George W. Jenkins Field House
1965
In 1965, the George W. Jenkins Field House was completed adjacent to what is now Mr. George's Green and the Fannin Center. The building is named after one of the College's most long-standing donor relationships - that with George Jenkins, founder of Publix Supermarkets, Polk County legend, and Honorary Chancellor. That very relationship continues to date with Mr. George's children and grandchildren. Also designed by Nils Schweizer, Jenkins Field House was constructed from three aircraft hangars that had been at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. Inside was a large gymnasium for basketball games, and later volleyball games, as well as athletic facilities such as workout rooms and locker rooms. Throughout the years, the Jenkins Field House has undergone renovations such as the installation of air conditioning, improved lighting, and refinished floors. Two additions to the Jenkins Field House have been the Clayton and Mary Lee Lyons Conference Room, named for alumni Clayton (Class of 1951) and Mary Lee (Class of 1951), and, after renovations in 2012, the Chas and Susan Smith Lobby was dedicated to Trustee Chas Smith and his wife in 2013. The Field House also hosts large-scale student events like BlastOff and Glowfest.
George W. Jenkins was born in Warm Springs, Georgia, on September 29, 1907. His family owned a general store that sold primarily to farmers. In the 1920’s, Jenkins’ father moved his business to Atlanta. George Jenkins moved to Atlanta in 1924 to enroll at Georgia Tech, though he never finished his education there. He tried many jobs, including cab driver, shoe salesman, and deliveryman, but none of them stuck. Then he started a job as a clerk for Piggly Wiggly stores. He was promoted to temporary manager of all the owner’s stores after some time. After four months, Jenkins left the grocery business and took a job as a real estate agent. He took a trip to Florida during the south Florida land boom, and ended up staying with a friend for a week. During his time visiting, Jenkins was introduced to a man who owned over a dozen Piggly Wiggly stores. When he learned about Jenkins’ grocery experience, the man offered him a job as a broom sweep to save some money before going back to school. But after working for a few weeks, Jenkins’ boss was so impressed that he promoted him to manager of the St. Petersburg location, and Jenkins decided to not go back to school. When the Piggly Wiggly stores were bought by a new owner, Jenkins offered his ideas to improve the store and was shot down. Furious, he quit and opened his own store, Publix Food Store, right next door. Over time, Jenkins’ hard work, innovation, and management skills grew Publix into the grocery empire it is today.
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Entrance to Clayton and Mary Lee Lyons Conference Room
Chas and Susan Smith Lobby