2011 North Carolina Media Guide
Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/39383
the second deck of the grandstand on the north side of the stadium has outdoor seating for almost 1,200 spectators. That includes the Chancellor’s Box on the second level of the box 45 feet above the ground. The fourth level, 68 feet high, has outdoor seating for more than 1,000, plus concessions and a 7,500 square foot lounge. There is a smaller lounge and food preparation areas on the third floor. The Kenan Football Center and preferred seating box are the predominant changes in a multi-year renovation plan that began in 1995. A new playing field was installed that spring. The new turf includes an improved drainage system beneath the field that drains through the field itself rather than off the sides of the field as in the past. Prior to the 1996 season the restrooms and concession stands were expanded and renovated. Another significant stadium expansion took place prior to 1988 and involved adding 2,000 choice seats between the 40-yard lines where the press box and chancellor’s box formerly stood. A new press box was constructed on top of the upper deck on the stadium’s south side. It is a one-level elongated structure, running from 10-yard line to 10-yard line. Also part of the 1987-88 project were a permanent lighting system, a chancellor’s lounge on the north side of the field and a football lettermen’s lounge on the south side. The lights are part of a General Electric low- mount system which minimizes the height of the lightpoles. Cost of the entire project was $7 million. It was funded by private gifts and bonds. William Rand Kenan Jr. deserves the credit for originally making the stadium a part of the University. He was born in North Carolina in 1873 and graduated from Carolina in 1894. An international industrialist, Kenan discov- ered carbide and made monumental progress in the field of chemistry. During his busi- ness career he was president of The Florida East Coast Railroad, The Florida East Coast Hotel Company, The West Palm Beach Water Company and the Florida East Coast Car Ferry Company. He was a director of Florida Power and Light Company and built the first power plant in Miami in the early 1900s. The stadium was built as a memorial to his parents, William R. Kenan and Mary Hargrave Kenan. Construction began in November 1926 and was completed the following August. Complete cost of the stadium and accompany- ing fieldhouse was $303,000. Originally, the stadium was to be built through funds raised by alumni donations, and by June 1926, a group of nearly 40 alumni had contributed $27,926. At this time, however, a copy of the prospectus and plan of financing the stadium came into the hands of Kenan, who expressed an interest in the proposal. 80 • TarHeelBlue.com CHARLES LOUDERMILK The Loudermilk Center for Excellence was made possible in part by a generous contribution from R. Charles Loudermilk Sr., a long-time friend and benefactor of UNC academic and athletic inter- ests. Born in Atlanta, Mr. Loudermilk graduated from Carolina in 1950 with a degree in commerce and was good friends with many Tar Heels who made the Justice Era of the late 1940s such a memorable chapter in Tar Heel football. In 1955, Mr. Loudermilk launched a furniture rental business in his hometown, naming it Aaron Rents so that it would be listed first in the phone book. The business grew into a multi-billion dol- lar concern and today is known as Aaron’s, Inc. Mr. Loudermilk in 2011 remained as chairman of the company. His past support of Carolina includes gifts to expand the Kenan-Flagler Business School’s executive education facilities at the Rizzo Conference Center. He was also the major contributor toward the statue of Charlie Justice that stands outside the Kenan Football Center. Mr. Loudermilk’s many honors include the William R. Davie Award, the highest recognition given by the UNC Board of Trustees. He has also served on the Board of Visitors of UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Kenan was considering establishing a memo- rial to his parents, and the pressing need for a stadium and the possibilities of the beauty, dig- nity and permanence it presented, suggested to him that the benefaction he contemplated may well take the form of a memorial stadium. The Stadium Committee immediately endorsed his proposal and on the very day in November 1926 on which Kenan visited the planned site, he announced his finan- cial gift to build the stadium. Kenan remained very interested in Kenan Stadium throughout his lifetime. In the 1950s he gave a $1,000,000 contribution to construct a second deck on the stadium. After Kenan’s death in 1965 the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, which was established by his will, donated $1,000,000 to enlarge and modernize Kenan Fieldhouse. N W S 211 212 GATE 3 Gate 3 Ticket Office KOURY NORTH BOX 111 110 109 108 107 106 105 104 103 112 113 VISITOR BENCH 114 115 116 117 In 1988 the Kenan Trust made another $1,000,000 gift to complete the new chancel- lor’s box on the North Side. Another lasting memory of William R. Kenan Jr. is the Kenan Athletic Scholarship Endowment, valued at over $1,000,000. Each year a stu- dent-athlete is awarded a full scholarship from this fund. 118 119 122 124 120 121 GATE 5 123 125 126 127 128 129 130 KOURY SOUTH BOX 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 MEZZANINE PRESS BOX GATE 6 231 GATE 7 131 10 20 30 40 50 40 30 20 10 137 138 135 136 10 20 30 40 50 40 30 20 10 CAROLINA BENCH 134 133 132 232 233 234 235 236 E Besides giving the stadium to the University, Mr. Kenan also sponsored and financed the famous Kenan Professorships. He was awarded the honorary degree of LL.D. by his alma mater in 1944. In the first game played there, Carolina defeated Davidson, 27-0, on November 12, GATE 2 POPE BOX CHANCELLORS BOX 210 209 208 207 206 205 204 203 202 201 200 GATE 8 102 101 100 GATE 1 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 10 11 9 8 7 6 5 4 2 1 3 C A R O L I N A KENAN FOOTBALL CENTER T A R H E E L S