 |
News Releases |
National Infantry Museum Is Home To New Coca-Cola
IMAX® Theater
COLUMBUS, Georgia – April 21, 2006 -- The
National Infantry Museum today named the Coca-Cola IMAX® Theater
in honor of the brand’s long history of refreshing American
Soldiers stationed in every part of the globe.
“We are extremely proud to recognize Coca-Cola’s
steadfast support of the American Soldier,” said Ben Williams,
Executive Director, National Infantry Foundation. “We look
forward to telling the story of how our fighting forces came to
rely on having an ice-cold Coca-Cola waiting for them as they returned
from the frontlines during World War II.”
The new Coca-Cola IMAX® Theater will be located
within the museum building, near the front entrance. Visitors to
the museum will be handed polarized IMAX 3D glasses as they enter
the theater to enjoy blockbuster films such as “Deep Sea 3D”
and “NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience.” The theater will
also play 2D large format films such as “Fighter Pilot: Operation
Red Flag.”
The 300-seat theater will feature a state-of-the-art,
six-channel digital audio system and a 52 ft. wide x 70 ft. tall
screen. It will become the third IMAX® Theater in Georgia and
like the other two, will also be utilized as a venue for private
and public multi-media presentations and conferences.
The man behind the drive to refresh our fighting
men and women was the venerable Coca-Cola chief, Robert W. Woodruff,
who during World War II committed to giving every soldier a taste
of home. “We will see that every man in uniform gets a bottle
of Coca-Cola for five cents, wherever he is, and whatever it costs
our company," Woodruff is known to have said. The museum’s
Coca-Cola WWII exhibit located a few feet from the theater entrance
will outline how Mr. Woodruff worked with General Dwight Eisenhower
to build 64 bottling plants around the world to fulfill his pledge.
Since then, Coca-Cola has been America’s – and the world’s
– favorite soft drink.
Prominent Columbus-area businessman, W. C. Bradley,
played a critical financial role in the Woodruff family's acquisition
of Coca-Cola. The legacy of that investment has allowed W.C. Bradley
Co. to enjoy tremendous growth over the years and today, the Bradley
family remains an integral part of Columbus and the force behind
the Bradley-Turner Foundation, a key supporter of the museum project.
At today’s announcement Helen Smith Price,
Executive Director of the Coca-Cola Foundation and Jim Winkler,
Georgia Unit Manager, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated presented
a $1.25 million contribution to the National Infantry Museum at
the W.C. Bradley Co. Museum in Columbus. “We are here today
to pay respect to the legacy of the American Infantry Soldier,”
said Ms. Price. “I am honored to represent The Coca-Cola Company
in its support of the National Infantry Museum’s mission of
educating the public on the lessons learned on the fields of valor.”
To date, the National Infantry Museum has received
donations totalling $6.5 million from organizations whose histories
are linked to Coca-Cola, including the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation,
the Bradley Turner Foundation and The Coca-Cola Company.
Other
news releases.
|
