Hooper Conference Room opens doors to Lipscomb history
Chris Pepple |
The Dr. Robert E. and Virginia Hooper Conference Room, located on the ground floor of the Ezell building, opened its doors this summer to serve as a meeting room for small conferences or luncheons. Administrators can bring business and community leaders to the room to discuss future partnerships with our university. Professors can discuss their immediate and long-term goals for their departments. Through visually relaying the story of the history of Lipscomb University, the room inspires visitors to seek a vision for the future and go forward with faith and confidence.
Dr. Robert E. and Bonnie Hooper
The room is named in honor of Dr. Robert Hooper and his first wife, Virginia, who was named a Lipscomb Legend after her death. Dr. Hooper graduated from Lipscomb in 1954. He taught at Lipscomb from 1960 until 1998 and served as the chairman of the department of history, politics and philosophy for thirty of those years. He also worked with Lipscomb athletics and the Bison club. He continues to teach history courses at Lipscomb. His prayer of thankfulness for his time at Lipscomb adorns a wall in the conference room: “Dear gracious God, thank you for giving David Lipscomb and James A. Harding a vision that, today, is Lipscomb University. I’ve been honored to have been a part of Lipscomb for over fifty years. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“Robert and Virginia Hooper were a team. They provided great examples of what it means to live out one’s faith at a Christian University. Their lives at Lipscomb involved not only scholarship and teaching, but also ministry to their students’ intellectual, emotional, and spiritual needs. Together, they sponsored clubs and nurtured students by modeling excellence and Christlikeness. With Dr. Hooper’s role as a faculty member and Mrs. Hooper’s influence through various roles on campus, the Hoopers touched the lives of many. Their love for faculty was as large as their love for students. Together, the Hoopers mentored new faculty members and their families and helped them become part of the Lipscomb family. They had a gift of making everyone feel special and loved. Their impact on Lipscomb community will be felt for generations,” said Craig Bledsoe, Lipscomb's provost, whose quote also adorns on of the conference room walls.
Though the room captures the dedication of the Hoopers, it also does much more than that. The room moves visitors through the history of Lipscomb University. With the theme of dreams discovered, fought for and realized, the photos and quotes in the room take visitors from the hopes and dream of David Lipscomb and James A. Harding to the visions of the faculty and administrators throughout the years.
Robert and Bonnie Hooper, whom he married in June 2005, worked with Advent to design the room. “Bonnie and I decided to tell the story of the school here. It’s a story that needs to be told,” said Robert Hooper.