posted on April 29, 2011 01:41
The Moody Foundation has donated $20 million toward the expansion and renovation of Moody Coliseum on the Southern Methodist University campus, SMU officials announced today.
The donation toward the overall $40 million fund-raising goal will help fund improvements including broader concourses, video boards and sound systems, state-of-the-art locker rooms, premium seating, a club lounge renovation and other upgrades, SMU President Gerald Turner told Moody family members, university supporters and students at a rally outside the coliseum.
"Moody Foundation, Moody family, thank you for making this opportunity possible," Turner said, before calling on others to "pony up" with donations of their own.
Frances Moody-Dahlberg, a member of the SMU class of 1992, recalled Moody Coliseum as the site of athletic events, graduation ceremonies and other significant events in her college years
"We are honored to continue the Moody Foundation's legacy with this gift," she said. "Go Ponies!"
The Moody Foundation was established in 1942 by William L. Moody and his wife, Libbie Rice Shearn Moody. It's now led by Moody's descendants.
Planning and design will start immediately for the coliseum renovations, but a ground-breaking date and construction timetable have not been set.
4/20/11, Bill Hethcock, Dallas Business Journal