people who impacted him speak to values we hold dear at Kimball Union. His commitment to excellence—on the field and in life—serves as a powerful example, and his legacy will continue to inspire others to invest in KUA's future. 

 

Please join me in thanking Phil and in celebrating this milestone in KUA history. We will share more about this exciting project in the weeks to come.  

 

Warm regards,
Tyler Lewis P'28

Head of School