The Citadel will dedicate the Inouye Hall Marksmanship Center on Friday, Feb. 2 and honor the man who helped make the building possible.

Sen. Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, the third most senior member of the U.S. Senate, and former South Carolina Senator Fritz Hollings, Citadel Class of '42, through their friendship and a common interest in government and military service, paved the way for federal appropriations of $3 million for the marksmanship center on campus.

Inouye made the surprise funding announcement in 2002 when he and Hollings attended the groundbreaking of Padgett-Thomas Barracks. Inouye, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in 2002 that Hollings had told him of The Citadel's need for a place for marksmen to practice.  “Whenever he says he wants something, I never say no,” he said.

The marksmanship center, which is home to a state-of-the-art rifle range, opened in 2006. The 12,000-square-foot facility is used for practice and training by the South Carolina National Guard, ROTC cadets and The Citadel's rifle and pistol teams.

The new one-story range is on the Ashley River side of campus and features 16 firing positions for marksmanship training, weapons qualifications and competitions. The structure is a combination of cast-in-place concrete and pre-cast concrete panels. There is a viewing corridor that allows people to view the firing and scoring. The facility will also allow the college to host regional tournaments.

The dedication ceremony begins at 2 p.m. Friday. It includes a shooting demonstration by The Citadel rifle and pistol teams. Inouye will attend the dress parade beginning at 3:45 p.m. on Summerall Field.

In the event of inclement weather, please call Public Affairs in advance at 953-6779 for information about a rain location.

Bio on Sen. Inouye is available at http://inouye.senate.gov/