Posted: January 11, 2024
By: Stephanie Paterson
Dalhousie has announced the name of the new event centre: the Oulton-Stanish Centre.
Named after alumni Ian Oulton (BA’66) and Dr. William (Bill) Stanish (MD’70), whose 50-year friendship formed during their time as Dalhousie students and members of the Tigers varsity football and hockey teams.
Part of the Tigers legacy
A member of the Dalhousie Sport Hall of Fame in the builder category, Oulton was an art history and economics student from 1962-66. Impressive both on the ice and on the field, Oulton was honoured by Dalhousie in 1963 as football’s Lineman of the Year and later selected as the hockey team MVP in the 1965-66 season.
Fellow Tiger Stanish is also a member of the Sport Hall of Fame for his feats as a football and hockey player at Dalhousie from 1963-67. Twice he was selected as the top male athlete at Dalhousie, receiving the Climo Award in 1964-65 and again 1966-67, which was the first time there was a repeat award winner. Stanish was also recognized as Dalhousie’s Most Inspirational Athlete in 1967, a citation that merited a special page in the Pharos that year.
Oulton and Stanish both credit their time as varsity student-athletes as critical to their professional development. “Dalhousie gave me confidence to achieve goals. And with athletics, we learned how to win and lose, and to get along,” says Oulton. “The ability to communicate and work with people is by far the most important aspect of my business, and I attribute that to athletics.”
Dr. William (Bill) Stanish (MD'70) and Ian Oulton (BA'66)
A place for Tigers of all stripes
As leading supporters and donors to the project, Oulton and Stanish are passionate about the impact the Centre will have for the campus and greater Halifax communities. “The Centre will be a much-needed space on campus for people at Dalhousie and our broader community to be active, participate and engage in programming and events,” says Stanish.
Exterior rendering of the Oulton-Stanish Centre
The highly-anticipated 60,000 square foot facility is thoughtfully designed to serve the diverse needs of our campus and the local communities. The Centre will be the new home of the Dalhousie Tigers women’s and men’s varsity hockey teams and club teams. An alternate floor surface will allow the Centre to transform into a premiere venue for small and large-scale events. It will also be home to the new and improved Dalhousie Physiotherapy Clinic, which will provide our students and community members with more access to care.
“I see it as a central hub on campus, whether it’s watching the Tigers, gathering for festivals and special events, or rekindling alumni hockey leagues—the appeal for our community can’t be overemphasized.,” says Stanish. “This will truly be a community centre.”