Gift to support completion of Oakland City University tennis center
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Oakland City University has received an $800,000 gift it says will be used to complete construction of a new tennis center on the Gibson County campus.
The gift from Drs. Donald and Mary Ann Wilder comes in addition to a previous $250,000 donation from the couple that was announced two years ago.
The university broke ground on the project in September 2022. The project was slated for completion in spring 2023, but a spokesperson told Inside INdiana Business that “unforeseen circumstances” led to a delay in construction.
Donald Wilder graduated in 1963 from what was then known as Oakland City College. The university says Wilder is an avid tennis player and he and his wife have been lifelong contributors to the school.
“Tennis great Chris Evert-Lloyd once said, If you’re a champion, you have to have it in your heart. Don and Mary Ann Wilder are OCU champions and, again, have given to this university from their heart,” OCU President Ron Dempsey said in a news release. “The construction phase has now begun.”
The spokesperson said construction costs have gone up “substantially” since the project was first announced, but the combined gift from the Wilders will cover the entire cost of the project.
The new tennis center, which is being named in honor of the Wilders, is now expected to be complete in the spring of 2025.