The Hawks lost a member of their family.

Don Roper, a former history professor and Faculty Athletic Representative at the State University of New York at New Paltz, along with the Hawks' biggest supporter over the last 30 years, passed away Dec. 20 at the age of 91.
 
His wife Carol, another staple within the New Paltz community, passed away last April at the age of 86. Both Don and Carol were avid supporters of Hawks athletics throughout the years, frequented various sporting events, but as of the last decade was a constant at every home women's basketball game, the team's No. 1 supporters.
 
"They were a part of our family as much as anybody and that is just the truth. I am not exaggerating it in any way," said SUNY New Paltz women's basketball coach Jamie Seward. "They brought us cookies to give to the girls after games. They were at every single home game right behind the bench. They had our teams over to their house for celebratory gatherings, for championships and academic accomplishments. Mr. Roper did a presentation and we attended that. They were truly a part of our New Paltz family as much as anybody that's been involved and supported us. They were our No. 1 supporters. The No. 1 fans." 
"Over the years, the Ropers became not just friends, but family that we love and cherish," said 2013 Hawks women's basketball alumna Maliqua (Soloman) Fisher. "How blessed I am to have created beautiful memories with them that will become a treasure."

Roper was an avid sports fan, especially passionate about baseball and basketball. He suited up for Bowling Green State University's men's basketball team in the early 1950's and although he didn't see ample time on the floor was proud of saying he dazzled the crowed with hook shots during pre-game warm ups. After earning his undergraduate degree at Bowling Green, Roper went on to complete his Ph.D. at Indiana University and then made stops teaching at Keene State University and the Ohio State University before finding a home at SUNY New Paltz in 1964.
 
He became the Hawks Faculty Athletic Representative in the mid 1980's and took pride in his position. He made sure to attend as many home games as possible for all SUNY New Paltz's varsity programs, and even after he retired in 1995 still retained a position as a campus liaison with the NCAA for many years.
 
"He loved being involved [as a campus liaison with the NCAA]," said Lou Roper, one of Don and Carol's three children, who is a professor a SUNY New Paltz. "But the [women's basketball] team were the great retirement passion for my mother and him… they rarely missed a home match; I think their regret was that age prevented them from traveling to away fixtures but his 'discovery of the Internet' made up for this somewhat."
 
"He played basketball. He loved the game. You'd hear him in the stands during the game and would be yelling something at the refs or something that one of our players was doing or wasn't doing, and he was right," Seward added. "His presence and his pride in the program, I can't even say it will be missed because it is beyond that. It's hard to even put into words how much he will be missed because he is a part of the family."
 
Former longtime Hawks Athletics Director Stuart Robinson worked alongside Roper for many years, as he held the FAR position when Robinson begin his tenure as the SUNY New Paltz men's soccer coach in 1992. Robinson reminisced on Roper's passion for Hawks athletics.
 
"Don loved all sports. Don would go to anything. As the Faculty Rep he took that very seriously and he wanted the student athletes to know that he was an advocate for them," Robinson said. "He would go to a lot of different games. One of his first loves I think was baseball. He would go to a lot of baseball games, but he was always involved and always engaged."  When Robinson heard of Roper's passing he eloquently put, "a season has closed on a great team of Don and Carol." Although they won't be in their seats next season, their presence will always be felt in the Hawk Center.
 
"Over time their seats had grown a little lower as age played an impact on the way they were able to navigate the bleachers, but they were still there. Good weather, bad weather, mid afternoon, late evening, they were there and they always had a smile and a positive thing to say," Robinson said. "I think they felt very honored to be guests of the department."
 
Don and Carol rarely missed a women's basketball game and although they couldn't travel to away contests, made sure to watch every road game online. Seward recalled Don writing emails post-game about the team's performance over the weekend and was honest about a surprise win or a disappointing loss, and shared in their excitement over the team's success.
 
"I think he was proud. Like I said, he was a part of the family. So when the family is successful, they were proud," Seward said. "From the very, very beginning of my tenure even before I really even knew him, he would cut out newspaper articles and leave them in my mailbox. Then, when I got to know him better the newspaper articles would come with a little note attached to it, and then we would get emails on road trips… It was funny because he would speak bluntly, so if we went on the road and we won a game he didn't expect us to win, he would comment, 'I was really surprised I thought you would get killed up there.' It was a genuine pride he had because he was a part of our program."

Their commitment to the Hawks basketball program resulted in reserved seats behind the home bench. The team created plaques and VIP passes for both Don and Carol and they took pride in being honored guests over the years. Throughout every game day their kindness was evident to anyone they came across from players, to coaches, to event staff.  

"They always stayed in the same spot behind the bench and looking back at all the team photos I don't think I've ever seen a photo without the both of them smiling and cheering during timeouts, overtimes, halftimes ect… I don't know about other New Paltz sports, but they were for sure our No. 1 fans," said 2020 SUNY New Paltz women's basketball alumna Paige Niemeyer.
  
"Don was a fixture at the Women's Basketball games along with his wife Carol.... I can honestly say I cannot remember a home game they did not attend," added SUNY New Paltz Athletics Wellness and Recreation Associate Director Brian Williams. "It did not matter if the weather was bad either. They always made it to the gym. This was why they are the only people that we ever reserved seats for."
 
Williams, who came to SUNY New Paltz in 1994, grew to know Don over the years and said what he will miss most is his signature laugh that echoed throughout the gym and the kindness he showed within every interaction he had with him. 
 
"Don always was so polite and had nice words for me and the other people working the games. He was always smiling and made me smile in return. I will always remember his very distinctive laugh," Williams said. "And no matter what the outcome of any game was, he was always proud of the team and how they performed. Even after some tough losses he would always have a positive word about the game and instantly focus on the next one, and when the team won he always had nothing but nice words and instantly was focusing on the next game."

"The Ropers' dedication to the New Paltz women's basketball team was so inspirational to me," said 2019 Hawks women's basketball alumna Taylor Howell. "As a basketball player and as a person, their support has been so important. They were a prime example of how doing the little things goes such a long way."
 
Don and Carol continued attending games right until COVID-19 put an abrupt end to the spring season. They were there to cheer on the women's basketball team as they collected their fifth championship last February, and was there in their usual spot behind the bench to watch the team host their second consecutive NCAA first round weekend.
 
"Don and Carol will be so missed, and I can honestly say that it will not be the same without them," Williams said. "I know that Jamie and the team will especially miss them both as the support they have given over so many years cannot be put into words."
 
"We gave them a little plaque card with their names on it saying, 'New Paltz Women's Basketball No. 1 Fans' and that was their reserved seating," Seward said. "I would like to put that up again and rope it off in some way. Give them that tribute because they deserve that place in the gym and on the bleachers. It was their spot. They will be missed."
 
Although they attended what ended up as their last game in the Hawk Center, Seward has no doubt he will still hear Don's voice arguing a call or cheering after a win every time he coaches his team in the Hawk Center.
 
"I'm sure I'll be hearing Don yell traveling or when we struggle from the free throw line, he'll have a comment, 'they all seem free today,'" he said. "I will definitely be hearing those things for the rest of my coaching career."
 
"To them it was a two-way street, they were supportive but at the same time they drew energy by being supported by us," Robinson added. "That is what I will always remember about the two of them."