Blinn College celebrates Kruse Center grand opening
Blinn thanks the Kruse family for the generous gift that made the facility possible
December 1, 2017
Blinn College celebrated the development of a new 36,000-square-foot student recreation and activities center with a grand opening ceremony Friday, Dec. 1, at the Brenham Campus.
The facility was made possible through a generous gift from the Kruse family. Siblings Mildred Kruse Bridges, Evelyn Ann Kruse, the late Ed. Kruse and his wife Evelyn, and Howard Kruse and his wife Verlin established the gift in memory of their parents, E.F. and Bertha Kruse.
“This is a student-centered facility designed to be a great space for students,” Howard Kruse said. “This facility will aid in student recruitment, and I will tell you this – they also will find other things to include here that will help with the health of the community and our students.”
The Kruse family is involved in many civic endeavors in Brenham and throughout the state, and has been particularly supportive of Blinn College and Texas A&M University. In 2011, the Kruses were major contributors to the W.J. “Bill” Rankin Agricultural Complex, home to Blinn’s nationally-renowned Agricultural Sciences Division. The family contributed to the state-of-the-art A.W. Hodde, Jr. Technical Education Center that opened in 2010, and has donated to the College’s Dr. W.W. O’Donnell Performing Arts Center, which hosts fine arts performances throughout the year. The Kruses have established endowed scholarships to help high-achieving students reach their career goals through a Blinn College education.
Located at 208 Blinn Boulevard, the Kruse Center will include space for general fitness, dance and yoga, kinesiology classes, student organization meetings, weightlifting and fitness space and multi-purpose rooms for community events and meetings. In addition, the Center will feature a gymnasium to host Buccaneer volleyball and basketball games, will serve as a venue for high school playoff games and will host summer camps to increase campus activity in the summer months.
Dr. Mary Hensley, Chancellor of Blinn College, presents Howard Kruse a commemorative gift in recognition of the grand opening of the Kruse Center. The Kruse Center was made possible through a generous gift from Mildred Kruse Bridges, Evelyn Ann Kruse, the late Ed. Kruse and his wife Evelyn, and Howard Kruse and his wife Verlin in memory of their parents, E.F. and Bertha Kruse.
“The Kruse Center will add to the vibrancy and energy of this campus,” said Dr. Mary Hensley, Chancellor of Blinn College. “It will stand as a symbol of the Kruse family’s commitment to Blinn College and higher education, and will attract the high-achieving, high-energy students who make Blinn College so special.”
The ceremony included remarks from Hensley, Blinn College Board Chair Charles Moser, Sen. Lois W. Kolkhorst, Howard Kruse, Blinn College Athletic Director Scott Schumacher, and Blinn-Brenham Student Government Association President Carli Pritchard.
Blinn will host the first games at the new event arena when it hosts a double-header Saturday, Dec. 2. The women’s basketball team will host Bossier Parish (La.) Community College at 2 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m. men’s game against Paris Junior College. Free Blue Bell ice cream will be available at the games while supplies last, and between games Blinn College will introduce the College’s new mascot.
