Office of Communications

Contact: Laura Hanna

Director of Communications

Office: (817) 531-5810

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GROUNDBREAKING FOR $3 MILLION MORTON FITNESS CENTER SET FOR FRIDAY, AUG. 28

Members of the Poly community and elected officials will be on hand to celebrate as Texas Wesleyan University breaks ground on a new fitness center at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 28, on the Quad. Cheerleaders and the Wesleyan community will join in the festivities, which includes music, giveaways, and lunch. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, Texas State Representative Marc Veasey, Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks and Fort Worth City Councilwoman Kathleen Hicks are expected to be in attendance.

The $3 million Jack and Jo Willa Morton Fitness Center will feature rooms for cardio, weights and aerobics as well as locker rooms, offices and a conference room.  The new facility will not only be a place for fitness conditioning, but also a gathering place for social interaction. Its location on the Quad makes it convenient for students to join together in an informal atmosphere.

Jack and Jo Willa Morton, longtime Dallas residents, both attended Texas Wesleyan University in the 1940s and have kept in touch over the years. In May 2004, they helped complete a fundraising campaign by giving $35,000 to complete renovations for the Polytechnic United Methodist Church on campus, thereby making way for faculty offices and classrooms.

In July 2004, the Mortons signed an agreement to donate $1 million for the Jack and Jo Willa Morton Scholarship Endowment for Christian Ministries. They value education and its long-lasting impact on society. The gift for the fitness center reflects the couple’s commitment to exercise and a healthy lifestyle. The Mortons donated $1.3 million and the University raised the other $1.7 million. The facility is scheduled for completion during the summer of 2010.

Jack Morton grew up in the Polytechnic neighborhood next to Texas Wesleyan University and he attended the nearby Poly High School in east Fort Worth. Morton served in World War II, worked for Braniff Airlines for 35 years and also pursued various business ventures throughout his career. He eventually became director of pilots for Braniff in Dallas and owned several businesses along the way. The Mortons have three children and two grandchildren.