The Minges Family

Image source: John F. Minges II and wife

East Carolina has been favored with benefactor families that prospered in eastern North Carolina and then identified the school as a worthy locus of their public-spirited generosity. First among these benefactors is the Minges family. After establishing an exceptionally successful bottling company that thrived with sales of Pepsi Cola and Mountain Dew, the Minges emerged in the 1960s as givers of what was at that time the single largest private gift ever, making possible construction of a grand gymnasium facility long dreamed of by students, the community, and administrators. Although they have been surpassed in terms of levels of giving, the Minges set a golden example of giving as a family to the institution that virtually everyone recognized, alumnae or not, as having made a tremendous difference in the culture of eastern North Carolina. In their wake, other families have stepped forward successively endowing one dimension or another of the school’s curricular offerings, making possible new levels of excellence in service to the region, the state, and the nation. In addition to their financial largesse, the Minges distinguished themselves by serving on various committees and boards, giving of themselves unselfishly in working toward realization of the ideals that have made East Carolina one of the premier institutions of higher education in the state of North Carolina.

The Minges family’s contributions are longstanding, but the most outstanding came in 1966 when John F. “Jack” Minges (1929-1922), then president of the Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company, donated $25,000.00 to the school for the construction of a basketball facility. This donation, though modest by comparison with gifts made in years to come, was the single largest ever in East Carolina’s history at that time. The final cost of the new building was $2.5 million, making the Minges gift the equivalent of one-hundredth of the total. In honor of the Minges family’s generosity, the ECU Board of Trustees named the building, opened in 1968, Minges Coliseum. At the dedication, Minges family members honored included Mr. and Mrs. M. O. Minges and their six children, Martha Minges Bass, Forrest E. Minges, Hoyt A. Minges, John F. “Jack” Minges, Max E. Minges, and Dr. Ray D. Minges.

When the facility later needed major renovations, Walter L. Williams, president and founder of Trade Oil Company, and his wife Marie stepped forward and made a million dollar donation. The university honored the Williams’s generosity by re-naming the coliseum Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. Yet many still call the facility “Minges” after the first family of giving.

Following the Board of Trustees decision to name the coliseum after the Minges family, Dr. Leo W. Jenkins, president of the university, said “It is fitting that we pay this tribute to one of the truly outstanding families of eastern North Carolina. The Minges name will serve as an enduring inspiration for the university to use the coliseum always for purposes consistent with the spirit in which the Minges family offers its unswerving support to East Carolina University.” Senator Robert B. Morgan, chairman of the ECU Board of Trustees, added, “I know of no family whose support has meant more to East Carolina University in our efforts to build a dynamic program of athletics. We are proud to have this new coliseum bear the Minges family name because it will serve as a constant reminder of the great value a university and its region derive from the loyal support of a family whose members demonstrate genuine interest in making better lives for our people. The Minges name on this coliseum will serve as encouragement and inspiration for those who use its facilities now and in the years to come.” Today the coliseum stands as a powerful monument to the partnership in service established in the East first by the Minges and later by similarly public-minded benefactors willing to give generously to the engine of progress for the region, East Carolina University.

Sources

• “Jack Minges Papers.” University Archives # UA90-63. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C.
• “Minges Coliseum Dedicated at ECU.” Rocky Mount Telegram. January 29, 1968. P. 3.
• “Minges Coliseum Dedication.” Jack Minges Papers 1964-1992. Box 2, Folder 2. University Archives UA90-63. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C.
• “Minges Coliseum Dedication.” Records of Leo Warren Jenkins' Tenure as President and Chancellor, 1960-1978. UA02-06. Box 63, Folder 49. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C.
• “Minges Coliseum Dedication Program.” Robert B. Morgan Papers. Box 31, Folder l. Manuscript Collection. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C.
• “Minges Collection.” Manuscript Collection # 1136. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C.
• “Williams Arena Dedication, Minges Coliseum, 1995.” Records of Richard R. Eakin's Term as Chancellor of East Carolina University. University Archives # UA02-09, Box 10, Folder 18. J. Y. Joyner Library. East Carolina University. Greenville, N.C.

Additional Related Material