Thanks to a generous family gift, Academy’s athletics and academics will see a tremendous boost. On Saturday, March 29, more than 150 Academy alumni, families and friends celebrated the dedication of the newly renovated Albuquerque Academy Racquet Center.

The Garcia Automotive Group family donated $1 million to the Academy to expand and refurbish the beautiful tennis complex. The new facility, home to boys and girls state championship teams, will also host many USTA tournaments. The resurfaced Darell Gage Courts, named after a longtime Academy teacher, will also be open to the public.

But the Garcia family gift will benefit more than tennis players and fans.

The Garcia family’s million-dollar donation will also go towards a summer program, renamed the Vincent Cordova Summer Scholars Program. Cordova, another longtime Academy teacher, made a lasting impact on the school. This Chargers summer program introduces young kids to the school.

Both Darell Gage and Vince Cordova were influential teachers who were loved and respected by the Garcia family.

Gage taught math and coached tennis at Academy for 50 years. He was the most victorious high school coach in the nation. The Academy Chargers varsity tennis team’s impressive streak of 21 consecutive state championship began under the tutelage of Gage.

Cordova, an Academy math teacher and basketball and track coach, was associated with the Academy for more than 30 years. He also played a prominent role within the Academy administration, serving as the director of tuition, dean of students and multicultural education.

Members of the Garcia family spoke at the ceremony, recognizing the impact that the two Academy faculty had on the school and sports programs as well as their own family.

Austin Curtis ‘25 and Michelle Deng ‘25 spoke on behalf of the Chargers’ varsity tennis teams to express their gratitude for the Garcia family’s generous donation to the tennis facility.

The remarkable donation by the Garcia family has transformed the Academy tennis courts into perhaps not only one of the best high school facilities in New Mexico, but arguably one of the best in the entire country. It truly is a renaissance, a new beginning, for both Albuquerque Academy and the New Mexico tennis community.

Chargers head tennis coach Tim Cass expressed his appreciation for the donation.

“This gift is so incredibly generous by the Garcia family,” said the second-year Charger coach. “It is clear how much the Albuquerque Academy has meant to all the family members and the impact coaches Gage and Cordova had on their lives and many other students.”

The Chargers boys tennis team is seeking its 22nd straight state championship this spring while the girls are in search of their 6th.

Both of the Charger squads will compete in the Academy Invitational tournament April 11-12 at the Racquet Center.