JU Swisher Theatre To Become Great Public Venue: Key People Thanked at Dedication

February 1, 2007

L to R: Ben Wilson, Kerry Romesburg, Tim Mann, J.T. Ryan, III, Michael Cascone, Terence Netter, and Preston Haskell at dedication.

Jacksonville, Fla. – When Jacksonville University held its dedication ceremony on January 31 for the newly renovated Swisher Theatre, it would be an understatement to say that gratitude filled the air.

JU President Kerry Romesburg said the theatre had been a “long time in coming” and that only through the help of key donors was the goal of opening the theatre achieved. “In a private institution, something this big can’t be done without the charitable benefit of donors,” said Romesburg.

After thanking the JU Board of Trustees and acknowledging Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne, Chancellor Emeritus of JU, for all of her efforts, Bill Hill, dean of the College of Fine Arts, recognized key donors. Tim Mann and J. Thomas Ryan, III, former and current presidents of Swisher International Group, Inc., respectively, were among those being recognized. Hill said Mann was pivotal in getting the project off the ground.

Raymond and Minerva Mason who could not attend, but were represented by their son Raymond Mason, Jr., were also recognized, along with Preston Haskell of the Haskell Company, the design-build team for the facility. Michael Cascone; former Dean of the College of Fine Arts, Terence Netter; and Ben Wilson, professor of Theatre at JU, were also honored.

When Haskell took the microphone, he commented, “I had a lot of fun working with three individuals: Dean Netter had the vision and was responsible for early fundraising; Kerry Romesburg provided the critical leadership and financial resources to move forward; and Ben Wilson was the real brains behind this project.”

Haskell said the facility is state-of-the-art, and will allow JU to recruit and retain the best faculty and students. “It is first and foremost a teaching and learning facility, but it will become a great venue for the public. It will serve JU—whose standards are and always have been so high—for many years to come,” he added.

Netter, who currently resides in France and is Dean Emeritus of JU, spearheaded the project from the beginning, and said, “Emotionally, I’m very, very moved that this has actually happened. I want to thank Kerry.”

Swisher Seedling by Dana Chapman Tupa.

Contributors received a beautiful handmade piece of art created by Dana Chapman Tupa, chair of the Visual Arts. According to the artist, the “Swisher Seedling” symbolizes the important and powerful collaboration between the seeds of the Fine Arts academic program with the concrete infrastructure of philanthropic corporations and individuals, who have come together to restore the Swisher Theatre as a haven for tomorrow’s leaders.

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