Fayetteville Couple Pledges Gift to Walton College Graduate Building

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Gregory W. and Hannah F. Lee of Fayetteville have made a $250,000 gift to the Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas, which will enhance both undergraduate and graduate education.

The Lees have made a pledge toward the construction of Willard J. Walker Hall, the college’s graduate education building. The Gregory W. and Hannah F. Lee Classroom will be named in honor of their gift.

Walton College Dean Doyle Z. Williams said, “We are very grateful to the Lees for their support of this important building. Walker Hall is going to help the college advance and become more nationally competitive in graduate business education as it has become at the undergraduate level. The new building will also help accommodate future growth of enrollment and programs in the Walton College.”

In April 2003, the Walton College announced plans for a new graduate education building to be constructed northeast of the Business Building. The building will be named for the late Willard Walker, in honor of his success in retail management with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. At the time, the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation pledged $8 million for the construction of the building. The building will showcase technology-enhanced teaching classrooms and student learning spaces, student team rooms, project rooms for industry partnering, a financial markets trading room, and two research centers. The excavation for the building began in spring 2005, and construction will begin in the summer. Walker Hall is being designed by Machado and Silvetti Associates Inc. of Boston and Allison Architects Inc. of Little Rock.

G. David Gearhart, vice chancellor for University Advancement, said: “We’d like to thank Greg and Hannah for their generosity and leadership in helping the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century edge closer to our $900 million goal and our $300 million Challenge goal. The Willard J. Walker Hall will be an impressive facility — one that you’d expect to find on a nationally competitive campus — thanks to the support from benefactors who share this vision for the University of Arkansas.”

Greg Lee is an alumnus of the Walton College, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in marketing in 1970. After working for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Swift and Company, he joined Tyson Foods in 1980. Since that time, he has served Tyson in a variety of positions in sales, marketing, operations and general management. He currently serves as chief administrative officer and international president. Lee is past chairman of the board of the International Food Service Manufacturer's Association, a member of the Tyson de Mexico board, and a member and past chairman of the National Chicken Council. He currently serves on the Walton College Dean's Executive Advisory Board.

Hannah Lee is also an alumna of the University of Arkansas and a member of the UA Chancellor’s Society, the Women’s Giving Circle and the 125 Circle. She is an Arkansas Alumni House Wall of Honor donor. She is past president of the board of trustees for the Arkansas Baptist Children’s Homes and Family Ministries. She is currently president of the Cooperative Emergency Outreach, a coalition of 19 area churches providing emergency assistance to the needy. In January, she became a member of the board of the Washington Regional Medical Center Foundation. She also serves on the board of Life Styles Inc.

Both Hannah and Greg are supporters of the Botanical Garden Society of Arkansas. The Lees have two children, Corie Lee Lyall of Springdale, and Judson Lee, B.A.’02, of Los Angeles.

The $300 Million Challenge total stands at $895 million and the overall Campaign total stands at $273 million as of March 31, 2005.