Northwest breaks ground on Gaunt House patio extension honoring former president, first lady

The family of the late Dr. Dean L. Hubbard gathered Wednesday to break ground for the Dr. Dean L. and Aleta Hubbard Hearth and Fireplace at the Thomas Gaunt House. Pictured left to right are daughter-in-law Barbara Hubbard, daughter Joy Crimmins, daughter Melody Messner, former first lady Aleta Hubbard and granddaughter Alexa Crimmins, with Northwest's current first lady Jill Tatum and President Dr. Lance Tatum. (Photo by Lilly Cook/Northwest Missouri State University)

The Northwest Missouri State University community gathered Wednesday morning to celebrate the legacy of the institution’s longest-serving president and first lady, while setting a welcoming place for future hospitality, stewardship and building relationships.

Family of Dr. Dean L. Hubbard, Northwest’s ninth president who died in March, joined Dr. Lance and Jill Tatum, the University’s current president and first lady, to break ground for the Dr. Dean L. and Aleta Hubbard Hearth and Fireplace at the Thomas Gaunt House.

With funding provided through a multi-year gift from the Hubbard family, Northwest is constructing an outdoor fireplace that will extend the patio at the historic residence, matching the home’s brick exterior and architectural style.

“It’s going to be much more than just brick and mortar,” President Tatum said to a crowd of Northwest faculty and staff gathered for the event. “It’s going to stand as a tribute to the years of service and to the years of impact that the Hubbards have had on Northwest Missouri State University. The Hubbards always led with grace, vision, compassion, and much like the fireplace will do for the years to come, its presence will warm this patio as the Hubbards warmed this campus.”

Tatum added, “It will be a place where stories will be told and shared. It will be a place where friendships will be kindled, and it will be a place where the Bearcat family spirit will be kept alive.”

The rendering above shows the Dr. Dean L. and Aleta Hubbard Hearth and Fireplace constructed as an extension to the east side of the patio at Northwest's historic Thomas Gaunt House.

Mike Johnson and Aleta Hubbard reflected during Wednesday’s groundbreaking ceremony on the Hubbards’ time living in the Gaunt House and their desire to build relationships there. (Photo by Lilly Cook/Northwest Missouri State University)

Wednesday’s event also included a conversation between Aleta Hubbard, who served as Northwest’s first lady from 1984 to 2009, and Mike Johnson, the vice president for university advancement and executive director of the Northwest Foundation Inc.

Together, they recounted how the idea for the space came to fruition when President Tatum and Johnson visited the Hubbards in February at their home in Kansas City, Missouri. Dean Hubbard was fond of sharing conversations around “a good fire,” and he had one going that day.

Aleta Hubbard emphasized her and her late husband’s desire to build relationships, particularly with donors, to help advance the institution. Often, the Hubbards did that on the Gaunt House patio.

“There’s something so interesting about eating outside, sitting outside, and the idea that we’re going to have a fireplace where people can come together and socialize – and the fact that it’s going to be a fireplace so that it’s warm – will extend the usability of this place,” Aleta said, referring to the Hubbard Hearth and Fireplace as an additional room at the Gaunt House. “What we’re doing today and on, for this project, is very, very important for the University, for the fundraising, for the friendships and for memories.”

Addressing the project further, President Tatum said Northwest anticipates the Hubbard Hearth and Fireplace to be completed in time for the University’s Homecoming activities in October, with a dedication to be scheduled at that time.

He also acknowledged the removal of some trees and foliage surrounding the Gaunt House in recent months as a way of making the residence more visible to the campus community and for the patio to serve as “a connection point to everyone that walks on campus.”

“We want it to be inviting, and we want it to be a place for people to feel comfortable to interact with us,” President Tatum said.

He added, “There was great vision for those who were before us and how this home was used and the things that they put into place. We really feel like this is just a small contribution for our period here.”

The Thomas Gaunt House, located on Fourth Street at the south edge of the University campus, was built during the 1870s and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It has served as a residence for Northwest presidents since the institution’s founding in 1905.

Northwest faculty and staff gathered with the Tatum and Hubbard families on the patio of the Gaunt House after Wednesday's groundbreaking ceremony. (Photo by Lilly Cook/Northwest Missouri State University)