McMurry Gifts Make Big Impact on UW and City of Laramie |
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Mick and Susie McMurry of Casper have donated $6.7 million to UW during the course of UW’s five-year DISTINCTION Campaign.
The couple has generously contributed to numerous areas on campus, including UW Athletics, the College of Education, the planned University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center as well as the Technology Business Center (currently under construction).
A key $5 million gift (doubled to $10 million through the state match) to Athletics from the McMurry family and John and Mari Ann Martin resulted in the naming of the playing surface “Jonah Field” at the War Memorial Stadium. The gift will also help fund other construction projects identified in the Strategic Plan for
Intercollegiate Athletics.
In announcing the Athletics gift, former UW President Philip L. Dubois explained that the name Jonah Field recognizes not only the massive natural gas field in Sublette County that made the gift possible but also financial contributions to state projects, including higher education, made over time by Wyoming’s extractive
industries.
“Wow, I’m overwhelmed by the generosity of the Martin and McMurry families,” enthuses UW Athletics Director Gary Barta. “This gift, and the many others who have committed to the campaign earlier, allow us to get under way with most of the facilities needs of the strategic plan.”
“Susie and I will be the first to admit we are not the biggest Wyoming football fans, but we are big fans of the University of Wyoming and the state of Wyoming,” says Mick McMurry. “This donation is fueled by Wyoming’s rich oil and gas resources. Jonah Field in particular will contribute thousands of jobs and billions of
dollars to the citizens of Wyoming during the next decades,” he says.
“Investment in the University of Wyoming football stadium will go hand in hand with the new University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center project. This is an example of keeping the wealth in Wyoming,” he says.
The planned hotel and convention center received a $2 million contribution from the McMurrys. The new facility will be built in the vacant lot at 22nd Street and Grand Avenue.
“My wife and I both attended the University of Wyoming, and now we have the opportunity to invest in a community asset,” says Mick McMurry. “This convention center will benefit the university and the city of Laramie. It’s been needed for a long time.”
The McMurrys also provided a key $1.6 million donation toward construction of the Wyoming Technology Business Center, a technology-oriented business incubator under construction on the open land between 22nd and Harney Streets.
Photo: Mick and Susie McMurry Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006
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