Brownwood News – On Thursday June 25, Howard Payne University held the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Newbury Family Welcome Center.  The center is named for former University President Dr. Don Newbury and his family.  Newbury attended Howard Payne and graduated in 1961.  He later served as President from 1985-1997, and is now Chancellor of the university.  His wife Brenda and all three of their daughters — Julie, Jana, and Jeanie — are all HPU graduates.

The ceremony was well attended by a crowd of over 200 persons.  Current University President Dr. Cory Hines welcomed the crowd and introduced Dr. Newbury:  “To say that I am thrilled and humbled with the opportunity we have as a university to construct a new front door for Howard Payne for future generations would be an understatement.  Today the dreams of so many people become a reality… I want to thank our Board of Trustees and our Facilities Committee for looking ahead and dreaming of what not only Howard Payne should become, but must become in the days ahead.  There is no one I know more deserving of this honor than Dr. Newbury.  Dr. Newbury has given the majority of his adult life in being an advocate and serving Howard Payne.  This new facility will be the front door, and in many cases the first impression, for future Yellow Jackets.”

Mayor Pro-Tem Draco Miller represented the City of Brownwood:  “On behalf of the City, and as Mayor Pro-Tem, it is my pleasure to be  here on this special day, a special day that recognizes a special man and his family, that are near and dear to my heart.  We appreciate Howard Payne University.  Howard Payne is an economic impact in Brownwood Texas, and we appreciate everything Howard Payne has done.”

After the groundbreaking, Newbury commented:  “It was a shock to me and my family to learn this was the plan, though we think that’s at the very root of any Christian university, that the people who visit there, whether to go to school there, or just passing through, need to be made to feel welcome. We strived always to do that, still do, we still love the place, and look forward to the pleasure of visiting every chance we get… In 1984, one of the saddest days in the history of Howard Payne, the day Old Main burned.  It’s where I had most of my classes in the 1950’s.  So to have the Welcome Center, the front door of the school, with our name on it, with the welcome that we think people are always going to get here, is very special to all of us.”

The Newbury Family Welcome Center will be built on the current green space at the corner of Austin Ave and Center Ave, appropriately the first thing people see when they arrive on the HPU campus.  The space was the location of the Old Main administration and class room building, which burned in 1984.  The new Welcome Center will house the Student Life and Enrollment Management Departments, as well as other facilities.