Contact: Maridith Geuder
A $250,000 gift from Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. "Tex" Ritter Jr. will fund a conference room in the new 34,000 square-foot alumni and foundation center at Mississippi State University.
The Ritter Conference Room will be located in the MSU Foundation's wing of the facility. The Kosciusko couple's commitment is among more than $6 million in contributions received to date for the $8 million Hunter Henry Center.
Construction work soon will begin on the Foil Wyatt Architects-designed facility to be located on the western edge of campus at the intersection of Barr Avenue and University Drive. Foil Wyatt is based in Jackson.
Named for the 1950 MSU graduate, Canton native and retired Dow Chemical USA president, the Henry center also will house offices, a 400-seat capacity ballroom, an additional conference room in the Alumni Association wing, four meeting rooms, and a centralized area for donor recognition.
"We envision the building as a drawing card for the university and a way of bringing together common interests and activities," said Dennis A. Prescott, MSU vice president for external affairs.
Ritter, former president and chief executive officer of the Kosciusko-based Attala Co., is a 1956 MSU agriculture graduate. He and his wife Carolyn are major MSU supporters and members of the MSU Foundation's Stephen D. Lee Society.
Named for the university's first president, the Lee Society originally was designated as the highest-level donor group and recognizes lifetime support from $500,000-$999,999.
For more information about the Henry Center or the Ritter gift, telephone Amy Cagle of the MSU Foundation at (662) 325-1006.