Houston gift funds theater sound system upgrade

houston

Ron Houston

Performances in Northwest Missouri State University’s Mary Linn Auditorium have never sounded so good. At least not for a long time.

The sound system in the auditorium, the Performing Art Center’s primary stage space, has been in dire need of repair and upgrades. A $10,000 gift from Maryville resident Ron Houston recently made these improvements possible.

A portion of Houston’s gift was used to hire an audio engineer who troubleshot the sound system in the 24-year-old auditorium, which seats 1,100 and is frequently used for both student and professional plays, concerts, ballets, musicals and lectures.

Following the engineer’s recommendation, Northwest purchased four new floor monitors, a new equalizer and two new compressor/limiters. In addition, the high frequency diaphragm was replaced in the auditorium’s center speaker cluster.

Randy Wolf, a 1990 Northwest alumnus and now a vice president with Vista Productions, returned to his alma mater to install the new sound gear and accompanying computer software. He also provided training for Northwest personnel and students.

Shawn Wake, the Performing Arts Center’s technical director and performance facilities manager, said the gift also allowed for the purchase of a wireless headset system that makes it possible for stagehands to communicate with each other without being tethered by an audio cable.

Houston, a former member of the Northwest Foundation Board of Directors, is president of the J.L. Houston Co. in Hopkins, where he has worked since 1967. He attended Northwest from 1960 to 1963 before transferring to the University of Missouri-Columbia and earning a degree in industrial engineering.

In addition to his involvement at Northwest, Houston is active with the Maryville Industrial Development Corp. and the Steel Tank Institute.

For more information about supporting Northwest or the University’s Department of Communication, Theatre and Languages, e-mail Teresa Macias at teresa@nwmissouri.edu or call 660.562.1248.

For more information, please contact:

Mitzi Lutz, Advancement Communications Specialist
Office of University Advancement
Northwest Missouri State University
800 University Dr., Alumni House
Maryville, MO 64468
mitzi@nwmissouri.edu
660.562.1248 (phone)
660.562.1990 (fax)
www.nwmissouri.edu/alumni

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