McMichael-funded Tennis Courts Complex Expected to be Ready for Use This Fall
The tennis courts project funded by trustee Dalton L. "Mac" McMichael Jr. and his wife, Susan, is expected to be ready for use this fall. The college announced a gift from the McMichaels of nearly $500,000 for the project last August.
The Dorothy Ragsdale McMichael '37 Centennial Class Tennis Courts, a new six-court complex with restroom facilities, will be constructed beside the softball field in the northwest corner of campus off New Garden Road. Four existing tennis courts next to Alumni Gym will be renovated for recreational use. The other four existing courts will be removed, creating green space.
The project is in the design phase and being prepared for bid. Construction and renovation is expected to take place over four months once the bid is awarded.
The location of the new complex is consistent with land use prescribed in the Campus Master Plan, according to Jon Varnell, associate vice president of operations and facilities. "Additionally, we want to transform the space in front of Alumni Gym around to the tennis courts and create an outdoor terrace near or around Founders Hall. We are pulling all of these designs together to create even more great outdoor spaces," Varnell said.
The McMichael gift is in memory of Mac's mother, Dorothy Ragsdale McMichael, who graduated in the centennial class. Her sister, Ruth Burton, and three nieces also graduated from the college.
Mac McMichael has served as a Guilford trustee since 1994. He is president of McMichael Mills Inc. of Madison, N.C., manufacturers of elastic yarns.
June 2, 2008