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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, Tenn. (April 23, 2010) – Milligan College celebrated the dedication of its new state-of-the-art Gilliam Wellness Center today with a ceremony and a luncheon to honor the donors who made the facility possible.
The Gilliam Wellness Center is named in memory of Marvin Gilliam Sr., a 1938 graduate of Milligan who later had a long career as a teacher in Southwest Virginia. Gilliam’s son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Leslie Gilliam, donated the funds to construct the building and were present at the dedication. Also attending the dedication were Milligan alumni Denny and Cindy Mayes, who provided the new exercise equipment for the facility.
“Today, we are honored to welcome our guests to this beautiful facility and to thank our donors for providing this gift that meets a tremendous need on our campus,” said Milligan’s President Don Jeanes. “The Gilliam Wellness Center is a lasting tribute to the life of Marvin Gilliam Sr. We are excited and blessed by the generosity of both the Gilliam and the Mayes families.”
The 7,100-square-foot Gilliam Wellness Center is equipped with cardiovascular fitness equipment, both free weights and a weight machine circuit, an aerobics classroom as well as a spinning room equipped with 10 spinning bikes. The center also features seven wall mounted flat-screen televisions, including three that are part of a Nintendo Wii activity area. The center also provides space for the campus nurse, director of intramurals and the director of wellness and leisure activities.
“The building has quickly become a center of campus life,” said Dr. Bill Greer, vice president for institutional advancement. “It has also become a campus focal point – turning what was once an unattractive part of campus into one of the most beautiful.”
The campus community has already benefited from the Wellness Center since it opened last month.
“The new Wellness Center is a beautiful facility,” said Rachel McCulloch, a graduate student in Milligan’s occupational therapy program. “It gives the students a place to work out, to have fun, to socialize and relieve some stress, and just be a lot healthier overall.”
The building was designed to conform to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification standards and is one of the first such buildings in the area. To be LEED certified, the Gilliam Wellness Center has a recycling area, maximizes the use of natural lighting, incorporates energy-efficient lighting, windows, and plumbing fixtures, as well as other items, including a water garden for capturing runoff for campus irrigation.
“This week we celebrated Earth Week at Milligan,” Jeanes said. “The dedication of the Gilliam Wellness Center is a natural fit for this celebration. It promotes the wellness of our students and the environment.”
Throughout his life, Marvin Gilliam Sr. cared for and cultivated the land around him. After graduating from Milligan, he taught school for two years before entering the military at the onset of World War II. After five years of military service, he returned to teaching, enjoying a long career as a teacher and counselor. He also undertook raising apples, and through innovative approaches and techniques, he was able to build a thriving apple farm with more than 40 varieties of apples.
Richard’s primary business is coal mining. He served as president and CEO of Cumberland Resource Group, a business he started in 1984 and recently sold to Massey Energy. Leslie played a supporting role at Cumberland, working on special projects such as the renovation of historic buildings in Abingdon, Va.
The Gilliams focus their resources on education, healthcare, the arts and Christian organizations. In 2000, Richard, along with his brother, Marvin Gilliam Jr., began funding an endowed scholarship fund at Milligan in memory of Marvin Sr. That fund now has nearly $500,000. Richard and Leslie have supported a number of academic institutions and are long-time supporters of the Holston Home for Children in Greeneville, Tenn., and Harvest Home Child Care Ministries in Duffield, Va. They currently reside in Keswick, Va.
Denny and Cindy Mayes own a Farm Bureau insurance agency and are active volunteers in their community and church. Denny currently serves as director of Foothills Bank and Trust and is on the Board of Directors for Blount Memorial Hospital and the United Way of Blount County. He has served on the Milligan Board of Trustees since 2009.
The Gilliam Wellness Center is part of Forward Ever: The Campaign for Milligan College, a $25 million capital campaign announced by the college last fall. The dedication of the Gilliam Wellness Center comes just one day after the announcement of a gift from James C. Martin, of Johnson City, Tenn., that will fund a significant renovation of Milligan’s Seeger Memorial Chapel. The gift is in memory of his wife of 42 years, Mary B. Martin.
“With the completion of the Gilliam Wellness Center and Mr. Martin’s gift to renovate the auditorium in Seeger Chapel, we have now passed the $20 million mark in gifts and commitments for our Forward Ever campaign,” said Greer. “We are thankful for the generosity of our donors. They are making a difference in the lives of our students every day.”
For more information about Milligan or Forward Ever, visit www.milligan.edu or call 800.447.5922.
