Wisconsin Rowing Facility Named Porter Boathouse
April 12, 2005 | General News
The University of Wisconsin's recently completed $8.56 million rowing facility will now officially be known as Porter Boathouse, after the Wisconsin Board of Regents approved the moniker last Friday. The name recognizes the single-largest contribution to the project of more than $1 million by Ben and Lee Porter, in honor of Ben's father, Benjamin Taylor Porter, and his father's two brothers, Knight Cunningham Porter and Robert Taylor Porter. All attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ben's father was a cheerleader, and received a PhB (bachelor 's of philosophy) degree in the Mickeljohn program. He was an executive with Ashland Oil in Chicago until his retirement. Knight received a combined electrical engineering and business degree. He was an executive with Commonwealth Edison in Chicago before he retired. Robert was on the UW basketball and golf teams. After graduation from the UW, he was an executive with Container Corporation of America. All three men, Ben's father and two uncles, belonged to the Sigma Phi fraternity and lived in that fraternity's house behind Breese Terrace.
Ben is a former University of Wisconsin student-athlete (men's crew 1959-63). Ben had been a high school athlete but did not have the size or skill to play football or other sports he participated in at high school. At freshmen orientation in the Stock Pavilion, there was a meeting for people who were interested in crew. Ben attended the meeting and found out that he was considerably smaller than the others who were turning out for the sport. He weighed less than 170 pounds and was only six-feet tall. However, Ben had always been attracted to water sports and was a hard worker. He paddled canoes and kayaks in Wisconsin and Minnesota. He made the first freshmen team.
Ben found his place in the bow or seven seat in the varsity and junior varsity boats in his sophomore through senior years. He enjoyed the team spirit of rowing, something that some other sports do not share. His years of rowing at Wisconsin were the foundation of Ben's life-long love for the sport.
Ben graduated from the UW with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1963 and was married to Lee one month later. Lee received her bachelor's of science degree in education from the UW in 1963 with a major in English and a minor in Spanish. Ben went on to graduate from the UW Law School with honors in 1966, and earned his tax degree from Georgetown University National Law Center.
Over the years, Ben has competed at the Masters level in many rowing races. He has won races at the regional and national level, as well as the Canadian National Masters Regatta. In his 40s, Ben took up running. He ran a number of 10K races, and even tried to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon. He ran several marathons, ultimately running one slightly over 3:06. He ran the Boston Marathon in 1983.
Ben currently practices law with the Seattle law firm of Porter, Kohli & LeMaster, P.S. His practice emphasizes sophisticated estate and tax planning, including the formation of family LLCs and trusts. He also supports his clients in a variety of Elder Law issues. Presently serving as the 2004-05 Chair of the Gift and Estate Tax Committee for the Washington State Bar, he was named a 2004 "Super Lawyer" by Washington Law and Politics.
Ben serves on the UW Law School's Board of Visitors. He has retained his Wisconsin State Bar membership and served as President of the Nonresident Lawyers division of the Wisconsin State Bar. He also served for three years as a member of the Board of Governors of the Wisconsin State Bar. Currently, Ben and Lee are members of the Wisconsin Alumni Association, the University of Wisconsin Foundation, the Bascom Hill Society, the Wisconsin Law School Bencher's Society, and the Seattle Foundation.
The invitation-only Grand Opening Celebration for the Porter Boathouse takes place on Friday, April 22. A public open house will take place from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., on Saturday, April 23.
