"Six Continents Hotels' endowment of the Wilson School represents our company's commitment to preserve Kemmons Wilson's legacy by investing in the future of the lodging industry," said John Sweetwood, president of Six Continents Hotels, The Americas.  "Fifty years after Kemmons created the Holiday Inn brand and revolutionized the industry, we're proud to commemorate his contributions with a gift that will make another indelible mark on the future." 

Kemmons Wilson family accepts $1.5M donation from Six Continents Hotels to the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management at The University of Memphis 

Pictured from left to right: Carole West, daughter; Betty Moore, daughter; Kemmons Wilson, Jr., son; Bob Wilson, son; Kemmons Wilson; Spence Wilson, son; John Sweetwood, president The Americas, Six Continents Hotels; Dr. Shirley C. Raines, president, The University of Memphis; Dr. John Pepin, Dean, Fogelman College of Business & Economics.

Scheduled to open March 8, 2002, The Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management will include a fully functioning Holiday Inn hotel on site with 82 suites, a full-service restaurant and meeting and ballroom facilities.  The Wilson School will be one of only a select number of hospitality schools in the country that provide students with such hands-on experience. 

"The University of Memphis is pleased to establish a new chair of excellence and a new scholarship in honor of our longtime friend and benefactor, Kemmons Wilson," said U of M President Shirley C. Raines, "and we are very grateful to Six Continents Hotels for its generosity in funding those endowments.  With the help of support like theirs, students at The University of Memphis will continue to get the best possible education at the most reasonable cost, and the University will continue to gain in stature as a great university in a great city.  This is an example of partnership that is beneficial to all parties involved, directly and indirectly, immediately and for generations to come." 

Dr. John Pepin, dean of the Fogelman College of Business and Economics, of which the Wilson School will be a part, said the person selected for the Six Continents Hotels Chair of Excellence will have national/international prominence as a scholar and possess comprehensive understanding of the hospitality industry. 

"The chair of excellence position will provide leadership to our Hospitality and Resort Management students," Pepin said, "plus mentoring to the faculty and recognition for our Hospitality program.  Further, the chairholder will play a very important role in outreach activities with the hospitality industry."

American entrepreneur Kemmons Wilson opened the first Holiday Inn hotel on August 1, 1952, in Memphis, Tenn., after he returned from a family road trip discouraged over the lack of family- and value-oriented lodging.  The Holiday Inn brand's history includes a long line of "firsts" that revolutionized the lodging industry, including free accommodations and meals for children and the first national hotel franchisee organization, as well as being the first to offer now-basics such as in-room air conditioning, free in-room television, a swimming pool and an on-site restaurant.  Today, Holiday Inn is the most widely recognized lodging brand in the world, with 1,600 hotels and more than 300,000 hotel rooms across the globe. 

About The University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is a comprehensive urban research university committed to the scholarly accomplishments of its 20,322 students and 800 faculty and to the enhancement of its community. The 90-year-old University offers 15 bachelor's degrees in more than 50 majors and 70 concentrations, master's degrees in 46 subjects and doctoral degrees in 21 disciplines, in addition to the Juris Doctor (law) and a specialist degree in education. Its campus is located on 1,160 acres with nearly 200 buildings at more than four sites in the Memphis and Shelby County, Tenn., area, and it operates several satellite programs throughout West Tennessee.
 

About Six Continents Hotels
Six ContinentsSM Hotels, the hotel business of Six Continents PLC of the United Kingdom  [LON:SXC, NYSE:SXC (ADRs)], owns, manages, leases or franchises more than 3,260 hotels and 514,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories.