Springfield residents Ruth and Robert Bayley, Wittenberg alumni of the class of 1942 and 1939, respectively, were recognized in February for their recent gift of $500,000 to improve and update the lobby of the campus' Health, Physical Education and Recreation Center (HPERC).

The new Legends Lobby, which the students named, highlights Wittenberg's athletic accomplishments both past and present, and includes the Athletics Hall of Honor, the Bob Rosencrans Fitness Center, displays honoring some of Wittenberg's legendary coaches, as well as a range of high-tech additions.

During the Feb. 15 men's basketball game against Kenyon at Wittenberg, Garnett Purnell, director of athletics and recreation, joined Glenn Taylor '07 and Sarah Matesich '08, vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, in honoring the Bayleys at halftime. As part of the brief ceremony, the alumni couple was presented with a commemorative basketball signed by both the men's and women's 2006-07 basketball teams.

The latest Bayley gift follows a number of investments in the university, including an endowed scholarship and a lead gift to renovate the former Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house into a welcoming retreat for alumni and friends of the university.

The university also recognized the couple with a proclamation "to celebrate their years of support and to inspire others to follow in their footsteps."