Members of the Wesleyan community celebrated the 70th anniversary of the opening of the Barnard-Jones Administration Building on Sept. 26 with special guests including the Board of Trustees, Leadership Wesleyan students, Jim ’69 and Sandy Jones, and Joe Roop ’56.
KWC arrived in Owensboro from Winchester in 1951, and ground was broken for the Administration Building in December 1952. Construction began in early 1953 and the building opened in September 1954. In 1999, the building was renamed the Barnard-Jones Administration in memory of John “Pete” Barnard, founder of Modern Welding Company, and his grandsons, John Jones ’67 (1943-2011), James Jones ’69 and Leland Jones ’70 (1946-2017).
Joe Roop ’56 was a student from 1952-1956 and later dean of students. He eloquently shared memories of his years on campus and his love and appreciation for his alma mater.