MONMOUTH, Ill. — David and Elizabeth Byrnes of Lincoln, Neb., have made
a major gift to Monmouth College to name the educational wing in the new
Huff Athletic Center.
A 1972 MC graduate and a college trustee since 1999, David Byrnes is a
founder of FACTS Management Co., which pioneered the use of electronic
fund transfers for tuition collection by private schools. As president and
CEO, he has seen his client list grow from one school to more than 3,000
institutions within the past 15 years.
“I attribute a lot of my success to Monmouth College and the people I
met there like (former biology professors) Milt Bowman and Bob Buchholz,”
said Byrnes, who previously funded Monmouth College’s Dr. Milton L. Bowman
Memorial Scholarship. “These gifts are a way to give back some of my
success. Great things are happening at Monmouth, and I’m happy that I can
support my alma mater during this exciting time.”
The lower level of the Byrnes Educational Wing contains three
classrooms, each capable of seating approximately 50 students. A dividing
wall between two of the rooms can be removed to create an area that seats
up to 100. The main level features updated and enlarged office spaces for
the athletic director and coaches, as well as a new M Club Room and
reception area. The wing, which is primarily an addition to the south side
of Glennie Gymnasium, is located immediately to the right of the athletic
center’s main entrance.
“My four years at Monmouth provided me with great friendships that are
still thriving today,” said Byrnes. “It was an honor to provide a naming
gift within the Huff Athletic Center, which I am confident is a facility
that will launch Monmouth to new heights for years to come. I was doubly
blessed by this opportunity at the Huff Athletic Center because one of my
close friends from my days at Monmouth, Stan Pepper ’76, had much personal
involvement in the project. His family’s Pepper Construction Company was
the general contractor for the Huff Athletic Center.”
After graduating from Monmouth, Byrnes received his master’s degree in
botany from Western Illinois University in 1975. In 1986, he founded FACTS
Management Co. FACTS is an acronym for Fast Automatic Cash Transfer
System.
Huff Athletic Center
