A local architectural firm has pledged $60,000 to Pellissippi State’s capital campaign to build a new science and math center at the community college’s Hardin Valley campus.
BarberMcMurry Architects and the family of Curtis and Aneisa Rolen made the combined pledge to PSCC in memory of former BMA partners Robert C. Parrott and David L. Wooley.
Both men chaired Pellissippi State Foundation’s Board of Trustees at different times, and Chuck V. Griffin, BarberMcMurry’s current president and CEO, is the 2019-20 chair of the board. Griffin joined the firm in 1983 and has been a partner-in-charge since 1995.
“I’ve always been personally proud to work for a firm that invests so much in young people,” Griffin said. “BarberMcMurry has been a part of this community for over 100 years, so it’s an honor to be able to give back a portion of the blessings we’ve received to Pellissippi State, which will use these funds to teach our next generation.”
Mr. Parrott was president of BarberMcMurry from 1978 to 2000, joining the firm after serving three years as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He directed design projects at Pellissippi State, including that of the Educational Resources Center on the community college’s Hardin Valley campus. He also served on advisory boards of the University of Tennessee and Fort Sanders School of Nursing.
Mr. Wooley was partner at BarberMcMurry from 1980 to 2009, receiving a Distinguished Service Award from the Pellissippi State Foundation in 2008. He was a professor of architecture at the University of Tennessee for more than a decade. Additionally, he retained a lifelong involvement with his alma mater, Mississippi State University.
Heather Beck is communications manager for BarberMcMurry Architects.