Howard Payne University invites the public to the groundbreaking for the Newbury Family Welcome Center this Thursday, June 25, at 1:30 p.m. The event will take place at Old Main Park, located near the intersection of Austin Avenue and Center Avenue on the HPU campus. The center is named for the family of Dr. Don Newbury, a 1961 graduate of HPU, president of the university from 1985 to 1997 and current chancellor.
Dr. Newbury and his wife, Brenda, will be attendance at the ceremony with their family. The event will feature remarks from Dr. Newbury, HPU alumni and community leaders, with a public reception held in HPU’s Grace Chapel concluding the festivities. The ceremony will be livestreamed on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hputx.
“When completed, the Newbury Family Welcome Center will be the first building prospective students will visit when they arrive on our campus,” said Dr. Cory Hines, HPU president. “I look forward to celebrating the beginning of construction with our communities and the Newbury family.”
Dr. Newbury is fondly remembered among the HPU family for his friendly personality and leadership displayed throughout his time leading the university. He and his wife, Brenda, were known to frequently open their home to students and university personnel. During his tenure as HPU president, the university added numerous new facilities, including the Mabee University Center, the Mamie D. McCullough Athletic Center and the Thompson Academic Complex, and experienced a major resurgence in student enrollment.
Prior to serving as president at HPU, Dr. Newbury spent much of his career in higher-education leadership roles, including as president of Western Texas College in Snyder (1981-1985) and community relations director at Tarrant County College (1967-1980). He was a member of the Council of Presidents of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and served as the president of the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association and its successor, the American Southwest Conference. He also worked in sports media, hosting radio programs and working as a correspondent for several major Texas newspapers. He has published several books and currently writes a widely published, weekly newspaper column called “The Idle American.”