Purpose is to recognize the generous endowment created for the PAC by local philanthropists Jim and Linda Lee
At its meeting on February 21, the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board gave unanimous approval to name the Performing Arts Center (PAC) on the Prescott Campus in honor of Jim and Linda Lee. The decision to rename the PAC was made to acknowledge the generous endowment recently established by the Lees, which will be exclusively used to ensure the Center’s ongoing sustainability.
Community College Vice President of Community Relations Rodney Jenkins explained that the endowment will ensure that “top of line talent” is brought to the Community through the Performing Arts Center. The College approximates that more than 100,000 attendees now visit the Center every year.
Due to their generous philanthropic contributions to numerous community organizations, Jim and Linda Lee are widely recognized in the greater Prescott area. Among their notable endeavors, they have provided support for the Prescott POPS Symphony Orchestra School Grants, aimed at financing instrumental music in local schools, as well as the annual Music Memory program, benefiting third through fifth graders across the county. Additionally, they have pledged substantial assistance to the Prescott Chorale, which showcases masterpieces by renowned composers, and offer scholarships for eligible students in music and performing arts programs at Yavapai College.
Their contributions resulted in the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium located at the STEM Education Center on the at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Prescott. The 47-foot-diameter dome — the only planetarium north of Phoenix — has become a popular destination for domestic and international visitors.
They are major donors to the Arizona Opera and have underwritten several major opera performances over the years. They also are major supporters of the University of Arizona College of Medicine. They established the Jim and Linda Lee Memorial Endowment for Cardiovascular Disease. The purpose — to benefit the Sarver Heart Center founded at the U of A Medical Center in 1986, and now recognized as one of the world’s leading cardiovascular research institutions.
You may view the announcement made at the Governing Board meeting by clicking here.
Below is a mock-up shown to the Governing Board of how the Center will look once the names are in place.
