For Release
Sept. 16, 2004

Sen. Hollings to be honored at PT Barracks dedication

           The Citadel will dedicate its rebuilt Padgett-Thomas Barracks at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, paying special tribute to retiring U.S. Sen. Ernest F. Hollings.

           Hollings, a 1942 Citadel graduate, was instrumental in securing funding to help rebuild the barracks after it was closed in 2000 for safety reasons. The $28 million rebuilding project was completed and the barracks was reopened in August.

           The dedication ceremony will include a plaque unveiling and a presentation to Hollings of the last flag to fly over the old barracks and the first one to fly over the new barracks.

           Padgett-Thomas Barracks was the first barracks built on campus when The Citadel moved from Marion Square in 1922. Patterned after the Old Citadel, the design has become the architectural icon for the campus. In addition to cadet rooms, the original barracks contained an armory, a carpenter shop, a barbershop, and storage areas, meeting rooms, offices and staff quarters.

           In 1934, The Citadel Board of Visitors named the barracks for James Graham Padgett, Class of 1892, and John Pulaski Thomas, Class of 1893, to honor their work in establishing the current campus. Both Padgett and Thomas were members of The Citadel Board of Visitors and Thomas served as the board's chairman from 1925-1949.

           Numerous dignitaries are expected to attend the dedication ceremony, including local and state lawmakers, representatives of area neighborhood associations, key leaders in the construction effort and Hollings' classmates from the Class of 1942. Following the dedication, Hollings will take review of the Friday military dress parade, which begins at 3:45 p.m. on Summerall Field.

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