Howard Payne University will hold a dedication ceremony on Thursday, April 15, for Mims Auditorium and the Paul and Jane Meyer Faith and Life Leadership Center, featuring Grace Chapel and the Richard and Wanda Jackson Conference Room.
The public is invited to attend a ribbon cutting for both facilities at 10:00 a.m. followed by the dedication ceremony at 10:30 a.m. in Mims Auditorium. These activities are being held in conjunction with HPU’s Celebration Week, centered on the theme of “Heritage, Purpose, Unity.”
Known as the “spiritual center” of the university since the 1920s, Mims Auditorium is the oldest structure on the main campus and serves as a home to HPU chapel services, concerts and other performances.
Mims Auditorium was first dedicated in 1922 and was known as the Fine Arts Building until 1938. Originally, the building was designed as a chapel-auditorium and was the home to the president’s office, business office and studios of the fine arts department. Throughout its existence, the building has provided a setting for chapel services, fine art performances, recitals, concerts and theatrical productions.
After undergoing a three-year renovation process, the auditorium has been returned to its original grandeur including increasing the building’s seating capacity from approximately 750 to more than 1,000.
Renovations for Mims Auditorium were made possible through the generous gift of $3 million made by Mrs. McGillivray (Leona) Muse, who left her estate to the university upon her death in 2006. The largest gift in the university’s history provided for a complete renovation of the building. Muse was a former student of Howard Payne College (1927-1928) and a graduate of Brownwood High School.
The original stage and proscenium have been restored, increasing its depth and flexibility. A state-of-the-art sound system has also been designed to preserve and enhance the auditorium’s qualities.
A prominent feature of the Mims Auditorium project is the complete refurbishment of the organ. The organ, originally installed in the El Paso Symphony Hall approximately 30 years ago, was secured for HPU in 2003 by Dr. and Mrs. Burton Patterson of Southlake, Texas. The Pattersons also donated a new organ to be placed in Grace Chapel.
The Paul and Jane Meyer Faith and Life Leadership Center was added on the Bible building to create a two-story lobby and a large, multi-purpose conference facility for lectures and banquets.
These first-class facilities are designed to attract a variety of special leadership development seminars and workshops and serve as the foundation for HPU’s continuing commitment to Christian leadership development.
The Faith and Life Leadership Center facility was named in recognition of the lead gift from the Paul and Jane Meyer Family Foundation of Waco. The late Paul J. Meyer was a trailblazer in the self-improvement industry, founding the multi-billion-dollar company Success Motivation Institute, Inc. in 1960. Meyer authored numerous books on Christian leadership and self-improvement strategies.
The renovated Grace Chapel, named for HPU benefactor Dr. E. Grace Pilot of Mobile, Alabama, will serve as a laboratory for student preachers as well as a location for campus worship and other events. Dr. Pilot received the highest honor the university can bestow from Howard Payne University, the Honorary Doctorate of Humanities in 1994.
The Richard and Wanda Jackson Conference room was made possible through a donation from The Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation of Houston. In grateful recognition of the Foundation’s generosity, the facility’s new multi-purpose conference room is named in honor of Dr. Richard Jackson, a 1960 graduate of HPU, and his wife, Wanda.
Walter C. “Dub” and Debra Wilson of Houston provided funding for the beautiful two-story entrance hall to the Richard and Wanda Jackson Conference Room. The area features a sculpture donated by the Wilson siblings and spouses. The work, entitled “The Lord Himself Will Provide,” depicts Abraham, Isaac and the angel.
Both projects were part of the Sharing the Vision Capital Campaign which was completed in April, 2008. The most successful campaign in the university’s history began in 2000 as a ten-year initiative under the leadership of then-HPU president Dr. Rick Gregory and completed under Dr. Lanny Hall’s administration. The campaign goal was exceeded by $800,000 and the effort was completed three years ahead of schedule.
