Pattersons bring Parker Auditorium back to life with business and entrepreneur center
The opening of the Hanover College Business and Entrepreneur Center and resurrection of Parker Auditorium was celebrated by alumni and the campus community during an Oct. 17 dedication ceremony. The event was held as part of the College’s 98th-annual homecoming festivities.
The creation of the business and entrepreneur center was made possible through the initiative and generosity of Vance Patterson ’72 and his wife, Mary Jo Cody Patterson ’75. The couple’s seven-figure gift transformed the ground floor of Parker Auditorium into a state-of-the-art business-centric learning environment.
“This building isn’t just beautiful, it’s intentional,” said John Riddick ’87, executive director and professor of business. “Every detail was designed to spark collaboration, to create energy, to remind our students that business isn’t something you just study, it’s something you do. Here, ideas collide naturally.”
In the fall of 2022, the Pattersons expressed an interest in funding the construction of an enhanced center for the business department with 4-6 classrooms. Hanover President Lake Lambert suggested the possibility of remodeling Parker Auditorium, which had been closed for nearly a decade.
“My first response was, no, it’s not what I had in mind,” stated Vance Patterson. “And then we got to thinking about it. This is the Hanover icon. And to be a part of it, to help restore it and get it back to what it was – being a feature of the campus – Mary Jo and I decided this is really an opportunity for us. So, we agreed.”
Designed by SPGB Architects, LLC (SPGB), the modern 8,000-square-foot, glass-walled facility encompasses Parker Auditorium’s entire lower level. The space includes experience-specific classrooms modeled after board rooms, modular workstations and conference rooms. A real-time, scrolling stock ticker and newsfeed swirls around the centrally located rotunda between the classrooms. Dedicated areas are also available for graphic design, social media and audio-visual recording.
“The space is beautiful and impressive,” said Chris Welker ’97, vice chair of the Hanover Board of Trustees. “Vance and Mary Jo’s vision and care are evident from the advanced technology to the smallest details inside.”
Not just for the College’s business-oriented students, the Hanover Business and Entrepreneur Center and all of its resources are also available for other academic disciplines.
“Faculty, alumni and students now share one space and one purpose, to think boldly and to act with impact,” noted Riddick. “That’s really the power of space. It shapes how we think, how we interact and, ultimately, how we lead.”
“As many of you know, Parker Auditorium has stood empty for longer than anyone wanted,” said Carey Adams, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “Vance and Mary Jo Patterson have breathed new life into the ground floor of this beloved building through their vision and their generosity.”
The late Gerald R. “Jerry” Johnson, Jr. ’69 was honored as namesake of the business center’s faculty offices, dedicated during an Oct. 18 ceremony. Johnson, a former member of the board of trustees and cherished campus leader – together with his wife, Elizabeth “Betsy” Milligan Johnson ’70 – were passionate advocates for Hanover’s business students.
Riddick, acknowledging the vast contributions of the Johnsons, directed his comments toward Betsy Johnson during the event. He stated, “Your late husband, Jerry Johnson, my mentor, played such an instrumental role in strengthening business education at Hanover. Your recent gift furnishing the office suite in the new center ensures that his legacy, and your shared commitment to our students, will live on in this space every single day.”
With the business program now residing within its immaculate ground-level home, plans are developing to revitalize the upper floors of Parker Auditorium. SPGB has created a new vision for the auditorium and its adjacent spaces, which is slated to house the College’s theatre program and also serve as a venue for a variety of campus and community events.
Once donor funding is secured, the auditorium will be renovated to feature a new stage and rehearsal spaces with reimagined tiered and balcony seating. Plans also include an expansion of set-building and wardrobe shops, as well as prop storage, an elevator and wheelchair-accessible entrances.
“The renovation of the upper floor of Parker is our next big step and this [business] center demonstrates what is possible when vision, generosity and purpose come together,” noted Adams.
“Well, this is really just the beginning,” added Patterson. “We provided a foundation for growth now. And Mary Jo and I are really going to be interested in coming back and seeing what you all have done with this.”
