LITHIA SPRINGS – Mercer University President William D. Underwood dedicated the Fred W. and Aileen K. Borrish Building, which houses the Douglas County Regional Academic Center, on Wednesday, Sept. 19. Following the ceremony, University officials also unveiled the state-of-the-art Fred W. and Aileen K. Borrish Science Laboratory.
Douglas County residents Fred and Aileen Borrish are longtime supporters of the University and in recent years have given their support to the Douglas County Regional Academic Center, including the complete renovation of the building’s science lab. The couple is committed to making quality education accessible to the men and women living in and around Douglas County.
Mr. Borrish, who spent 35 years in the technical operations for the airline industry, was known for his ability to integrate equipment for planes as technology improved, saving his employer significant amounts of outsourcing costs. In 2005, Mercer presented Mr. Borrish with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Mrs. Borrish earned a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics and physics in 1941 from Agnes Scott College, where she was a member of the scientific fraternity Chi Beta Phi- an unusual accomplishment for a woman at that time. During World War II, she was a member of the American National Red Cross in Washington, D.C., and, for 41 years, she worked for Southern Bell as an internal auditor – one of only two women in that position. Before she retired in 1982, she introduced computer operation procedures for Southern Bell in Georgia. In 2005, Mercer presented Mrs. Borrish with an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree.
Since 1982, they have been members of The President’s Club of Mercer University and, in 1999, became Life Members. Mr. Borrish – always a supporter of higher education – has said that the Douglas County Regional Academic Center is a chance for working individuals to get a quality education to expand their professional careers while still keeping their part – or full-time jobs. The support provided by the Douglas County couple has enhanced opportunities for residents of Douglasville and the surrounding areas.
The Borrishes are longtime members of Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, of which Mrs. Borrish is a charter member. It is also where they were married by Dr. Monroe F. Swilley Jr. 60 years ago.
About Mercer University:
Founded in 1833, Mercer University is a dynamic and comprehensive center of undergraduate, graduate and professional education. The University has 7,300 students; 11 schools and colleges – liberal arts, law, pharmacy, medicine, business, engineering, education, theology, music, nursing and continuing and professional studies; major campuses in Macon and Atlanta; four regional academic centers across the state; a university press; two teaching hospitals — Memorial Health University Medical Center and the Medical Center of Central Georgia; educational partnerships with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Warner Robins and Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta; an engineering research center in Warner Robins; a performing arts center in Macon; and a NCAA Division I athletic program. For more information, visit www.mercer.edu.
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