Neil and Roberta Crane raised their family to believe in the importance of giving back to their community. And by using the term “family,” it means not only their children, but also the students Neil Crane trained as a physical education teacher and men’s basketball coach for 15 years at Allen Community College.

The community now has the opportunity to recognize Neil Crane’s contributions. A fundraising campaign is underway to raise money to name the floor of Allen’s gymnasium in his honor.

The campaign is called the Coach Neil Crane Allen Community College Fund. Between now and Dec. 15, donations to the fund will be matched, through a program offered by Your Community Foundation and the Patterson Family Foundation.

In addition to naming the gymnasium floor in honor of Crane, donations will also be used to make improvements to the facility. A ceremony in February will make it official and allow the community to congratulate Neil Crane in person.

Leslie Crane, daughter of Neil and Roberta and head women’s basketball coach at Allen, said she is honored to help the college and community create a lasting legacy for her father.

“He was a big part of why I got into coaching, and he played a big role in the lives of the young men that were here over the years. It’s the right thing to do to recognize the success he brought to Allen and the way he helped these kids,” she said.

Erik Crane, the couple’s son who now lives in Springfield, Mo., said the lessons his father taught him extend far beyond the basketball court. Erik and his wife, Heidi, both grew up in Iola and now own CPI Technologies, an information technology and office equipment company. Better known as Copy Products Inc., they continue to operate an office in Iola.

“Even though I’m not a coach, I still try to apply the coaching philosophies I’ve learned to mentor people in our business,” he said. “This happened to many young people my father was in contact with. They learned not only how to play basketball, but also how to be good humans off the court.

Leslie said the campaign to recognize her father wasn’t entirely a surprise, but “we kind of kept it under wraps.”