Campaign reaches state milestone

The largest fund-raising effort in state history is attracting almost $127 million in gifts, pledges and deferred gifts to Mississippi State.

With nine weeks left in the five-year effort, The Campaign for Mississippi State shattered a goal of $110 million, set after an original $78 million target was achieved more than two years ago.

Alumnus James K. Ashford (c) of Naples, Fla., is recognized by President Donald W. Zacharias for his volunteer efforts and contributions to the university's successful major gifts campaign. Along with his wife Jacque (l), Ashford pledged $500,000 to the campaign to support scholarships in the College of Business and Industry.

National general campaign chair James K. Ashford made the announcement at a luncheon during Super Bulldog Weekend. Honored were campaign volunteers and directors of the university foundation, alumni association and Bulldog Club.

"This is another historic day for Mississippi State," said Ashford, a 1958 accounting graduate and Naples, Fla., resident. "We've come a long way in the past five years and for that we are thankful for our thousands of supporters.

"We've long been known as the 'People's University' and this campaign will help us continue that tradition of serving all the people of Mississippi," added the Starkville native and retired chief executive officer of Case Corp.

The campaign began July 1, 1992, and was publicly announced in April 1993 with $42 million in commitments already in hand. The initial goal was surpassed in September of 1994.

Of the commitments to date, $73.7 million, or 58 percent, is in the form of outright gifts and payments on pledges. Another $38.8 million, or 31 percent, is in the form of deferred gifts that will be realized in the future. About $14.2 million is in pledges payable over a five-year period from the date of the commitment.

Some $24 million has been contributed for scholarships, including $4.5 million from the estate of the late Joseph Henry Barrier of Yazoo County and $6 million from the estate of John P. "Polly" Hosmer of West Point. A Washington, D.C., tribute given by the university for retiring U.S. Representative G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery netted another $1 million for a scholarship fund to honor the 1943 business graduate.

Bricks-and-mortar projects have been the most visible products of the campaign, with about $22 million donated for that purpose. Among others, the building projects include:

The $19 million Joe Frank Sanderson Sr. Center, an indoor recreation facility now under construction. A substantial portion of the cost of the facility will be covered by a gift from Sanderson, a 1947 alumnus from Laurel and retired chairman of Sanderson Farms.

The John H. Bryan Sr. Athletic Administration Building that opened in 1995 thanks to contributions from the family of the late West Point businessman and Bryan Foods founder.

The Dave C. Swalm Chemical Engineering Building. Ground recently was broken for the $18.6 million facility that is being significantly funded by Swalm, a 1955 chemical engineering graduate and founder and former owner of Texas Olefins Co. in Houston, Texas.

Lorene G. Martin of Starkville joined President Donald Zacharias (c) over Super Bulldog Weekend to dedicate the T.K. Martin Center for Technology and Disability. Named for her late husband and longtime university vice president, the center provides rehabilitative engineering and rehabilitative technology for all disabled Mississippians. With them is center director Harry F. Riser. Martin, whose Mississippi State career spanned 35 years, died in 1994.

The historic university cafeteria, now Perry Cafeteria, currently is being renovated and preserved with the aid of a gift from Jane Perry of Spanish Fort, Ala., in honor of her late husband, former alumni association president George D. Perry.

An interest-free $1 million loan from the Christ is Our Salvation foundation of Memphis philanthropist Paul Piper will allow for the construction later this year of a new School of Human Sciences Child Development/Family Studies Center on campus.

A $1 million donation from Bonnie DeMent of Indianola will support athletics and provide seed money for a proposed band practice facility. On April 19, the baseball facility was renamed for Mrs. DeMent's late husband and the SEC's all-time winningest coach, Ron Polk. Dudy Noble Field is now Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium. The late Gordon DeMent was a longtime university athletics supporter.

Other campaign gifts have renovated and modernized laboratories, established electronic classrooms and enhanced library holdings, as well as helped expand the university's endowment from less than $50 million to nearly $120 million since the campaign began.

Some 45,000 Mississippi State alumni and friends have made contributions. Nearly $2 million in support was contributed by faculty, staff and administrators.

A Walk of Honor containing the names of those campaign donors who contributed $500 or more during the five-year effort is permanently displayed on the historic Drill Field. Located in the heart of campus, the Walk of Honor has more than 4,800 bricks.

"Private gifts from our alumni and friends have become crucial to maintaining excellence in our programs," President Donald Zacharias said. "We must sustain the campaign's momentum; to do this requires the continued support and assistance of our alumni and friends."