Wiley College will honor one of its most illustrious alums when the school dedicates a residence hall in his honor Friday, Nov. 6 at 11 a.m.

The formal dedication will be at the former Grove Gardens Nursing Home, 509 S. Grove St., in honor of Jack Ingram, who served on the Wiley board of trustees for many years before dying in January 2009. A community reception will immediately follow the ceremony.

Ingram was a huge proponent of higher level education, according to a Wiley press release.

"I think it's a very exciting time for the college, especially when you have a trustee who was very much involved in the project in terms of the purchase of the building," said Administrative Services Executive Director Ivan White Jr., who's involved in many of the construction and renovation projects on campus. "I think it's a focal point for seeing how committed people are for this college."

Wiley officials acquired the nursing home in early November 2008 and began refurbishing the facility later that month — opening a section for female students on campus to live in while renovation efforts continued on other parts of the building.

Efforts to refurbish the home, which had been vacant for more than two years before Wiley acquired it, were extensive, as officials repainted the entire building, added new light fixtures and air conditioning units, built new shower units and repaired other structures that had deteriorated, White said.

School officials plan to do "other work" in the future, including building a fence on the south side of the home.

The home initially was acquired as a means to tackle the school's increase in enrollment as the student population swelled past 1,000 students. The campus did not have enough room to accommodate some of the students.

The college continues to contend with this issue as many students continue to reside in hotels off campus.

White said preliminary plans are in place to build a new residence hall. However, the plan would have to be looked at and approved by the board.

White said the J. Jack Ingram Residence Hall has 88 rooms and can house 150 students.

The dormitory is strictly for female students.

"This facility is just another sign of the growth that Wiley is experiencing," said White. "Hopefully, the local community will see the advancement and the progress that Wiley is making."

Ingram, a native of Port Arthur, graduated from Wiley College in 1942 and joined the Wiley board in 1997. At Wiley, Ingram majored in economics and statistics. He earned his juris doctorate degree from Washington College of Law at American University, according to a Wiley press release.

The Wiley alum also served his country.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army and spent the majority of his service in the Normandy Base Section, ETOUSA, where he received a direct appointment as second lieutenant until he was discharged in 1946.

When he returned from service, Ingram went to work for the U.S. Bureau of the Census where he remained until retiring in 1975 as deputy to the assistant director for Demographic Fields. He took graduate courses in mathematics and statistics while at the Census Bureau, the press release states.

During his tenure, Ingram served as statistical advisor to the governments of Liberia, Sierra Leone, Chile, Costa Rica and Colombia. Upon his retirement, he and his wife moved to Mexico where they lived for thirty years.

The community is invited to attend the dedication. For more information, contact Karen Helton at 903-927-3369 or Tangela Morgan at 903-927-3201.