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The University of New Mexico

NEWS RELEASE



Contact: Carolyn Gonzales 277-5920
cgonzal@unm.edu

Sept. 24, 2007

Recreational Services Celebrates 50 Years of Fun

On Tuesday, Sept. 25, UNM Recreational Services celebrates 50 years of providing recreation programs for students. The event will be held on Johnson Fields at 7 p.m. This is an exclusive student event and activities will include:

Live Reggae Band Kev Lee

Food catered by Garcias of Albuquerque

Birthday Cake

Pinata Breaking Celebration

Giant Inflatable Twister Game

Inflatable Bungee Runner Game

Hula Hoop Contests

Army ROTC Rock Wall and Obstacle Course

Corn Toss

Volleyball and Soccer

Students should bring their Lobo ID for participation.

Event is sponsored by UNM Recreational Services and the Office of Student Affairs.

Laura Montoya, coordinator, Recreational Services, dug into the history of the program and discovered it was created by Armand Sidler, then chair of the physical education department, and the man for whom the swimming complex is named.

“Armand said that when Johnson Center was built it was originally just for athletic events and was perceived as one of the best venues for sports back in 1957. The students got angry that they would close their doors when classes were over and no one was allowed to recreate.

Armand then approached President Tom Popejoy about this and he gave him a whopping $10,000 to start a recreation program! The first director was Bill Degroot. It started out as Intramural Sports, then developed into Leisure Services and then finally Recreational Services,” she said.

Montoya added that she’s “dug up” some photos to help celebrate the jubilee. They will be on display on Friday, Sept. 28.

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