Blackburn Announces Naming Gift to Honor Former Professor, Coach Marion Carlson

The New "M.C. Court" Floor for Basketball and Volleyball Will Be Ready for Competition by this Fall

Blackburn College's historic Dawes Gymnasium is undergoing major upgrades this summer. Initially completed in 1938, the building is a living monument to the students who built it brick-by-brick as part of the school's unique Work Program. While the enhancements include updating the HVAC system, roof replacement and adding offices and meeting space for the athletic department, the centerpiece of the Dawes project is a new volleyball and basketball competition court. When completed, the new floor will be named the "M.C. Court" in honor of former Blackburn educator and administrator Marion Elizabeth Carlson.

Carlson began teaching at Blackburn College in the fall of 1949, where she served as Director of Physical Education for Women, head resident in Stoddard Hall, and Associate Director of Athletics. Over forty years at the institution, she strengthened athletic opportunities, expanded intramural programming and intercollegiate tournaments, and coached tennis, basketball, badminton, and cheerleading. Carlson was inducted into the Blackburn College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990. She was also a charter member of the Macoupin County Lawn Tennis Literary, the Gourmet Society, and the Aqua Pool.

Blackburn alum Paul James '67 is the lead donor in the M.C. Court project. When asked about this gift to honor Carlson, James stated that he had been thinking about it for some time. James said about Carlson, "For any women interested in sports, she was a pioneer and bedrock of Blackburn. She coached, she taught, and she was just a friendly person. She spent her whole life giving to Blackburn, and I thought this would be a great way to honor her."

One of Carlson's roles throughout her tenure at Blackburn was as a faculty advisor to the Work Program. One of ten federally recognized work colleges in the country, Blackburn has the only program fully managed by its students. Students work ten hours weekly in critical areas to help the campus operate while also gaining invaluable soft skills, building resume experience, and reducing the cost of tuition. Blackburn students can also work their way up management paths to serve as leaders for 12 student work departments on campus.

Launched in 1913, the Work Program has been a foundational piece of the Blackburn experience for generations of alums, and James is no exception. As a student, he worked in Olin Science Building with the campus maintenance team, and as a dishwasher in the dining hall. But it wasn't just about the work experience - he liked the size of Blackburn and the close relationships students developed, explaining, "You built friendships with the people you worked with."

Intramural opportunities, in which Carlson was quite involved, also played a significant role in James' Blackburn experience. "Most of us (participated) in this. There were things like co-ed volleyball, basketball, and shuffleboard in the fall. We were divided by floors from the residence halls."

Supporting Blackburn is a family legacy for James - his father, Richard, and younger brother, Charles, were also Blackburn graduates. As part of his financial support of Blackburn throughout the years, James has made gifts to the College in the name of his father and brother, supporting renovations in Lumpkin Library and upgrades to lounges in student residence halls. He also gave a few words of advice for students at Blackburn, "Attend programs, Homecoming, experience everything that is happening on campus." James said he looks forward to attending Blackburn's Homecoming events this year.

The Dawes projects are part of Winning Together: A Campaign for Athletics & Enrollment, which aims to provide Blackburn students and the community greater access to expanded athletic and recreational facilities. Other projects include a new $8 million indoor athletic practice facility and a revitalized racquet and hoops complex featuring tennis courts, an outdoor basketball court, and pickleball courts. All Winning Together projects are slated to be completed this fall.

Glen Krupica, Campaign Manager of Winning Together, spoke about the support for dedicating the court in Carlson's name: "We are very grateful to the individuals who have given to the campaign, including lead donor Paul James. To commemorate M.C.'s 42-year-long career at Blackburn College is very appropriate. I think it would be hard to find anyone who touched more lives than Marion Carlson in the history of Blackburn."

Krupica added, "Naming the court in Dawes Gymnasium after M.C. is an extraordinary measure. We applaud Mr. James and the donors who are making this happen."

Krupica added that the total cost of the M.C. Court floor project is $257,000, and 80% of this amount has been raised through generous gifts from local businesses and alumni. For more information or to support the Winning Together Campaign, contact Krupica at [email protected] or (217) 313-7736.