CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Harvard University and Bob Scalise, The John D. Nichols '53 Family Director of Athletics, are pleased to announce the endowment of the Susan and Cory Thabit '90 Lettersweater Program.
“Through the endowment of the Susan and Cory Thabit '90 Lettersweater Program, every first time major H recipient at Harvard will now receive a complimentary lettersweater made through an exclusive partnership between the Harvard Varsity Club and Polo Ralph Lauren,” Scalise stated. “Susan and Cory have had a longstanding relationship with Harvard Athletics, and thanks to their generosity we can ensure that the tradition of the Harvard lettersweater endures.”
Thabit earned his lettersweater as a defensive back on the football team in 1988, making 12 tackles and recording one interception while appearing in all 10 games. After originally quarterbacking the freshman team, he transitioned to defense as a sophomore and earned a minor “H” on the JV team. Thabit was also a member of Harvard's club rugby program during his time in Cambridge, earning All New England honors freshmen year.
Thabit reflected, “The many lessons I learned as a Harvard student-athlete and a member of the football team were formative in my development and helped shaped me as the person I am today. I greatly value my experience as a student-athlete and the lifelong friends made at Harvard. There is no better symbol of achievement and satisfaction with that period of my life than the Harvard lettersweater. Susan and I are honored to know that this tradition will forever remain a cornerstone of the Harvard Varsity Club and Harvard Athletics.”
A government concentrator in the Class of 1990, Thabit is the managing director of IMT Capital, LLC, a private equity firm specializing in the renovation and development of multi-family communities in major US markets. He is also the executive vice president and chief investment officer of IMT Residential, one of the 50 largest apartment owners in the country. In addition, he is a minority owner of the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball franchise.
Thabit and his wife, Susan, are active members of the Friends of Harvard Football, Friends of Harvard Basketball, and the Harvard Varsity Club. The couple has two sons: Clay, a rising sophomore at Harvard College, and Ty, a rising high school freshman in Newport Beach, Calif.
The tradition of the Harvard lettersweater dates back to the early 1880's when men's crew adopted a white sweater with a crimson “H” as its team uniform. As football, baseball and track began to compete on an intercollegiate level, a need arose for official Harvard athletic attire. Accordingly, in 1896 the Athletic Committee overseeing undergraduate sports prescribed each team a sweater featuring its own unique color scheme of crimson, black and white.
The lettersweater was standardized in 1957 after the number of varsity sports and minor “H” colors began to outnumber the possible permutations of colors in the lettersweaters. Today, each student-athlete that receives a major “H” is presented with a black sweater emblazoned with a crimson “H” bordered in white.
