Rec Center celebrating 40 years this weekend

SIU's Student Recreation Center is having a party to celebrate more than 40 years of service to students and the community.

The celebration will take place on the lower level of the center at 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27. Everyone is welcome to attend.

The anniversary celebration will include the unveiling of a new history wall featuring panels highlighting the history and impact of the facility and its programs. Two commemorative videos, complete with footage of the center and its people and programs through the years, will also debut.

Past and present employees and visitors will speak. Guests can enjoy light refreshments, and there will be free keepsake T-shirts for the first 100 people to arrive at the ceremony.

"We wanted a way to give back to all of the users, all of the staff members and to the students for the last 40 years," Troy Vaughn, director of Recreational Sports and Services, said.

Vaughn anticipates a large turnout of alumni, current students and community participants. The ceremony also will be broadcast on Facebook Live from the SIU Student Recreation Center Facebook page.

The Student Recreation Center was officially dedicated on Nov. 5, 1977, and since that time, thousands upon thousands of students and community members have utilized its facilities and services.

All SIU students receive complimentary memberships, and anyone can purchase a membership. For more information, visit rec.siu.edu or contact Vaughn at 618-453-1349.

troyv@siu.edu.