|
Murphysboro, began preparing the site in June.
The previous facility was located adjacent to the newer site but was too close to the street, Kathy Jones, associate
athletics director, said. The new stadium replaces what was basically a field with dugouts - not a stadium.
"It needed to be upgraded to give the university women's softball team a facility comparable to the one used for baseball,"
she said.
With batting cages, a chair back seat section, bleacher seats, lights to allow night games, concession stands (which were
not available before) and an irrigation system, Jones said there's basically everything needed for a real first-class
facility.
The 4.5-acre complex, along with seating for 700, includes locker and shower rooms, offices, press box, courtyard,
scoreboard, bullpens and public restrooms. In all, the project includes about 6,400 square feet in buildings and other
structures.
"The naming of the stadium is a fitting tribute for Charlotte West, who has been a role model and mentor in her field,"
Jones said. "She has done so much for women's athletics on this campus and so much nationally that it was perfect that the
stadium be named for her. It's nice to get such recognition while you're still in good health. Too often it doesn't happen
during a person's lifetime."
|
Charlotte West served SIUC for 42 years as a faculty member, coach and administrator and retired in 1998.
"In addition to the naming of the stadium we have a unique commemorative effort going on, too," Jones said.
When putting the project together, the university decided to create a space in the stadium where people whose lives have
been touched by West could acknowledge the impact she had on them. By contributing to the project, names are listed on a
plaque within the stadium, and the list is still growing. There are already about 200 names, Jones said.
"It's amazing how many people responded and how many lives she has positively affected," Jones said.
West is the recipient of many campus and regional honors and is known nationally for her work in the governance of
intercollegiate athletics, particularly for women's sports. She served as president of the American Association for
Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, was the first woman member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of
Athletics and has received numerous national honors, including the Honda Awards for outstanding achievement in women's
collegiate athletics.
Jones said that West was a major player in making women's sports what it is today at the university and across the nation.
graphic designer and staff writer: Vicki Bennington
email: vbennington@ibjonline.com
|
