Guests and students were invited to join the Student Government Association in formally dedicating the Evans memorial Bench, in memory of former First Lady Nancy Evans, at the John Gray pond, Tuesday.
To honor Evans, SGA partnered with the Lamar Foundation to create a memorial that would last for years to come.
SGA president, Madison Marino, worked closely with Nancy Evans and said she is thankful she was able to give back to Lamar.
“We were so thankful to be able to pull all of this together with the help of student engagement and all the other administrators — we had the Lamar Foundation sponsor the bench for us,” she said.
Evans was known for her mission to make Lamar a beautiful place for the students to enjoy and took special interest in the John Gray pond, Marino said.
“We wanted something that the students could easily access, and something that would let students look over the area that she had a touch on — beautification wise — for the university,” she said. “We felt like since she had such a great hand in the beautification of John Gray pond, we thought that this would be a great place to have a memorial.”
Nancy Evans was no stranger to the students at Lamar and would regularly host meetings and events in her home.
“It’s just a really special event,” Marino said. “I worked closely with Mrs. Evans over the past couple of years, being a senior, and being around her for the past four years, she has really touched me in a lot of ways.
“She would open up her home for Cardinal Conversations and student ambassadors, so it just meant a lot to me to be able to do something, even if it is just a small amount, on behalf of the students to represent her and her legacy.”
Marino said the bench represents Evans’ work and all the hearts she touched during her time at Lamar.
“Maybe you didn’t know her personally, but if you want to just come out and kind of reflect on some of the work she did you can,” she said. “The Evans’ have really devoted their lives to making LU’s mission come true and change the lives of students.”