Legacy of Sybil, Don Harrington Celebrated in New Installation by WT Artists

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

Immersive look at ‘The Foundations of Amarillo’ set for Oct. 13 in WT’s Buffalo Vision

CANYON, Texas — The birthday of one of the Texas Panhandle’s most significant philanthropists will be celebrated with an immersive viewing of a new art installation built in her honor.

Dr. Sybil B. Harrington—who, with husband Don, would become one of the country’s most generous supporters of the arts, healthcare, education and more throughout her lifetime—would have celebrated her 118th birthday on Oct. 13.

In her honor, West Texas A&M University’s Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities will celebrate its recent installation of “The Foundations of Amarillo” with an immersive demonstration in Buffalo Vision: The Frontier of Learning, WT’s award-winning 280-degree virtual reality lab in the Geneva Schaeffer Education Building on WT’s Canyon campus.

The event is set for 3 to 4 p.m. Oct. 13. Remarks will begin at 3:30 p.m.

The installation at the Amarillo Area Foundation offices, 919 S. Polk St. in Amarillo, is a series of carved-relief panels created by WT students and faculty, completed in January.

They pay homage to such regional landmarks as Palo Duro Canyon and the Helium Monument, as well as Amarillo’s deep ties to Route 66, the Art Deco details on many Amarillo buildings, and the region’s flora and fauna.

The artworks were manufactured with a computer numerical control, or CNC, machine which precisely carves materials including wood, plastic and metal.

“We did the equivalent of 10 murals produced with a CNC machine using a nontraditional mural method—woodcut relief,” said Jon Revett, head of WT’s Department of Art, Theatre and Dance. “I gave our students a lecture about the history of the region, and the 18-month project taught them to think and to solve design problems and production issues in real time, as well as giving them hands-on experience that will serve them in their future careers.”

The project was instigated by the late Clay Stribling, then the president and CEO of the Amarillo Area Foundation. Stribling was a 1988 WT graduate who was named a Distinguished Alumnus in 2024. He died in December 2024, and his successor, Keralee Clay, continued to shepherd the project with Revett and the program’s faculty and students.

“I love that this project connects so many pieces of our story,” Clay said. “(Stribling) was especially excited about collaborating with WT students. He never saw this as simply an art project; he wanted the process itself to be an educational opportunity, giving students real-world experience while creating something that tells the story of the place and people we serve. To now celebrate their work on Sybil’s birthday feels especially fitting. Her love of the arts, education, and the Texas Panhandle are all woven into this project.”

With gifts totaling more than $10 million, Sybil B. Harrington and The Don & Sybil Harrington Foundation are collectively the third-largest giver to the University.

An Amarillo native, Harrington was the granddaughter of Amarillo pioneers Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Hughes and the daughter of Frank and Roxy Buckingham. In 1935, she married Donald D. Harrington, who earned a fortune in the Texas oil and gas industry.

The Harringtons supported a wide swath of the visual and performing arts, including support for the Amarillo Symphony, the Lone Star Ballet production of “The Nutcracker” and the musical drama “Texas” in Palo Duro Canyon.

According to the Amarillo Area Foundation, “the Harrington name became synonymous with every successful charitable and cultural endeavor throughout the Texas Panhandle.”

The Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities was named in her honor in 1989, and in 1994, she was given WT’s first honorary doctorate degree.

Sybil B. Harrington died Sept. 17, 1998.

In addition to Revett, art faculty members who contributed to the project were Anna Lemnitzer, the Doris Alexander Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts; and Younus Nomani, assistant professor of graphic design.

Students and former students included Tasia Brown, a 2026 graduate from Amarillo; Adrian Eidsmoe, a graduate student in studio art from Tucumcari, New Mexico; Chance Neese, a graduate student in studio art from Amarillo; Kara Speedy, a 2026 graduate from Amarillo; Alexis Talavera, a graduate student in studio art from Amarillo; Phuc Truong, a graduate student in studio art from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Catherine Vo, a 2026 graduate from Amarillo; and Kenedy Wheeler, a graduate student in studio art from Flower Mound.

About West Texas A&M University

West Texas A&M University is a Regional Research University in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of about 9,000 and offers multiple options for students to graduate and succeed: 65 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 41 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and three doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference; WT offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.