Brenda and Lester Crain Make Major Investment in Training Center
Training Girls for Life in Mind, Body, and Spirit
The Crain family: Kim Crain Lowrance '86, Lester Crain, Brenda Crain, Lester "Chip" Crain III, and Barbara Crain Williamson '77.
When you visit Hutchison over the next year, you may see bulldozers, trucks, and construction workers near Dobbs Field. The sights and sounds will chart the progress of Hutchison’s newest building rising.
When it is finished, the Crain Center will provide Hutchison girls with the proper space, equipment, and guidance for health, fitness, strength, and conditioning. Hutchison’s training center is being made possible, in large measure, by a generous gift from Brenda and Lester Crain. It has been christened the Crain Center, which seems apt for two of Hutchison’s biggest fans. Lester and Brenda have long supported the school and are members of the Norfleet Society, which recognizes Hutchison’s most stalwart philanthropists.
Lester Crain said the inspiration to fund a training center came from his mother. “She had a gold and black “H” and claimed she had lettered in basketball. That was in the back of my mind … in addition to supporting academics, support some athletics too,” he said.
In talks with the Head of School and others, the building grew from a small support building for the Dobbs Field, with a locker room and concessions, to a much more significant structure that would support the wellbeing of all of the girls. Plans now call for a two-story building with approximately 4,000 square feet per floor. The lower floor features home and visiting locker rooms, public restrooms, a concession stand, an athletic training room, and an area for aerobics or dance. The second floor features a training and conditioning room that is five times the size of the school’s existing facility—a space large enough to accommodate a full soccer or lacrosse team. In addition, the second floor opens to a walk-out balcony overlooking Dobbs Field.
The Crain family: Kim Crain Lowrance '86, Lester Crain, Brenda Crain, Lester "Chip" Crain III, and Barbara Crain Williamson '77.
When you visit Hutchison over the next year, you may see bulldozers, trucks, and construction workers near Dobbs Field. The sights and sounds will chart the progress of Hutchison’s newest building rising.
When it is finished, the Crain Center will provide Hutchison girls with the proper space, equipment, and guidance for health, fitness, strength, and conditioning. Hutchison’s training center is being made possible, in large measure, by a generous gift from Brenda and Lester Crain. It has been christened the Crain Center, which seems apt for two of Hutchison’s biggest fans. Lester and Brenda have long supported the school and are members of the Norfleet Society, which recognizes Hutchison’s most stalwart philanthropists.
Lester Crain said the inspiration to fund a training center came from his mother. “She had a gold and black “H” and claimed she had lettered in basketball. That was in the back of my mind … in addition to supporting academics, support some athletics too,” he said.
In talks with the Head of School and others, the building grew from a small support building for the Dobbs Field, with a locker room and concessions, to a much more significant structure that would support the wellbeing of all of the girls. Plans now call for a two-story building with approximately 4,000 square feet per floor. The lower floor features home and visiting locker rooms, public restrooms, a concession stand, an athletic training room, and an area for aerobics or dance. The second floor features a training and conditioning room that is five times the size of the school’s existing facility—a space large enough to accommodate a full soccer or lacrosse team. In addition, the second floor opens to a walk-out balcony overlooking Dobbs Field.
And while the appeal of the training center for athletes is clear, it isn’t just a brick and mortar building with the latest training equipment. An essential component of the building will be human—a full-time certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS). According to Catherine Chubb, Hutchison athletic director, the goal is to hire a CSCS with experience working with the conditioning and nutrition needs of young women.
A philosophy of health and fitness is already a core part of Hutchison’s curriculum, but the center and the specialist will expand on those ideas and provide more support. The Crain Center will have plenty to offer non-athletes. “It will include everything from proper techniques to how they fuel their body,” said Chubb.
The building is a family affair for the Crains. In addition to Brenda and Lester’s naming gift, their children, Barbara Crain Williamson ’77, Kim Crain Lowrance ’86, and Lester “Chip” Crain III, have jointly contributed to the new facility. Lester and Brenda also have granddaughters attending Hutchison. Kim’s daughter, Tayloe, graduated last year and is currently attending the University of Colorado at Boulder. Daughter BeBe will graduate in 2019. And Chip’s daughter, Abby, will graduate in 2018. “There are a number of females in the family, and Hutchison is the only girls’ school I have ever known,” Lester said.
"The generosity of the entire Crain family is clear in their gifts," Dr. Smith said. "The Crain Center will be an important functional addition to our campus, but we are especially thankful for Brenda and Lester's long-term vision for Hutchison. The center will improve the health and fitness of our girls for decades to come."
"She had a gold and black "H" and claimed she had lettered in basketball. That was in the back of my mind...in addition to supporting academics, support some athletics too." Lester Crain, citing his mother, Edna Kimbrough Crain, as inspiration for the gift to create the Crain Center.
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A philosophy of health and fitness is already a core part of Hutchison’s curriculum, but the center and the specialist will expand on those ideas and provide more support. The Crain Center will have plenty to offer non-athletes. “It will include everything from proper techniques to how they fuel their body,” said Chubb.
The building is a family affair for the Crains. In addition to Brenda and Lester’s naming gift, their children, Barbara Crain Williamson ’77, Kim Crain Lowrance ’86, and Lester “Chip” Crain III, have jointly contributed to the new facility. Lester and Brenda also have granddaughters attending Hutchison. Kim’s daughter, Tayloe, graduated last year and is currently attending the University of Colorado at Boulder. Daughter BeBe will graduate in 2019. And Chip’s daughter, Abby, will graduate in 2018. “There are a number of females in the family, and Hutchison is the only girls’ school I have ever known,” Lester said.
"The generosity of the entire Crain family is clear in their gifts," Dr. Smith said. "The Crain Center will be an important functional addition to our campus, but we are especially thankful for Brenda and Lester's long-term vision for Hutchison. The center will improve the health and fitness of our girls for decades to come."
"She had a gold and black "H" and claimed she had lettered in basketball. That was in the back of my mind...in addition to supporting academics, support some athletics too." Lester Crain, citing his mother, Edna Kimbrough Crain, as inspiration for the gift to create the Crain Center.
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Hutchison is the leading private girls school in Memphis for ages 2 years old through twelfth grade.
