Plans for the steel enclosure for two of the complexes' eight courts have been on the shelf for close to four years as the university looked for a way to pay for the construction. However, Athletic Director and tennis coach Gordon Leslie said the donation means that the enclosed courts could be ready for use when students return to campus for the fall semester in late August.
"We are overjoyed and extremely grateful to receive this donation," Leslie said.
"This will enable our intercollegiate team to practice year round and that will help us achieve our goal of winning another national championship."
The building will be erected by Carroll Daniel Construction Company of Gainesville. It will be 48-feet-tall at its highest point. It will also feature a roll-up door and six pedestrian door on each side of the 120-foot-square structure that can be opened during fair weather. The facility will be illuminated by metal halide high bay light fixtures.
The gift of the new building was made in memory of the late Charles Smithgall, whose generosity paid for construction of the existing tennis center. Smithgall and his wife, Lessie, an emeritus member of Brenau's board of trustees, in 1947 founded The Times, Gainesville's daily newspaper, and the city's first radio station, WGGA, six years earlier. Both Smithgall and his wife, who resides in Gainesville, were avid tennis enthusiasts for decades.
In addition to use by the Brenau Golden Tigers tennis team and students, including the Golden Tigers Tennis Academy, Leslie said the courts also will be available for rental by the local tennis-playing community.
The Tigers, who compete in the Southern States Athletic Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, won national championships in the sport in 1999 and 2002. In the past 15 years Brenau teams, which attract players from all over the globe, have consistently competed for national honors, finishing last season 15-9 overall with a 6-1 record in conference play
Brenau Arch
Gordon Leslie
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/2/206632