January 10, 2003

HARRISONBURG -- A $2.5 million private gift -- largest in James Madison University's history -- will go toward construction of the university's new Theater and Dance Performance Center.

The gift, announced Friday by JMU President Linwood H. Rose at the university's Board of Visitors meeting, was made by Charles E. Estes in honor of his late wife, Dorothy Thomasson Estes, a 1945 graduate of JMU and a longtime supporter of the university. She died in 1996.

The funds will be part of $5 million in private gifts JMU will raise to augment the $29.8 million for the building that was approved by Virginia voters in last fall's bond issue referendum.

"The new theater/dance complex is vital to the future of James Madison University and we are extremely grateful to Mr. Estes for his generous gift," Rose said. "The building will serve as a lasting memorial to a loyal and dedicated alumna of our university."

Rose said that the "gift of the Estes family will serve as a challenge to other potential donors to come forward in support of the arts at JMU."

The new center for the arts will be in a prominent location at JMU -- at the corner of Main and Grace streets. Anthony-Seeger Hall, a former elementary school now used by JMU for a variety of purposes, will be razed to allow construction of the new building.

The new center will contain more than 108,490 square feet and house classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, dance studios, instructional theaters and support spaces. The building's centerpiece will be a 450-seat main stage theater that will be able to accommodate stage plays, dance and full-scale musical theater productions.

No exact timetable has been set for the theater and dance center, but construction is expected to begin within the next few years. A new music performance center, also included in the bond issue, will be built adjacent to the theater/dance building.

The Estes donation is the largest single gift to JMU in the university's history. The previous record was a $1.5 million gift three years ago from Alvin H. Baird and his wife, the late Nancy Chappelear Baird, a 1940 JMU graduate.

Estes, who lives in Chester, developed Great Coastal Express into one of the nation's leading regional carriers. The firm has more than 800 employees.

In 1948, Estes founded C.E. Estes Contract Carrier. In 1957, he merged his company with Great Coastal Express and expanded it into a major operation.

The Estes' daughter, Martha Estes Grover, succeeded Estes as owner of Great Coastal Express. Grover, a 1983 JMU graduate, served on the university's board of visitors from 1995 to 1999. She is also a former member of the JMU Foundation.

The Estes family has made several major contributions to JMU in the past to honor Dorothy Thomasson Estes. The endowed Estes Scholarship for outstanding students was established in 1991 and the family also donated funds to place a fountain in Newman Lake in Mrs. Estes' memory.

# # #