Celebrating Lydecker Way and Tunnel

Board of Trustees vice chair Charlie Lydecker, SPA/BA '85, and Christine "Chris" Lydecker, Kogod/BSBA '86, Kogod/MS '88, have spent their share of time traversing the grounds of American University. From their student-athlete days repping AU Swimming and Diving to recent years as active AU alumni, both Eagles are familiar with the paths and roadways mapping their alma mater's 84-acre home.

So, when the opportunity to support and inspire today's students on campus arose, the Lydeckers stepped up.

Thanks to Lydeckers' generosity, the newly designated Lydecker Way and Tunnel commemorate their commitment to AU. The family's gift supports the Student Thriving Complex and is part of the Change Can't Wait campaign. The naming is also a part of the latest update in AU's Exterior Wayfinding and Signage Master Plan Project.

The naming applies to the road connecting Glover Gate on Massachusetts Ave to the Hall of Science, as well as the tunnel between Bender Arena and the Mary Graydon Center. New signage installed the week of April 1 caps off the project.

Signage for Lydecker Tunnel on campus

"We are immensely proud to announce Lydecker Way and Tunnel and publicly recognize Charlie and Chris as true community-builders at AU," says Vice President of University Advancement Courtney Surls.

The Lydecker family views the naming as a reflection of their wider philosophy about paying it forward-in whatever way-at AU.

"By definition, you want to leave the [university] better than when you get in," Charlie says. "And so American University has just been a very, very important part of Chris' life and my life."

High school sweethearts, Charlie and Chris Lydecker came to AU on swimming scholarships in 1981 and 1982 respectively. Both competed for the AU Eagles and built lasting memories from their time as student-athletes. Whether bonding with teammates during practices at the pool, gathering with peers in McDowell Hall, or celebrating campus traditions like Tuesday Nights at the Tavern, the Lydeckers found themselves steeped in AU's unique community culture.

Speaking personally about his AU education, Charlie credits it as one of invaluable self-discovery.

"I grew up on the American University campus," he says. "It was an instrumental time in my life where, as a young adult, I became prepared for the real world."

Charlie graduated from AU with an ingrained sense of service and reciprocity. And he traces the start of his philanthropy to a return visit to 4400 Massachusetts Ave a few years later.

"Maybe 25 or 30 years ago, I was invited on campus with then-provost Dr. Neil Kerwin," Charlie recalls. "It was an advisory committee that reconnected me with American University."

He continues: "Walking on campus again-I decided right there that I was going to make sure I was very proactive in giving back."

Chris echoes this sentiment. "We both had such a great experience at AU, it's been so important to us to give back," she adds.

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