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Pensacola State supporters donate arcade games, pool table
July 19 was a day of celebration for new and old-school gamers at Pensacola State College.
The College’s Student Activities Game Room was officially opened in the Delaino Student Center on the Pensacola campus.
Equipped with two air hockey tables, a pool table, a ping pong table and a foosball table, as well as five arcade games – Pac Man, NBA Jams, Pin Bot, Star Wars and Golden Tee, the game room is open from 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. Hours will be extended during the fall semester to accommodate students’ schedules.
Longtime PSC supporters John and Susan O’Connor donated the regulation-sized pool table decorated with the College’s logo. The couple and their daughter and son-in-law, Jessica and John Wimer, were on hand for the ceremony.
PSC State Board of Trustee member Gordon “Flash” Sprague and his wife, Bette, gifted the College a vintage Pin Bot arcade game and one of the air hockey tables. The Spragues were out of state but viewed the event virtually.
“The free game room has been a popular spot for students to unwind and socialize with friends and classmates who share similar interests,” said Jon Stephenson, the College’s associate vice president of Student Affairs.
“We have popular arcade games from the 1980s to contemporary games and recently added two interactive games, including UBall ─ a portable basketball hoop set that can be packed up and moved around.”
Andrea Krieger, the College’s Executive Director of Institutional Development, thanked the O’Connors and the Spragues for their contributions to the game room.
“Not only did our donor give us these games, they also made sure they were repaired and in working order,” she added.
John O’Connor served on the Board of Trustees, PSC Foundation Board of Governors, WSRE Foundation Board and was a member of the Comprehensive Campaign.
O’Connor and his wife also co-founded the McDonald Hospitality Scholarship. Jessica Wimer is now a member of the Foundation Board of Governors.
Gordon “Flash Sprague, a member of the College’s Board of Trustees, previously served on the PSC Foundation Board of Governors and was past chair of the WSRE TV Board of Directors. He also led the College’s recent “Your Community Your Legacy Comprehensive Campaign.”
Over the years, he has donated significant art pieces to the Anna Lamar Switzer Center and Charles W. Lamar Studio Gallery. The Spragues are members of the Bell Tower Heritage Society and have recorded an estate gift for the College.
The Student Activities Game Room is the latest in upgrades to the Student Center, which went through a total renovation in 2022. Stephenson said plans are in the works to add more arcade games before the fall semester, as well as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X video games and an 85-inch television screen.
“This renovation could not have been done without the generous support of our donors who believe in student success through the window of student engagement and leadership,” Stephenson stated.
“I firmly believe that when students are engaged, they are more likely to be successful in their educational journey. And the game room and other extracurricular activities are the launching paths for our students to network and build lifelong bonds.”