Ed Estes
Retired President and CEO, Great Coastal Express
Changing the world calls for bold moves. "I saw a truck going by, flagged him down and bought it. I had my own trucking business with one truck and no drivers," says trucking magnate Ed Estes, who ultimately built his business into one of the leading trucking companies on the East Coast. As a lead donor to the Madison Century Capital Campaign, Ed's gift to Madison in honor of his late wife will help build the future Dorothy Thomasson Estes ('45) Center for Theatre and Dance. His gift means students will no longer have to build their sets in one location, haul them across campus for performances on stages built for other purposes or squeeze into closets to put on their makeup. A new state-of-the art venue with a main stage, black box and dance studio theatres, studios, production shops, rehearsal space, dressing areas, green room and classrooms will finally match the quality and reputation of JMU's respected theatre and dance programs, thanks to Ed and his wife, Susan. Students of the future will experience and, in turn, create a tour de force worthy of this bold entrepreneur.
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