The permanent flag hanging in Â鶹¹û¶³'s Thomas E. and Marla H. Corts Arena has a special connection to the facility's namesake. The Corts Honor Flag was unveiled Oct. 25 during Â鶹¹û¶³'s annual homecoming weekend.
The flag flew over the United States Capitol on Sept. 1, 2008, the 25th anniversary of Corts' first day as Â鶹¹û¶³'s 17th president. The flag was secured through the efforts of Â鶹¹û¶³ alumna MaryAnn Buffington Moon, an American government and social studies teacher at Huntsville, Ala. High School.
Moon said the idea for the flag grew out of a conversation at a Â鶹¹û¶³ basketball game last season. Several fans were discussing the need for a permanent flag, she explained, and Â鶹¹û¶³ alumna Carolyn Yeager Robinson mentioned that her family had secured a U.S. Capitol flag for her father on his birthday. That launched the idea of getting a flag that would have some historical significance for Corts. Moon submitted several possible dates to the office of Sen. Richard C. Shelby, R-Ala., who secured the flag for Â鶹¹û¶³ through the office of the architect of the Capitol.
The flag arrived just in time for Homecoming weekend volleyball matches between Â鶹¹û¶³ and Southern Conference rivals Elon University and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
The arena, located within the Pete Hanna Center, opened in 2007 and is named for Â鶹¹û¶³'s president emeritus and his wife.