The late Kate Craft (carrying football) leads her fellow Knights cross-country teammates around Union Stadium ahead of the 2022 Homecoming football game in La Porte City. Craft’s parents recently made a sizable donation to the Union Community School District earmarked for a potential new gymnasium, whenever one may be built. A new gym is part of the district’s upcoming November bond referendum. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

LA PORTE CITY – The Union Community School District will receive a generous donation from the Craft family to rename a new gymnasium in honor of their daughter, Kate, a student-athlete who passed away in 2023 after a courageous multi-year battle with brain cancer.

The Union CSD Board of Education was expected to formally accept the donation at its September meeting held on Monday, Sept. 16.

“The Craft family has been an integral part of our communities for many years,” said John Howard, Superintendent. “I greatly appreciate their willingness to donate significant funds in memory of Kate, who is dearly missed in our school community. This project will allow Kate’s legacy of commitment, competitiveness, passion, and unwavering support for others to live on forever.”

Kate Craft passed away in December 2023 at the age of 16, two years after she was diagnosed with glioblastoma. She was an honor roll student and a standout athlete who competed for the Knights in basketball, swimming, soccer, and track and field.

Matt and Sarah Craft said their daughter was especially fond of basketball, which inspired them to find a way to honor her.

“Kate passionately loved basketball,” said Matt and Sarah. “She had big dreams for her career at Union and despite her health setbacks, Kate’s heart got her into the gym every chance her body would allow. This gift is to honor Kate’s memory and to thank the community for supporting our family when we needed it most.”

Former Union High School girls basketball Coach Robert Driscol recalled Kate’s “undeniable love for basketball” and said she was among the most determined competitors he encountered during his 37 years leading the Knights.

“Although cancer took away her physical abilities to play basketball at the level she wished for, it never touched her thoughts, feelings, and passion for the game,” Driscol said. “Kate was a good friend, a good teammate, and an even better person. I cannot think of a better way to honor her love of basketball than by naming a new gym after her, which will assist future generations to play their favorite sport as Kate once did.”

Kate made the most of her final two years of life. She traveled to New York City to see “Hamilton” performed on Broadway and was in the front row for an episode of “Saturday Night Live.” She visited the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Massachusetts and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

Kate also cheered for the Iowa State women’s basketball team at the Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, and sat courtside at WNBA and NBA games. And she learned the famed “Dream Shake” from NBA Hall of Fame Center Hakeem Olajuwon.

“After Kate’s surgery, she would go on to join cross country,” said UHS Coach Justin Parson. “Her courage to step up and run a 5K at the Jesup meet is undoubtedly the most inspirational high school athletic moment I ever had the privilege of coaching. The support that was there for Kate as she finished the race was a teachable moment for all young athletes: Always do your best no matter the circumstances, and never give up. Kate is definitely missed, but her ability to always give her best has motivated many at UHS to continue to give their best.”

The construction of a new auxiliary/community gymnasium at Union High School is among the proposed projects included in a $20.5 million bond referendum that Union CSD voters will consider on Tuesday, November 5, 2024.