The prominence of the tennis teams and the facilities' ability to host regional events and professional exhibitions, have led to several court renovations over the past decade. Prime seating exists on the perimeter and in a centre-court style set up making an ideal, up-close venue for fans of the college game. Team areas have recently been equipped with all new carpet, wireless internet access points and computer work areas on-site.
During the fall of 2010, the 12 courts were re-surfaced to feature a DecoTurf hardcourt comprising layers of acrylic, rubber, silica, and other materials. The court is now the same surface as currently in use at the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows and is a very popular transformation among the players.
Growth to other facilities nearby, such as the softball complex, have been a boon to the tennis programs as the locker rooms which used to house both softball and the two tennis teams are now a tennis-only facility. Renovated dressing rooms, coaches offices, satellite sports medicine areas, concession stands and rest rooms provide teams and amenities for fans alike and are welcomed improvements at the Don and Ethel McLeod Tennis Center.
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Facility Naming Rights and More About the McLeods
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An $800,000 gift of stock and cash from Don and Ethel M. McLeod of Lubbock was used in 1999 to fund the construction of the intercollegiate tennis facility on the university campus.
The McLeods are Presidential Endowed Scholarship donors and both served on the Texas Tech Foundation Board and both have participated in various boards and philanthropic organizations. In addition to donating scholarships, the McLeods gave generously to programs such as the Center for the Study of Addiction and Recovery. Besides the Don and Ethel McLeod Tennis Center, the couple is credited for helping establish the university's infrastructure through contributions to the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business building.
In 1992, Ethel McLeod was named Outstanding Entrepreneur by the College of Business Administration. And, in 2010, she was the Lifetime Distinguished Service Award recipient from the College of Human Sciences a designation which is reserved for those who have significantly advanced the college and its goals of excellence in teaching, research and service.
In 1954, Ethel M. McLeod purchased a friend's telephone answering business, Stenocall. In 1954 Stenocall was operated with one employee and 13 accounts. The company gained momentum in 1961, after McLeod (who served as chief operating officer) and her late husband, Don, (who was president of the firm) purchased Lubbock Radio Paging. Currently, Stenocall is a communications industry leader in the area, offering bilingual telephone answering, bilingual inbound telemarketing, cellular phones, two-way radios and voicemail.
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