New athletic park dedicated at Judson College

New athletic park dedicated at Judson College

The generosity of a Judson College trustee has turned an “ugly gulley” into a place of beauty. 
   
Charles Dunkin of Birmingham — a Judson trustee for 11 years and current board secretary — said the property on the east side of the college campus was an ugly gulley when he was a boy growing up in nearby Suttle. So he was happy to establish the Charles F. Dunkin Athletic Park at Judson. 
   
The athletic complex was dedicated May 11.
   
“This is a unique institution, and I’m grateful to have been part of it,” Dunkin said. “There is need in our world for Christian higher education, and I thank the faculty and staff here for holding true to the original goal of the founders in 1838.”  
   
The park includes an NCAA competition softball complex, a walking trail, parking space and provision for a future soccer field. The park will also include landscaping of crepe myrtle, pine, dogwood and a dozen other native Alabama trees and shrubs.
  
Future plans include the relocation of the equestrian center and construction of additional tennis courts.
   
Athletic director Lee Jones called the complex an outstanding facility. “We’ve had some difficulty scheduling games at the city park, though we’ve been grateful to use it,” he said. “Now we can sponsor tournaments here on campus. This park will help us in recruiting, too.”  
   
Trustee chair Dr. Judi Favor added her gratitude to Dunkin. “Charles has helped us see things not as they are, but as they can become with God’s help,” she said. “I was an athlete at Judson and this school balances athletics with education and spiritual obligations. The mascot of the Judson team is the eagle, and with new facilities and the help of God, we can soar into the future.”
   
Judson President David Potts continued the eagle theme by presenting Dunkin and his wife, ­Gladys, a Waterford Crystal eagle on an engraved mahogany base. “We’re grateful to Charles Dunkin for stepping forward to help,” he said. “He lent his name as credulity to this project, and the Dunkin name is now added to other honored names on this campus: Barron, King, Jewett, Lowder and others who helped us. Charles Dunkin has helped nurture the dreams of this institution and her students.” (JC)