Graceland University Breaks Ground on $14 Million Project

Submitted by Randy Meline

JR Shaw, Graceland Class of 1956, his wife Carol, and the Shaw family, have presented Graceland with a tremendous gift that will fund the transformational work on the Shaw Center during the next 14 months.

Graceland President John Sellars, along with Board of Trustees Chair Ken McClain, and many members of the Board in town for Commencement and a board meeting, shared in the historic Friday afternoon ceremonies that included testimony by grateful students and a dazzling musical number by Maestro Jack Ergo (who later that evening presented a one-man piano concert – Rhapsody in Blue – the last in the Shaw Center for more than a year) and sophomore singing sensation Angela Jensen.

Visual Art Professor Rob Stephens and English Professor Brian White had created a film documenting history of the Shaw Center, and more importantly, what our regional performing arts hub has meant to the community, and generations of students, and all Gracelanders. The excellent film was both a tribute to the Shaw family and a celebration of how the world-class facility has transformed students’ lives for 30 years.

ShawCenterGroundbreaking1 — Graceland University President John Sellars, Community of Christ President Steve Veazey, Carol Shaw, Graceland Board of Trustees Chair Ken McClain, and JR Shaw break ground Friday, May 13, for the $13.8 million Shaw Center expansion on Graceland’s Lamoni campus. The Shaw family, from Calgary, Ontario, funded construction of the original Shaw Center for the Performing Arts in 1982, and now continues their Graceland legacy with the largest single gift in Graceland history. JR Shaw is a 1956 Graceland alumnus. The 14-month project will transform the entire front section of the Shaw Center, creating a new black-box theatre, a new 150-seat recital hall, an exterior seating area, a stunning new atrium/lobby and gathering area and a long, north-facing corridor/art gallery. The center of Graceland’s campus will now be pedestrian only.

When President Sellars announced the gift, the Shaws received a thunderous, standing ovation. Both JR and Carol spoke to the audience, Carol recounting the family’s great fortune in life and speaking eloquently of the responsibility that comes with such a fortune. JR spoke forcefully of the years he worked with Graceland administration and architects to fine-tune his vision, and his family’s vision, of how a transformed Shaw Center would look and function. His was a speech full of emotion that resonated with many Gracelanders in attendance, including former presidents Bill and Barbara Higdon.

Professor Emeritus Oliver ‘Ollie’ Houston played a rousing piece on our famous Casavant organ, a fitting final performance for the mighty Casavant until the construction is complete. Houston retired in 2005 after 48 years teaching at Graceland. Ollie and the Casavant were like a single instrument, booming a powerful, joyful celebration of history throughout the Shaw Center auditorium. The Casavant organ was a gift from the Shaw family in 1995. Community of Christ President Steve Veazey, among other dignitaries, was on hand to celebrate the occasion with a speech commemorating the Shaw Center’s importance over the years.