President Locklin speaks at the Naming of Blake Arena after Donor S. Prestley Blake

This photograph is of Springfield College students celebrating with S. Prestley Blake, co-founder of Friendly Ice Cream, who donated a $500,000 gift towards the college's new Physical Education (PE) Complex in 1980. Mr. Blake is pictured third from the right, along with President Wilbert E. Locklin on the far left. An arrow points towards Blake Arena on the diagram, which was named after S. Prestley Blake for his considerable donation to the campaign. The arena is used as a multi-purpose facility for athletic contests, banquets, and lectures, with roll-out bleachers that seat 2,000 spectators. This photograph was originally used by the Marketing Department at SC and there are some pen marks that appear to be an arrow over a students face in the background.The PE Complex at Springfield College was built to replace the Memorial Field House, which was demolished due to structural problems in May, 1979. At the time, the facility was the largest construction project in the college’s history. The PE Complex consisted of four distinct facilities: the Art Linkletter Natatorium, a graceful steel arch roof structure with an Olympic-sized pool, a part of the college since its official dedication on October 21, 1967; Blake Arena, a massive three-story dome measuring 180 feet in diameter and extending 44 feet above the playing surface that is still used as the main venue for basketball and volleyball among other activities; the Winston Paul Academic Center that includes two teaching gymnasiums (Dana Gymnasium and Kresge Gymnasium), a wrestling room (Douglas Parker Wrestling Room), and eight handball/ racquetball courts): and the Keith Locker and Training Facility. The Art Linkletter Natatorium, which originally opened in 1967, was connected to the other structures by a 95-foot “skywalk.” The total combined space of the PE Complex was 143,000 square feet. The $5.3 million building was funded by the Capital Campaign headed by Art Linkletter. The PE Complex was primarily an educational facility where students took classes in Physical Education, Sports Medicine, and Health Fitness in order to prepare them for “human helping professions,” such as YMCA executives, athletic trainers, and coaches. The PE Complex is now part of the new Wellness and Recreation Complex that was opened in 2008. The Wellness and Recreation Complex includes the Wellness Center, Field House, and Athletic Training/ Exercise Science facility, accounting for an additional 160,560 square feet of instructional, athletic, and recreational space