Hartsville, S.C. – August 10, 2014 – Coker College will host a grand opening celebration of the Harris E. and Louise H. DeLoach Center from 11 a.m. through 1 p.m. Saturday, August 23.

“The College has enjoyed some exciting moments over the five years since Nancy, Lara and I joined this community but none prouder than this one,” said Coker College President Robert Wyatt. 

“The long-time dream of having a state-of-the art athletics center in which our students can learn and compete has been shared not only by members of the Coker College family, but by members of the Hartsville community as well,” said Wyatt. “We are humbled by the generosity of all who have helped to make this dream a reality.”

Free and open to the public, the DeLoach Center grand opening will be a family-friendly event with carnival refreshments, entertainment, tours of the new facility and opportunities for children (of all ages) to have their pictures taken with Striker, the Cobra’s mascot.

The $12 million, 71,000 square-foot facility includes a main gymnasium that seats 1,908 in stadium-style retractable bleachers and an auxiliary gymnasium. Level one of the facility also includes a strength and conditioning room, a Cafe and dining area, athletic training and rehabilitation/therapy rooms, sport-by-sport locker rooms, state-of-the-art classrooms and more. Level two features, among other things, a large Cobra Club, athletic offices and a walking track.

Harris E. DeLoach Jr. served as chairman and chief executive officer at Sonoco before he retired in 2013. He is Executive Chairman of Sonoco’s Board of Directors and a Trustee of the Duke Endowment. In addition, he serves on the boards of Duke Energy and Milliken & Company and, locally, on the boards of the Byerly Foundation and the Teach Foundation. The DeLoaches live in Hartsville and have three grown children and six grandchildren.

The Cobra’s first athletic competition in the Harris E. and Louise H. DeLoach Center will be a women’s volleyball match against the Barton College Bulldogs beginning at 7 p.m., Wednesday, September 10.

For more information about the grand opening celebration, please call (843) 857-4211.