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SHERMAN, TEXAS — A generous gift from the Todd and Abby Williams Family Foundation of Dallas will expand Austin College athletic facilities and fields with addition of the Thomas R. Williams Intramural Complex. Now under construction on the west side of Porter Street, in the vicinity of the College’s football and baseball stadiums, the 138,000-square-foot area will include field space to accommodate lacrosse, soccer, flag football, softball, and ultimate Frisbee competition, as well as two lighted outdoor basketball courts. The new complex allows the College to further emphasize physical fitness and wellness while better supporting the intramural program, which involves approximately 540 students, 40 percent of the student body, each year.
Landscaping and fencing around the complex will complement the overall campus plan, and include brick columns, a hedgerow, and 54 maple trees to be planted on the perimeter. The entry plaza will include a lighted walkway and benches.
The Thomas R. Williams Intramural Complex, named by the Board of Trustees in memory of the father of Todd Williams, Class of 1982, recognizes Todd and Abby Williams’ generosity to the College. Williams, a member of the Austin College Board of Trustees and a partner with Goldman, Sachs & Co., has funded scholarships, landscaping efforts, the College’s Global Outreach Fellowships for international service, a $1 million student-managed investment fund, a lecture program for the Business Administration and Economics Department, the new college entrance and fountains of the Sandra J. Williams Founders Plaza, and several other projects on the campus. Williams, a summa cum laude graduate of Austin College, earned an M.B.A. (with distinction) from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
Landscape architect for the project is Lynda Tycher of Dallas, with field design by the architectural firm of PageSoutherlandPage, also of Dallas. Contractor on the project is Plyler Construction of Sherman.
Cement work is nearly complete and the irrigation and automatic sprinkler system, as well as electrical installation, are to be finished later in May. The field area will be lit by four 50-foot light standards, with 11 fixtures per pole. Staff will lay sod in mid-June after the newly graded field has settled and the soil has been treated for weeds. Once the brick columns are in place, trees will be planted around the complex. The new intramural area will be available to students with the opening of the fall academic term.
Austin College is a leading national independent liberal arts college located approximately 30 minutes north of the greater Dallas metroplex in Sherman, Texas. Founded in 1849, making it the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original charter and name, the college is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized nationally for academic excellence in the areas of international education, pre-professional training, and leadership studies, Austin College is one of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges that Change Lives.
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