Dr. Bill Ray, center, president of the Asbury Foundation, cuts the ribbon during the dedication ceremony for Asbury Academic Building at William Carey University’s Hattiesburg campus. He is shown with, from left: Billy Carr of Hanco Corporation; WCU student Ian Pittman; WCU President Dr. Tommy King; and WCU Facilities Director Bob Blevins.
William Carey University took another step toward complete tornado recovery with the dedication Oct. 23 of Asbury Academic Building.
In January 2017, an EF3 tornado swept through WCU’s Hattiesburg campus. Every building but one sustained heavy damage. Six buildings were destroyed outright or damaged so badly they had to be demolished. In the 18 months since then, WCU has been steadily re-building.
“The Asbury Foundation has been a longtime supporter of William Carey. After the tornado, they came forward with a very generous gift which made this building possible,” WCU President Dr. Tommy King said.
Dr. Bill Ray, president of the Asbury Foundation, said he was blessed to be able to help.
“Asbury has had a fondness for William Carey, and for our community, and for Hattiesburg in general for a long time. For some of you who don’t know, the Asbury Foundation was created after we sold Methodist Hospital in 1997,” Ray said.
“Somebody asked me one day, do you miss health care and running hospitals? No, I said, it’s a lot easier to give money away than it is to make it. As I look at the campus with all the new additions, and see what it’s been able to accomplish academically, I can say it’s a real blessing to our state. I appreciate William Carey and this community appreciates William Carey.”
Landry Lewis Germany Architects was commended for the design of the building and general contractor Hanco Corporation for its construction. Dr. Scott Hummel, WCU provost, added a message of thanks for the people who work and study at William Carey.
“I want recognize the faculty who responded to the tornado and continued to teach at a high quality regardless of where they had to be housed for a time. I know they are happy to now call this home. They’re the ones who are going to give life to this brick and mortar as they teach our students,” Hummel said.
“I also want to recognize our students who were ‘Carey strong’ and continued to study diligently as they awaited the completion of this top-notch facility.”
English major Ian Pittman takes classes and puts in time as a work study student in Asbury Academic Building. He also addressed the crowd during the dedication ceremony: “As I stand here, I am reminded of how far this university has come in such a short time. It is not the circumstance of life that defines who we are, but rather it is the circumstance of choice. It is how we press forward in the face of adversity.”
The final construction project in WCU’s tornado recovery is new Tatum Court, a large administrative and conference complex set to open this winter at the Hattiesburg campus.
About Asbury Academic Building:
- Designed Landry Lewis Germany Architects, Hattiesburg
- General contractor, Hanco Corporation, Hattiesburg
- Five classrooms, 17 offices and Lucile Parker Art Gallery
