The Mayfield Family
Clarice Baggett, Scottie Mayfield and Elaine Cathcart remember their mother, Muriel Mayfield, integrating art into aspects of everyday life, from gardening to picking out clothes.
“I felt like mom lived an art-filled life,” Ms. Baggett said. “Everything from how she designed her flower beds outside to how she decorated her home.
She was always doing some sort of craft. She lived in a way that she showed appreciation for the arts in every part of her life, even in how she dressed. She would say art helps you see the world in a different way and helps you see the beauty in the small things.”
To honor their mother and the love of art, Baggett, Mayfield and Cathcart, along with the C.S. and Muriel Mayfield Family Foundation, have pledged a gift of $50,000 to Tennessee Wesleyan’s Proud Heritage, Strong Future Campaign. The gift will be used in the renovation of Reece Hall (the Old Federal/Post Office Building on Jackson Street), where an art gallery will be named in honor of Muriel Mayfield.
“It’s something we can do to honor her in a way that will carry her memory forward and help remind others how she impacted the community in so many ways,” Baggett said. “Mom and Dad both felt education was an opportunity given to people that no one could ever take away from them. Their instilling the importance of education in us made us give this [contribution] great consideration. We also wanted to support the arts as such an integral part of the education process.”
In addition to honoring their mother and sharing her love of art with the community, they wanted to support Tennessee Wesleyan as an important community institution. All three grew up in Athens, seeing the impact the college has on the community and the economy.
“Our community has a number of important heartbeats, and I think Tennessee Wesleyan is one of the strongest,” Mr. Mayfield said. “The strength and vibrancy of this community is, in part, because of Tennessee Wesleyan. I see that continuing at a higher level; that’s exciting.”
The family’s contribution to Reece Hall will help with the renovations currently underway in the building. Reece Hall, which is expected to open this fall, will house the visual art program and the communication studies program, as well as the Muriel Mayfield Art Gallery.
“The whole family, Scottie, Elaine and myself, feel like Tennessee Wesleyan has been an integral part of stability and enhancement in our community, from educating people locally to bringing in people from other countries,” Baggett said. “We’ve seen Tennessee Wesleyan continue to grow and try to stay up with the times and grow different degree programs to offer to students. We wanted to back Tennessee Wesleyan in its efforts to continue to grow and offer those opportunities to students.”
The Proud Heritage, Strong Future Campaign at Tennessee Wesleyan College will accelerate change and improvements outlined in the college’s strategic plan. This $16 million campaign has four funding priorities that will help the college move to another level of excellence: annual fund support, student scholarships, academic support, and facility enhancements, including the construction of a new 30,000 square foot campus center. For additional information about how you can support the college during this campaign, please contact the Advancement Office at (423) 746-5330.