On Tuesday, April 13, several Bibles were placed in a small dirt hole in the southwestern corner of what will become the Student Recreation Center, which is scheduled to open in October just west of the Student Union.
“We’re putting (the Bibles) in the corner because it’s the cornerstone of the building’s foundation,” said Bob Machen, GCU’s campus development project manager. In time, he said, a plaque will mark the spot.
Also on hand for the occasion were University CEO Brian Mueller, Executive Vice President Stan Meyer, Chief University Relations and Student Success Officer Faith Weese, Dean of Students Mik Milem, Athletic Director Keith Baker, and members of the men’s and women’s basketball staffs, including head coaches Russ Pennell and Trent May. Both of the teams will be among those using the 55,000-square-foot facility.
Pennell contributed one of the first Bibles he received as a boy growing up in Kansas, and May donated a Fellowship of Christian Athletes “Coach’s Bible.”
Less than 12 hours later, in the early morning of Wednesday, April 14, crews covered the hole and poured the concrete floor for the center.
The center is part of a $60 million, campus-wide building project that also will see the construction of a 500-bed dormitory, a 125-room College of Education building and a 5,000-seat Event Center.
