The fund was created in honor of Dr. Gary McKnight, who spent 30 years instructing and mentoring in the FHU music program before retiring in 2024.
A new endowment has been established at Freed-Hardeman University in honor of a long serving instructor and mentor and his wife. The Gary and Rosemary McKnight Endowment Fund for Music has been created by Dr. McKnight’s former colleagues in gratitude and in honor of his many contributions to the Freed-Hardeman University music program during his 30-year tenure. The endowment will be used to make improvements to the university’s music program, provide resources and scholarships for students, and to support the adoption of new technologies.
According to an article on Freed-Hardeman University’s website, Dr. McKnight was quoted as saying of the endowment set up in his and wife’s honor, “It is very humbling to think someone would want an endowment fund in our names to be included with all of those who have helped students throughout the years. Rosemary and I are excited that there will be another source of help for the music program and its students. It will give the opportunity for other students to experience that special magic that has been part of the choral music program for decades at FHU. I feel there are alumni and friends of the university who are just waiting for this kind of opportunity to help the future Department of Music. The opportunity is here, the time is right, and we are glad we can be a part of it.”
The endowment has been designed with the goal of continuing to expand, improve, and enhance the music department and its offerings. The endowment will make it possible for more things to be accomplished past what the typical department budget would allow for, including providing more scholarships for students to help recruit and retain talented musicians, providing for the adaptation of updated technologies, allowing for more traveling, and opening up the possibilities of official accreditation and improved, expanded program facilities.
Dr. Alan Kinningham, an associate professor of music and the program coordinator, said of the legacy of Dr. McKnight, “Gary has been the face of the music program for many years. Together, he and Rosemary have profoundly impacted generations of students—welcoming them into their home, caring for them and making them part of both their personal family and the FHU extended family. I don’t know that words can describe everything that they have done to positively influence the lives of their students, both on and beyond campus.”
For more information about Freed-Hardeman University, visit the school’s website.