Randolph-Macon Academy’s Melton Memorial Gymnasium was first dedicated during the Homecoming festivities in 1956. The building was named in honor of Charles Lewis Melton, the Headmaster of Randolph-Macon Academy from 1899 through 1933. Its total cost was $275,000.
During Homecoming Weekend on October 15, 2011, 55 years later, the boarding school celebrated Melton Gym's grand re-opening.
- Replacing HVAC/adding air conditioning to main gym
- Replacing bleachers
- Upgrading/expanding upper level bathrooms
- Providing hot water to upper level
- Replacing front area curbs/sidewalks
- Installing main court baseline pads
- Reconditioning and repainting gym floor
- Replacing all lights except those above gym floor
- Painting the entire facility
- Replacing stage curtains
- Relocating the training room to the lower level
- Installing new volleyball sleeves/standards
- Replacing JV lockers
During the ceremony, R-MA President Maj Gen Henry M. Hobgood noted that Melton Gym “is the last building on campus to be air-conditioned.” The statement was greeted with applause, as many of those gathered remembered the boarding school's graduation ceremonies held in the hot, stuffy gym.
“It’s going to be awesome to have air conditioning for graduation this year,” Ryan Sanders ’12 said later. As a member of the band, which performs at every graduation, he has experienced some of the worst of the heat when several hundred people would pack into Melton Gym in early June.
“You might ask yourself how did we get so much done for a half-million dollars,” Hobgood commented during the ceremony. “It’s because of our talented Maintenance Supervisor, Mr. Robert Helms and his staff, who served as our ‘general contractor’ for the project, and he and his crew did much of the work. I would estimate that modestly, we obtained three-quarters of a million dollars of work for the $500,000 that we spent.”
After the ribbon was cut, the attendees were able to enter the main gym area and observe the upgrades. They were unable to view the many improvements to the lower areas due to the locker rooms being used by the football teams, who were getting ready for the Homecoming game.
“The bright new look of the newly-renovated gym gives the students an athletic facility to be proud of and creates a positive atmosphere in which they can display some of their talents outside the classroom,” said Jennifer Mustain ’93, who teaches ESL at R-MA.
The full dedication can be viewed here:
Randolph-Macon Academy (R-MA), founded in 1892, is a college-preparatory, coeducational day and boarding school for students in grades 6 through 12. Students in grades 9-12 participate in R-MA’s 91st Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and have the option to participate in a unique flight program. R-MA is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is located in Front Royal, VA.
###