Monday, February 25, 2002

By: Elissa Garriss, PR intern

WILMINGTON, NC – Gayle P.Van Veslor, regional vice president for CP&L, a Progress Energy Company, and Estell C. Lee, a former member of CP&L board of directors, proudly presented a check for $250,000 to the Athletics Program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington from the Progress Energy Foundation. Ms. Lee was instrumental in securing this gift for UNCW. The check was presented to Chancellor James R. Leutze, Peg Bradley-Doppes, director of athletics, and Chris Delisio, executive director of the Seahawk Club before the UNCW-Virginia Commonwealth basketball game at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 23.

The gift, along with the generosity of the Carl B. and Janice H. Brown family and several other donors, completes the $1.2 million funding for Phase II of Project 2002. This project includes the renovation and addition to the Nixon Annex and the Golden Hawk Room. This is the largest privately funded capital construction effort in the history of UNCW.

Estell Lee, Wilmington College class of 1955, was honored in 1981 by the UNCW Alumni Association as Alumna of the Year and again in 1991 as Citizen of the Year. She is currently serving as a member of the UNCW Foundation Board of Directors and is a member of the executive committee of the Seahawk Club.