Tim’s Pavilion has become a sunset activity staple on Eckerd College’s South Beach. Photos by Penh Alicandro ’22
Clouds drifted by and waves lapped the South Beach shore on the breezy evening of Oct. 9 as the Eckerd College community gathered to officially dedicate the Tim Scovanner ’11 Pavilion.
More than a year after construction of the pavilion was completed in 2024, with an originally scheduled dedication postponed by last fall’s hurricanes, Eckerd trustees, faculty, staff and students—along with Tim’s friends and family from as far away as Minnesota—congregated under the pavilion to celebrate the outdoor space, and Tim.
Tim Scovanner graduated from Eckerd College in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and went on to attend Stetson University College of Law before his unexpected passing in 2016. As with many Eckerd students, some of his happiest days were spent on South Beach and the South Recreation Field—under blue skies and close to the grass, sand and sea. Knowing Tim’s special connection to this part of campus, his family—parents Doug and Mary and sister Jill—had made a generous gift to enhance the area and memorialize Tim’s life.
“During Tim’s time here at Eckerd, he grew, he matured and he flourished, actually—not just academically and intellectually but also as a complete person,” his father, Doug Scovanner, told the crowd in his remarks. “In my eyes, and Mary’s as well, it’s all part of that special magic of the overall experience of a well-rounded private liberal arts education.”
Eckerd College Organization of Students President Emma Kelliher ’26 offers remarks.
President James Annarelli, who knew Tim when Annarelli was his dean of students and also his professor in the Quest for Meaning senior capstone course, spoke about the meaning of the space to campus.
President James Annarelli (left) with Board Trustee Susan McDermott ’89 (right) presented the Scovanner family—Doug, Mary and Jill—with a watercolor painting of Tim’s Pavilion.
“It is here that students through the years have most often gathered to be together for special celebrations, for weekend social events, for sun-drenched recreation and for moments of quiet reflection,” Annarelli said.
“It is also to this place that students have been drawn when facing the loss of a community member or an unsettling national or world event. Indeed, this place where campus land meets the sea has become for generations of Eckerd students a major locus of community life. So it is not surprising that this area of campus was, for Tim, a very special place.”
Tim’s Pavilion replaced an older, smaller wooden pavilion that had been at the same spot for decades. With four sturdy concrete columns suitable for tropical weather and a broad cantilevered roof containing 115 solar panels, Tim’s Pavilion provides abundant shade and a comfortable space for students to study, relax and gather at the water’s edge of campus. Student events already hosted there include a sunset dance, a silent disco, and a yoga and sound-bath experience.
Tim’s college roommate Andrew Odell ’11 spoke during the dedication about how much Tim’s friends meant to him—how he had learned from Tim about everything from the rise and fall of empires to how to make a perfectly al dente pasta. The pavilion, he said, symbolizes Tim’s love of connection and reflection.
“It’s a place where people can come together to learn, reflect and connect—just as Tim did during his time here,” Andrew said. “In a world that often moves too fast, his pavilion will stand as a lasting reminder of Tim’s ability to slow down, listen and make a meaningful difference. May it encourage us all to carry forward his legacy of compassion and generosity.”
Tim’s Pavilion has 115 solar panels on its roof to collect energy.
Eckerd College Organization of Students President Emma Kelliher ’26 recalled a moment at the Welcome Back Disco with her best friend and roommate, Kambri Henry ’26, when the DJ played their favorite Chappell Roan song.
“Me and Kambri danced our hearts out and screamed as loud as we could along to the song,” Emma said. “That is the memory here at this pavilion that I will cherish, likely for the rest of my life. And I’m sure many students can also connect to this experience.”
As DJ Curtis Viscome ’11, another roommate of Tim’s, played house music while the sun set and students enjoyed a drum circle and refreshments from food trucks, the dedication became another such memorable moment in student life on campus—one of many to come at Tim’s Pavilion.
