A $1 million donation to the Lincoln Public Schools Foundation from Ed and Mary Copple will be used to build a new student-athletic development center at Seacrest Field.

The gift is the largest donation in the 19-year history of the foundation. The facility at Seacrest will be used for student-athletes and by coaches for training and clinics. It will also supplement the existing locker rooms at Seacrest Field, which have been used for more than 50 years.

Construction is expected to be finished in the fall of 2008.

The gift surpasses the previous largest contribution from Tom and Nancy Osborne for the TeamMates mentoring program.

LPS Superintendent Susan Gourley said the district could never have provided a building like this without such a gift.

“The Copples wanted to do something that would leave a lasting legacy for Lincoln Public Schools. This gift does that,” Gourley said.

Coaches and athletic directors have wanted such a facility for a long time, “frankly I didn’t think we’d ever be able to provide it,” Gourley said.

The gift is part of a three-year $10 million campaign at the foundation, called “Great Schools Forever.”

With the Copples’ gift, the foundation has pledges and cash totaling $5.6 million for the campaign. The money will be used to help the district enhance reading, math and science skills and offer opportunities for low-income students and families and provide other resources to schools and teachers.