Menu
Event Center co-chairs have deep roots at McCook College
Since its establishment in 1926 as Nebraska's first two-year college, "McCook College has consistently provided superior educational instruction and skills training at an affordable cost" said Lloyd Benjamin, a lifelong McCook resident and 1958 graduate of McCook Junior College.
As Honorary Co-Chairs of MCC's Events Center Major Gifts Campaign, Lloyd and Elizabeth Benjamin have pledged their support, as well as their financial commitment as a lead donor, to the college's $10 million dollar facilities expansion project. Both Lloyd and Elizabeth have a long history of service to MCC and support of lifelong learning opportunities in Southwest Nebraska.
"I enrolled at McCook Junior College, along with six of my fellow high school classmates, as pre-engineering students. All of us were able to live at home, work part-time jobs, and play football for MJC. The quality instruction and faculty support, such as that provided by math instructor Gwen McKenzie and biology instructor Harlan Wyrick, contributed to our academic achievements, and prepared all of us to go on and graduate from four-year colleges, fulfilling our individual goals of becoming engineers.
"I was able to graduate from college with minimal debt, and begin my career working for the Nebraska Department of Roads. In 1965, I established an engineering and architectural firm in McCook. Over the years, our company was involved in the design and construction of many MCC campus buildings including: von Riesen Library, Tipton, Walsh-Brady, and Barnett Halls; the Wigwam Student Union; the Brooks Dormitory addition; and True Hall and McMillen Hall renovations.
"In 1974 when McCook Junior College became a part of the Mid-Plains Community College area, I was a part of a group of MJC alumni and community leaders that founded the McCook College Foundation, serving on the Foundation's board since its inception. Over the 35-year history of the college foundation, we have solicited funding to establish scholarships and loan programs, and to support campus enhancements, activities, and programs."
Elizabeth added, "in 1984, I joined the MCC faculty as a full-time instructor teaching accounting and business courses, was a faculty sponsor for Phi Beta Lambda, and Circle K, a Kiwanis campus organization, and co-authored the College's Information Technology Program."
Elizabeth met Lloyd in 1985 when they both were enrolled in a master's level course offered at MCC by the University of Nebraska at Kearney. In 2001, Elizabeth retired from her career at MCC to join Lloyd in the management of their business ventures, having received MCC's Outstanding Instructor recognition award three times. Elizabeth's support and service to educational opportunities in Southwest Nebraska continued with her election to the Mid-Plains Community College Board of Governors in 2005, serving on the Campus Development and College Policy Committees.
In 2007 and 2008, Elizabeth was elected vice-chair, and in 2009, chair of the board of governors for MPCC's 18-county area.
In offering comments on the need for a new Events Center project, Lloyd states that "True Hall is structurally sound, but functionally obsolete. We have been talking about doing something about True Hall and MCC's facility needs for over 25 years. Most area high schools have better athletic/multi-use facilities than MCC." Elizabeth adds, "if MCC students are going to prepare for all aspects of their lives, whether personal, or professional, we need a college that functions in the 21st century. The Events Center is not just a gym for athletes and students, but a community asset for our Southwest Nebraska region, and the state as a whole. The Events Center campaign has received more than $5 million in pledges, and has set a goal to raise the $4.5 million in cash needed to begin construction planning and activities by early 2010. It is time we get this done."
"We believe in this institution, and MCC's educational and economic benefit to Southwest Nebraska. Therefore, we feel the need to step up and publicly express our support for the college and this new Events Center. We feel that the Benjamin family is the norm rather than the exception in Southwest Nebraska, in that the two years of quality, affordable education available at MCC has allowed us, our five children, nieces, nephews, and granddaughters, to continue our education and receive bachelors and/or master's degrees. The MCC Events Center is necessary to insure that lifelong learning will continue to be available to area students in the future, thereby affording them the same opportunities that we had."
The McCook College Foundation is the General Campaign Chair for the MCC Events Center Major Gifts Campaign.
For more information about the MCC Events Center campaign, contact the Foundation's Director, Stephanie Gunter, at (308) 345-5233 or by e-mail at mcfoundation@mccook net.com