The Management side of Facility Improvements

An interview with Trinity’s athletics facilities and event management director, Seth Asbury, who experienced the most recent developments to the Bell Center firsthand, provided an alternative perspective of the effects of the improvements. When asked about his relationship with President Calgaard, he replied, “I only met Dr. Calgaard and his wife a few times over the years. On our current staff, he hired Julie Jenkins, Butch Newman, Paul McGinlay, and Bob King. Dr. Calgaard transformed our department. He made us relevant (Asbury, 2020).” Asbury further discussed how the Sams Center was built in the mid-1960s. But by the late 1980s the center was in need of renovation, so the Sams Center was updated. The Webster Auxiliary Gym and Hixon Natatorium were also created. Racquetball courts, an athletic training room, weight training/fitness rooms (where the current football/baseball locker room is) were added. Asbury described, “That early 1990s (opened 1992) renovation made the Bell Center one of the best athletic facilities in the country (Asbury, 2020).” The Houston Oilers professional football team held their training camps (1991-1996) at Trinity because of the outstanding facilities (and campus staff). “Dr. Calgaard made the renovations happen, not only to the Bell Center but also in creating the lower campus Jesse Jones sports complex (Asbury, 2020).” Calgaard spearheaded moving Trinity Athletics teams into the SCAC (the old SCAC included the SAA teams). “The first renovations by him showed that the University was serious about athletics and recreation opportunities on a residential campus. We’re fortunate as an institution to have had a visionary leader and a person of action, like Dr. Calgaard (Asbury, 2020),” Asbury said.