Fishburne Military School to mark opening of new field house

Fishburne Military School will mark the formal grand opening of its new Hitt-Millar Field House with a public event on Friday.

The 23,000-square-foot, $4.5 million building will become the new home of the school’s physical-conditioning program, with a full basketball court, weight-training facilities, coaches’ offices, a fully-equipped trainers’ room and a multi-purpose conference area.

A third-floor area will also become the home to historical archives and a digitization project tracking FMS history to its founding in 1879.

The building will also serve as an on-campus gathering location for activities and events associated with Parents’ Weekend, Alumni Weekend and graduation exercises.

The project was made possible through generous donations from the Hitt and Millar family. Russell Hitt, FMS Class of 1953, a long-time supporter of Fishburne Military School, joined with his daughter, Tracey Hitt Millar, and her husband, Jim Millar, provided the $4.5 million donation to fund construction.

Russell Hitt has two grandsons, Wes Millar, Class of 2007, and Gage Nash, Class of 2012, who are also FMS alums.

“We are very thankful for the alumni and the friends of the school who have the confidence in what we’re doing here to educate young men to make this investment in Fishburne Military School,” said Capt. Mark E. Black, US Navy (Ret.), superintendent of Fishburne Military School.

The building is the first new construction on the FMS campus in Downtown Waynesboro since the 1999 opening of Hobby-Hudgins Hall, which houses the school’s library and computer labs.

The grand opening of the Hitt-Millar Field House will begin at 2 p.m. Friday with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Cadet-led tours of the facility will begin at 3 p.m.

Story by Chris Graham