Climbing tower set to reopen Saturday, April 2

SHREVEPORT, La. (Centenary News Service) — Centenary College and One Great River announce the re-opening of the Patrick Peavy Jr. Memorial Climbing Tower, Saturday, April 2 beginning at 10 a.m.

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Patrick Peavy Jr. Memorial Climbing Tower (photo by Rick DelaHaya, Centenary News Service)

During the event, instructors from One Great River will be on hand to assist students and members of the community who wish to attempt to scale the tower. Dr. Chris Martin, Dean of the Frost School of Business, will also be on hand to answer any questions of the history of the tower.

The 52-foot tall structure originally opened in 1996 and at the time was the tallest in the region and the only four-sided climbing wall in the United States. A project of the Frost School of Business Leadership Class, it was a tribute to Patrick W. Peavy, Jr., son of Linda Peavy Crow, an alumna of The MBA program. Patrick, himself a climber and an honor student at the University of North Carolina, died tragically in 1995 after an allergic reaction.

The tower was primarily designed as an instructional tool of the Frost School of Business; however, it was also available to Centenary students and staff for supervised recreational and co-curricular activities.

The climbing wall has been closed for the past few years due to the lack of certified instructors. Centenary College recently partnered with One Great River, who will provide instructors and coordinate climbing events for the community. Currently, the staff at One Great River has been certified by Rope Works to conduct climbing programs.

One Great River is a local, non-profit, youth development program that promotes resiliency in youth through engaging them in outdoor adventure programs. It was started in Shreveport in 1991. Community groups will be able to schedule a half-day wall climbing event at the climbing wall, through the organization for a fee.

For more information, contact Dennis Taylor, Senior Director of Student Services, at 318.869.5360 or One Great River at 318.798.0880.

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and has been recognized as "One of the Best 373 Colleges" by the Princeton Review and one of "America's Best Colleges" and one of "America's Best Private Colleges" by Forbes.com. In 2008 Centenary College celebrated 100 years in Shreveport and Bossier City.