Kim Grzeskowiak
Student Activities Coordinator
Director of Athletics, Fitness & Recreation | 1986-1998
Eutectics Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018
Kim was originally hired as the Intramural Director for STLCOP in 1986 to program aerobics classes, weightlifting programs, and intramural sports. Known to students as “Kim in the Gym,” she wore many additional hats on campus, including fraternity advisor, student council advisor, chaperone for College events, and Health/CPR instructor. As a member of the building committee for the 1988 construction of the STLCOP Student Center (later named Cartwright Student Center), she was instrumental in designing the fitness facility and athletic courts.
In 1993, Kim developed and implemented STLCOP’s first intercollegiate athletics program through membership to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for men’s basketball and women’s volleyball. To promote student support for the teams in their first year, she created and promoted what became a STLCOP tradition for years to come: Homecoming. The week-long celebration included the entire student body participating in games and competitive activities culminating in a huge student crowd at an intercollegiate sporting event.
The Homecoming tradition was just one of many celebrated traditions brought to life by Kim’s vision and dedication to creating a more enjoyable college atmosphere beyond academics. In 1995, she was the driving force behind the creation of the Eutectic mascot. She hoped to update the old Rex the Dinosaur into a mascot that could be identified in the community to promote the school and the athletics department. After several design ideas and a student vote, the Eutectic mascot was born.
Kim’s vision and actions in the formative years of STLCOP’s athletic program helped to usher in an era of varsity intercollegiate sports to STLCOP. Her leadership helped build a firm foundation for the flourishing sports program that we see today.