A $5 million donation by University trustee Gary Wilson and his wife Barbera Thornhill has brought the planned $16.5 million West Campus recreational facility much closer to becoming a reality.
During a halftime ceremony at the men's basketball game against Wake Forest Jan. 11, Trinity senior Takcus Nesbit, president of Duke Student Government, accepted a symbolic check made payable to the "students of Duke University." The donation represents the largest individual gift dedicated specifically for athletics and recreation in University history.
After accepting the check, Nesbit presented the Wilsons with a letter of appreciation on behalf of the University's student body. "Your gift not only will improve the physical well-being of our students, but their social lives as well," the letter read. "You will have a profound impact on the lives of generations of Duke students, who thank you for your exciting and deeply appreciated contribution to the quality of life on campus."
The gift permits the Wilson family to name the planned 99,000 sq. ft. facility, but they have not yet done so.
Preliminary plans for the building, to be constructed on West Campus adjacent to Card Gymnasium, were approved by the Board of Trustees in December. The facility will include three basketball courts, an indoor jogging track, three separate multi-purpose rooms and a weight training facility, as well as classroom space and administrative offices. University officials expect construction to begin sometime this spring, and they hope to open the facility sometime in 1999.
The recreational facility is part of a larger, $30 million comprehensive plan for improving and expanding University athletic facilities-a plan which includes the recently completed Brenda and Keith Brodie Recreational Center on East Campus and the renovation of the Intramural Building on West Campus. The plan also calls for the construction of a pavilion adjacent to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
As President Keohane announced the gift, she praised the Wilsons' leadership. "Gary Wilson in one of the country's most successful investors and corporate builders," she said. "He has developed, first as a Duke student-athlete, then as a Duke parent and now as a trustee, a uniquely informed and broad vision of the importance of athletics in a liberal education. We are most grateful for Gary and Barbera's leadership in helping the University address one of our highest priorities for enhancing student life."
Gary Wilson, Trinity '62, was a two-sport scholarship athlete at the University. Currently, he serves as co-chairman of Northwest Airlines, Inc.
"Barbera and I have been encouraged by President Keohane's interest in enhancing recreational opportunities for students," Wilson said, "and we hope others will join us in supporting this important component of student life at Duke."
Nesbit said that the Wilson gift was an encouraging sign of the community's dedication to seeing the project through. "I was a bit concerned that more energy was being dedicated to the Cameron Pavilion," he said. "I hope that this gift signals a shift in priority from the Cameron Pavilion project to undergraduate recreational facilities which are much needed on campus."
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