The dreams of a carpenter who came here from Cyprus in the 1950s have led to a million-dollar scholarship fund at the University of Victoria and a new park in the South Jubilee neighbourhood.
Agamemnon A. Kasapi, who died in May at age 95, established Kasapi Construction in Victoria more than 60 years ago. His son Mario said the family wanted to do something significant in his memory.
“This is how we are honouring our father’s values — hard work, family and education — while also showing our family’s gratitude for what Victoria, and the University of Victoria, has meant to us.”
Mario Kasapi, whose two daughters are recent UVic graduates, said his parents stressed the value of education to their four children.
“My father was very intelligent and I think he felt he missed out on his chance for higher education, but he was determined that we wouldn’t,” he said.
“He encouraged us to get work, to get scholarships, seeing them as interim rewards before the long years of academia would pay off.”
The money for the gift to UVic, which is funding student scholarships in the faculty of science, came from the Kasapis’ sale of a 12,700-square-foot parcel of land at Leighton Road and Bank Street to the City of Victoria. The land was appraised at $1.21 million, with the city paying $1 million from its Parks Acquisition Fund and issuing a $210,000 charitable donation receipt for the rest of the purchase.
The site, featuring a rare Garry oak meadow, will be named Agamemnon and Eleni Kasapi Park in recognition of the family’s efforts to keep it in its natural state. Mario Kasapi said that selling the land to the city ensures it will always be accessible for community enjoyment.
The creation of the park was praised by Matt Dell, president of the South Jubilee Neighbourhood Association.
“Our community is growing, so new park space will ensure future generations have a quiet and beautiful Garry oak ecosystem to gather in, enjoy and learn about Indigenous history,” he said. “Special thanks to the Kasapi family, the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, South Jubilee liaison Coun. Marianne Alto and the mayor, council and staff for their hard work to make this park a reality.”
Mayor Lisa Helps said the city is always seeking opportunities to acquire more parks and green spaces, “especially during these challenging times with the pandemic.”
The new park will include a wood-chip path, benches and signage.
Peter Loock, dean of the faculty of science at UVic, said the scholarships will have a “transformational effect” for some of the university’s highest-achieving students, acting as an incentive, a reward for hard work and reprieve from financial concerns.
The Agamemnon Kasapi and Family Scholarship is worth $75,000 over three years, making it the largest award per year for undergraduate students in the faculty of science. A second award, the Academic Excellence Scholarship, will recognize academically outstanding undergraduate students in the faculty.
