RIT Gordon Field House and Activities Center Dedication Ceremony, Sept. 10

Rochester Institute of Technology's newest facility will be officially dedicated on Friday, Sept. 10. The grand opening of the Gordon Field House and Activities Center features demonstrations of the multi-use facility by student athletes and cheerleaders and a special appearance by Jim Kelly, four-time Super Bowl quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The schedule of events includes:

• 2:30 p.m.-facility demonstrations with aquatics, fitness and field exhibitions, martial arts and juggling. The Dynamics, a blues band fronted by RIT's Joe Fornieri, political science professor in the College of Liberal Arts, will perform from 2:30-3:30 p.m. and again from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the arena.
  
• 3:30 p.m.-dedication ceremony
  
• 4:30 p.m.-reception and continued displays of the facility
  
• 9:30 p.m.-Second City comedy troupe, Chicago's legendary comedy theatre, will be the first major act to perform in the Gordon Field House. The touring troupe's performance features sketches, songs, improvisations and on-the-spot topical comedy. Founded in Chicago in 1959, Second City has become the springboard for some of the world's finest comedians, actors, writers and directors.

Tickets-$10 general admission-are available at the candy counter in the Student Alumni Union or by calling 475-5210.

For more information on the Gordon Field House, visit www.rit.edu/fieldhouse.

Gordon Field House and Activities Center: Fact Sheet

Attached to the existing Student Life Center, the Gordon Field House adds almost 160,000 square feet of space in the form of two pools, a two-story fitness center and a multi-use arena.
It includes:

Main Field House:

• 60,000-square-foot multi-purpose venue
  
• Seating for more than 8,000 with 2,500 electronic bleacher seats with back and arm rests
  
• 6-lane running track
  
• Indoor playing field for intercollegiate and intramural sporting events
  
• Flexible seating and stage configurations for speakers, concerts and spectators

Competition Pool

• 500,000-gallon, 8-lane, 25-meter intramural competition pool
  
• Moveable bulkhead with diving area
  
• Spectator seating for about 150

Leisure Pool

• 92,000-gallon recreational pool with wave machine, current channel and water spouts
  
• 25-person Jacuzzi

Fitness Center

• 18,000-square-foot two-story fitness center (three times the size of former weight room)
  
• Areas for free weights, cardiovascular and weight training equipment

Other interesting numbers:

• 130,000 bricks
  
• 764 steel pipe pilings embedded 30 feet into bedrock supporting the structure's concrete and steel
  
• 650 tons of steel
  
• 50-foot-high, 65,000 pound decorative tower
  
• 20 miles of wiring
  
• 2 namesakes: Lucius “Bob” and Marie Gordon