CCU officially dedicates David and Christy Douglas Hall
“To the Douglases, I can’t thank you enough,” said CCU President Michael T. Benson. “We just came from a wonderful luncheon and while I was there chatting with David, low and behold, two of his little grandchildren came crawling underneath the table. That’s what life is all about.
"It reminded me of this favorite quote from Winston Churchill, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’”
The Douglas’ daughter, Russell Douglas Powell, spoke on behalf of the family: “If there’s one thing to know about my parents, it’s that they love science. Dad can look at any bird and tell you its species, where it migrated from, its nesting pattern, and where it’s likely heading. Mom can find a shark’s tooth on the beach and tell you what type of shark it’s from as well as how old the tooth might be. On a clear starry night, they can show you how to spot Saturn, Mercury, or Mars with the naked eye.
“For our entire lives, their excitement about things like megalodon teeth and ammonites and shards of 1,000-year-old pottery has been contagious. Their excitement to share knowledge has always made us – their kids – excited to learn about these things as well. They’ve ignited curiosity about science within us and their grandchildren. Now that I’m older and have children of my own, I’ve realized that this is such an essential part of life. To find something that you enjoy learning about, something that makes you excited. To pursue something that ignites curiosity.
“But in order to do that, you need to have access to places where you can learn and people who can teach you. Places like this new, state-of-the-art David and Christy Douglas Hall at Coastal Carolina.”
David D. Douglas Sr. is the president and CEO of Douglas Development LLC, which builds multifamily and independent senior apartment communities as well as student housing complexes. Since 2004, he has been a member of the Coastal Educational Foundation board of directors, including serving as chairman from 2010-2012.
Christy Monroe Holliday Douglas, a native of Galivants Ferry, is the author of “The South I Knew.” She serves as the president of Monroe Management, which manages Holliday Associates and other Holliday family assets. Christy, along with her sister, Russell Holliday, is co-director of the Galivants Ferry Stump, which is the longest-running political gathering in the United States.
“Each day, literally hundreds of students walk in and out of these doors behind me to learn, and to become the scientists and engineers of tomorrow,” said Chad Leverette, dean of the Gupta College of Science. “Now, as they look up, they will see above them the names of two wonderful people who have graciously and so generously given to support the education of our students.”
Completed in 2016, Douglas Hall is a 71,150-square-foot building that houses the departments of biology, chemistry, environmental sciences, and marine science. It also includes 40 faculty offices, eight teaching labs for biology and marine science, four 60-seat classrooms, two 45-seat classrooms, one ecology teaching lab, and six small labs for ecology research.