MCC CLASSROOM NAMED IN HONOR OF WILLIAM E. BILL AND SUE GROVES

Madisonville Community College recently acknowledged William E. Bill and Sue Groves along with their family and employees of William E. Groves Construction, Inc. Electrical Contractors for their generous contribution to MCC s BuildSmart Investment in Kentucky Competitiveness campaign. The naming of classroom # 212 in the Brown Badgett, Sr. Energy and Advanced Technology Center located on the college s North Campus in their honor was announced during a reception on March 15.

Jeff Groves extended congratulations to his parents for their achievements, for their philosophy, and for their principles that they have passed along over the years. He expressed sincere gratitude to the employees of William E. Groves Construction, Inc. He shared, We have some of the best employees. They support us; they support the company. They are very valuable. Without them, none of this would ever be happening.

Bill Groves shared, Education is important. My life would not have been near as tough if I had had a good education. I want to see all the young people in this county have an opportunity to get a better education. Mr. Groves was born and lived most of his life in Hopkins County. Losing both of his parents by the age of 9, Bill and his brother, Ed, lived with relatives who were willing to help them. He used his childhood struggles as fuel to make him work even harder towards success. Leaving school in the 8th grade, he took not one but two jobs in Evansville. In 1955, he married Sue and began his career with Kentucky Utilities, working his way up to a lineman and then a foreman in the KU Service Department. In 1974, Mr. Groves took full ownership of Henry James Construction and changed the company s name to William E. Groves Construction, Inc. Decades later, Groves Construction has grown from a 4 employee, 3 truck company to a family-run, full service electrical company employing more than 200 employees.

The generous donation by the Groves family was part of MCC s required match of $5 million to access the additional $15 million in agency bonds from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System for construction of the Madisonville Regional Postsecondary Education Center on the North Campus. Successful completion of the $5 million fundraising campaign was announced in October 2015 and construction of the new facility is anticipated to begin in mid-spring.