Evening star., 1950-06-04
"A. u. Breaks Ground
For Athletic Center
To Cost S225,OOO

A ground breaking ceremony
yesterday at American University
launched a $225 900 War Memorial
Athletic Center construction pro-
ject.
Planned as the first step in q
five-year building program. the
Center will include a stadium
with a seating capacity of 5000
at first, but capable of being ex-
panded to $4,000. The Center
will honor the university's own
alumni who were In the service
particularly those who lost their
lives and those in uniform trained
on the campus and graduated dur
ing the war from its training
schools.
DR.. Paul r. Douglass. university
president, announced the board OF
trustees, which met yesterday
voted to erect dormitories at a cost
Of $750,000. These will be con-
structed with the aid of recently
enacted Federal housing legisla-
ton. he explained.
DR.. Douglass Participates.
DIR. Douglass took a prominent
part in the ground-breaking cere-
mony yesterday.
Miss Susanne Walsh. Varsity
Queen for 1850, posed for photog-
raphers. with officials cutting and
saving down a tree. This was a
token of the ground-clearing due
to start soon in the wooded area.
Stafford Cassell, the university s
athletic director. also took part In
the program. Richard c. Patter-
son ambassador to Guatemala, pre-
sented a trophy to Alpha Tau
Omega fraternity. for raising $3.-
200 toward the Center's construc-
ton. officials said 100 per cent
of the fraternity contributed to
the drive. The trophy was hand
ed to the fraternity's president,
Robert E. Sanders.
Others who joined in the cere-
mony included George Trundle of
Cleveland, president of the Trun-
die Engineering Co.; Arthur c.
Haskell, president of Drive-All
Corp. of Detroit, and George Sib-
ley of New York, vice-prisident Of
E. r. Squibb Co. All are university
trustees.
Dawson Attends.
Donald Dawson, administrative
assistant to President Truman,
also attended. Mr.. Dawson. has
two sons attending the university.
A drive was started last Novem-
ber to obtain the 1925. 900 for the
Center, and a large part already
has been pledged.
Samuel H. Kaufman, president
of the Evening Star Newspaper
Co., is chairman of the sponsors
for the War Memorial Athletic
Center.
Rear Admiral Paul L. Mather,
U. s. N. (retired) is campaign
chairman for the building pro-
gram. All units that participated
in the drive were represented at
the ground-breaking. They in
cluded Sidney Sachs. Mrs. Samuel
Bogley and Milton Crist of the
Alumilo Division and Board Chair
man Robert v. Fletcher.
If work proceeds satisfactorily,
officials said the clearing opera
tions and the baseball diamond
and playing field of the Center
will be completed by mid-autumn.
The Center eventually will be open
to all District high schools. off,
cials said. i
IL Acres Included.
The Center will consist of
locker rooms, showers, handball
and squash courts. playing field.
quarter mile straight away. jump
ing pits, cinder track, field house.
soccer and hockey fields, IL ten
mis- courts, regulation baseball dia-
mond with bleachers and archery
range. This plan embraces IL
acres.
The trustees voted to dedicate
a new street at the west end of
the stadium project by handing
over to the District 212 acres of
land. This new thoroughfare will
be known as University avenue.
1t will run from Massachusetts,