Selected by the Centennial Celebration Steering Committee and recommended by the University's master planning committee, the Centennial Gateway will be a 125-foot wide brick and cast stone structure located at the front entrance to our Hattiesburg Campus. Designed by Architect Larry Albert, this new Gateway will welcome students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends and visitors to the campus.
While various brick and mortar projects were considered, those planning and directing the Centennial Celebration felt the Gateway project was one, that while aesthetically enhancing the University, would also directly relate to the institution's past which we so deeply treasure.
In 1910, R.H. Hunt's initial design for the campus of Mississippi Normal College envisioned what a prominent architectural historian described as "a gracious, ordered "public front." In the early years however, the grace and order were largely obscured by a barbed wire fence built to protect the campus from roaming livestock. After almost a hundred years, the Centennial Gateway restores and fulfills Hunt's original vision. Like the streetcar station that marked the entrance to MNC, this structure will constitute Southern Miss' physical link to the outside world, a dignified and unified front that embodies the Centennial theme: A Treasured Past. A Golden Future.
In addition to the unveiling of this project we are thrilled to announce that the Centennial Gateway's construction can proceed as a result of two generous gifts made to the University. In a time when every dollar is increasingly valued, we are grateful to the donors who have provided the financial resources to make this project a reality. Simply put, the construction of the Centennial Gateway would not occur without the gifts I am about to announce.
A lead gift of $200,000 has been pledged by an anonymous donor to fund the building of the Gateway. We will respect the wishes of the donor to remain anonymous until the dedication of the project on Founder's Day, March 30, 2010.
In addition to the lead gift, $17,777.77 has been contributed from The Gold Leaf, a secret society that has helped support a number of Southern Miss projects in recent years. Among other gifts, The Gold Leaf has made contributions to dedicate a room in the Thad Cochran Center and to the restoration and expansion of the Ogletree House. In a letter I received from The Gold Leaf, they explained that "Because we believe in this project, we are willing to make a $17,777.77 contribution toward the construction...."
The generosity of benefactors has always been indispensable in the growth of this institution. In 1910, when state appropriations for a normal college were non-existent, Forrest County, the City of Hattiesburg and individual donors provided the land and funds to construct the school's first buildings. Now almost 100 years later when funds are again severely limited, we are thankful for these devoted friends who have again made growth possible.
