Former USC star Miller to speak at dedication of Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center

Cheryl Miller, former USC four-time All-American and Olympic gold medal basketball star, will serve as keynote speaker for the 11 a.m. dedication of California Lutheran University's Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center on Sat., Oct. 21.

A former head coach and general manager of the WNBA Phoenix Mercury, Miller is an inductee to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

She is currently a TV studio host, reporter and analyst for TNT and TBS. Though she is very supportive of athletics, she is also an advocate for literacy and pediatric AIDS awareness. Her brother, Reggie Miller, is a former UCLA and NBA Indiana Pacers star.

Along with the keynote address by Miller, the dedication event will include entertainment and brief remarks from regional dignitaries.

The $18 million Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center is just one of several athletic facilities being built on the 80-acre site north of Olsen Road.

Other venues include George "Sparky" Anderson Baseball Field, Samuelson Aquatics Center, soccer and track and field sites, practice fields and parking lots.

Construction on the Ullman Baseball Stadium is underway and scheduled for completion before the 2007 season.

The 96,000squarefoot Gilbert Center houses two major gymnasiums (1,500-seat Gilbert Arena and Soiland Recreation Center), the Lundring Events Center, Forrest Fitness Center, a dance studio, classrooms and labs, a sports medicine facility, the CLU Alumni Association Athletic Hall of Fame, and offices for faculty, staff and coaches.

"We are honored to have Ms. Miller, a distinguished member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, serve as our keynote speaker," said Ritch K. Eich, vice president for Marketing and Communications.

"We are also delighted to share this campus with the community and to serve as the first home to the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame," he said.

Jack Gilbert, chairman of the board of Thousand Oaks Land and Development Corp., and his wife, Carol, are the most generous donors in the nearly 50year history of the university. Their most recent gift is a $5 million pledge for additional academic buildings and a presidential residence. The founder of Burbank

based Zero Corp., Gilbert moved to Ventura County in 1973 and founded the TOLD Corp., which has been ranked among the top 100 industrial and commercial developers in the nation.

A champion of business, community and charitable programs, Gilbert has been honored by numerous organizations.

He was the first recipient of the Hall of Fame Award presented by the Ventura County Economic Development Association in 1989. Gilbert received an Honorary Doctor of Laws from CLU in 1990 and was named Philanthropist of the Year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals in 2003.

Recognized as a major contributor to the economic progress of Ventura County, the Oxnard resident has been a supporter of CLU since 1985.

A former member of the CLU Board of Regents, Gilbert and his wife have encouraged others to step forward to help CLU-the largest private university in the region-realize its vision by maintaining the unprecedented pace and momentum of the campus development.

"As we prepare to inaugurate the long-awaited Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center, we also honor our generous donors and supporters who have helped, and continue to help, us provide excellent

athletic and academic experiences for our students," said Steve Wheatly, vice president for University Advancement.