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Paris Junior College recently created the Paul Keith Denney Endowment for music student scholarships. Shown at the Music Building presentation are, from left, PJC Institutional Advancement / Alumni Affairs Director Baleigh McCoin, Linda Vandiver, and President Pam Anglin.
Architect and Paris Junior College alumnus and regent Paul Keith Denney passed away on July 18, 2019, after a 16-month battle with brain cancer. Now, thanks to his friend Linda Vandiver, Denney’s musical legacy will live on in an endowment created to award music scholarships to PJC.
“I am so pleased that Linda Vandiver chose to endow this scholarship in Paul Denney’s name,” said PJC President Pam Anglin. “Paul loved Paris Junior College, and having scholarships provided each year in his name will be a legacy honoring his time at PJC as a student and as a Regent.”
Denney graduated from Paris High School and PJC in May 1976, then embarked on a career in architecture after graduating from the University of Texas–Arlington. His first professional job was the Gabbert Building at Paris Junior College. Many buildings in Paris and other cities demonstrate his design gift. They include Love Civic Center, First United Methodist Church Children’s Building and Youth Building, Calvary United Methodist Church’s Glenn and Rona Vickers Multi-Purpose Building. The City of Paris City Council Chambers, Paris Junior College South Campus Residence Hall, and the Liberty Bank Collegiate Drive remodel.
A bit of a loner in both high school and college, Denney became active with the PJC Madrigals group and blossomed, according to Vandiver, sparking a lifelong love of and participation in music. He was cast in several musicals at PJC, including “1776.” Denney was also well known for playing guitar with a popular local band in Paris for many years.
Demonstrating his support of PJC, Denney served on both the Board of Regents and the Alumni & Friends Association Board.
The Paul Keith Denney scholarship is available to music students during the spring semester, which starts Monday, Jan. 11. Criteria include expressed financial need, minimum grade point average of 2.5, and the student must enroll in at least one music class. To apply, go to www.parisjc.edu/scholarships. For more information, call 903-782-0330.