$500,000 Gift Helps Complete Colorado State University Athletics Campaign
Friday, November 7, 1997
FORT COLLINS--Bob and Joyce Everitt, longtime Colorado State
University benefactors, have given a total of $500,000 to the
fundraising drive to build the university's McGraw Athletic
Center--a gift which helped bring the $8.6 million athletics
campaign to a close.
"The Everitts are leaders in the business community, and
their continued leadership in helping complete this campaign is
greatly appreciated--not only because it helps us with this
important project, but because it clearly demonstrates their
commitment to the university," said Colorado State President
Albert Yates. "Bob and Joyce Everitt can be counted among the
true friends of Colorado State."
The Everitts initially gave $50,000 to the campaign, but at
the recent Ram Roundup event they added a $450,000 gift to their
total contribution. In addition to private funding, $4 million
will be raised as a result of a fee increase approved by students
coupled with bond financing.
In addition to the Everitt gift, the athletics campaign
kicked into high gear when volunteers led the university in
raising $450,000 over the past two weeks, bringing the athletics
campaign to a close.
Bob Everitt, whose Everitt Companies has been a leader in
the Fort Collins real estate business for 45 years, said his
company and family support of Colorado State stems from the
contributions of the university to the local community.
"I attribute much of the success of the various business
ventures ... to the continued growth of Colorado State
University, both from a population stand-point, as well as a
continued increase in the quality of programs the university
offers," Everitt said in a letter to Yates accompanying the gift.
"Almost every good thing that has happened in and around Fort
Collins, at least to some degree, can be attributed to Colorado
State University's continued growth and progress."
Everitt also cited the support from university students as a
reason to increase their contributions to the athletic facilities
campaign.
"When the students voted to increase their student fee to
help fund these new and wonderful facilities, we felt we had not
done enough to repay the university for all it has done for our
community, as well as for the two of us, and the companies in
which we are involved," Bob Everitt said. "We were particularly
pleased when it was decided to name the new facility for a
wonderful friend of ours by the name of Thurman McGraw."
The university broke ground on the project Monday. The
planned McGraw Center, a 50,000 square-foot facility, was
designed to bring Colorado State up to the space and facilities
standards of other Western Athletic Conference competitors. The
center will include academic facilities, sports medicine
classrooms and laboratories, expanded weight rooms and training
rooms, administrative offices, an auditorium and other needed
upgrades.
"When we complete this expansion project, our facilities
will be more in keeping with those of our peers in the Western
Athletic Conference. This is important because it gives our
student athletes the ability to have the resources they need to
excel in the classroom as well as the playing field," said Doug
Max, interim athletic director. "This facility will also put us
in a much better position to continue to recruit top quality
student athletes who serve as ambassadors for our university and
community."
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