OXFORD, Miss. — In a recent private ceremony at the
University of Mississippi, officials unveiled a portrait of
the couple who generously made possible the renovation of
Lenoir Hall into a permanent home for the Department of
Family and Consumer Sciences.
Alumni John and Lenoir Stanley of Corinth were in
attendance, along with a gathering of their family and
friends, when the Stanleys’ portrait was unveiled in the
building’s foyer by Chancellor Robert Khayat and FCS chair
Teresa Carithers.
“The Stanleys have continued to be strong supporters of our
students and faculty,” Carithers said. “The portrait
provides our students with a personal connection to those
who helped provide resources to enrich their academic
careers. It is always very thrilling to be with them,
because they express such sincere admiration for the
courses we teach. We have been truly blessed.”
John Stanley IV graduated from UM in 1970 with a business
degree, and Lenoir Wadlington (Stanley) earned a bachelor
of arts in 1973. John Stanley and the couple’s children,
Clayton and Lamar, made the renovation gift in Lenoir’s
honor.
Stanley said the plaque outside the building describes
their motivation. It reads: “To the honor of Lenoir
Wadlington Stanley, whose family reaped the benefits and
pleasures of her home economics degree and whose husband
shares her great admiration for this department of the
School of Applied Sciences.”
Following renovation to convert the former Zeta Tau Alpha
sorority house into a suitable academic building, Lenoir
Hall opened in 2003 as home to FCS. Known as the Department
of Home Economics until 1996, FCS was renamed and refocused
to meet the needs of changing lifestyles and demands of the
information age, while maintaining the structural
principles on which it was founded.
FCS boasts an enrollment of nearly 400 students, 250 of
whom are hospitality management majors. Graduates of the
program go into a diverse range of careers, including
resort management, hotel management, restaurant ownership
and event planning.
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