September 3, 2010

Curry family of Lebanon MO gives $500,000 for new arena at Drury University

by Joe Hickman, KY3 News

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Story Published: May 12, 2010 at 6:31 PM CDT

Story Updated: May 12, 2010 at 6:31 PM CDT

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The new O'Reilly Family Event Center at Drury University is scheduled to open this October. On Wednesday, the university celebrated a $500,000 gift from the Curry family of Lebanon to help close the fundraising gap for the total cost of the arena. Craig Curry is chairman of the board of Central Bank of Lebanon. He and his wife, Tracy, both graduated from Drury College.
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Edited news release:

Drury graduates Craig and Tracy Curry donated $500,000 to Drury University as the final major gift to finish construction costs for the O’Reilly Family Event Center. For their gift, Drury’s athletic field and training facilities will be named the Curry Sports Complex. This designation encompasses the field and track at Harrison Stadium along with Drury’s indoor training facility at the corner of Central Street at Summit Avenue. Harrison Stadium will retain its name.

Craig Curry graduated from Drury in 1983. He studied economics and business administration. He’s the chairman and chief executive officer of Central Bank in Lebanon. Tracy (Schay) Curry studied sociology and criminology at Drury before graduating in 1984.

“Tracy and I are excited to be involved with such a great project for Drury University and the Springfield community,” Craig Curry said. “The O'Reilly Family Event Center is a wonderful addition for the Drury community offering far more than just a sports arena. We see our gift for the naming of the Curry Sports Complex to also do more for Drury. Harrison Stadium and the track get an abundance of use by Drury students, athletes and Springfield youth. In addition, the indoor training facility will be a great aid to our athletes to help them compete on any level. We are very honored to be associated in a small way with the O'Reilly family and share their passion for making student and community life better. Our time at Drury was very memorable and rewarding. It has enabled us to make this gift, and it feels great to be able to give back to an organization that did so much for us and continues to excel today.”

Signs designating the “Curry Sports Complex” will adorn the arch above the entrance to Harrison on Summit Street, on signage on Central Street and above the indoor Sports Training Center.

Drury University broke ground on the O’Reilly Family Event Center nearly a year ago. It's scheduled to open this October. Fundraising for the 3,100-seat event center began in December 2007 with a $6 million naming gift from the O’Reilly family of Springfield.

In addition to the O’Reilly donation, Drury has developed a 20-year agreement with CoxHealth. Through this partnership, CoxHealth will provide sports medicine services by fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons to Drury athletes.

The event center will be built to Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) specifications thanks to a $600,000 gift from the Pitt family of Springfield. LEED certification means the building will meet certain environmental standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

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