Friday, April 2, 2004
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Friday, April 2, 2004 |
| Arts center opens to wide acclaim By JOHN THOMPSON Coweta County’s brand new arts center opened to a series of oohs and ahhs last night. The facilty, which was paid for by SPLOST funds, is on Lower Fayetteville Road, and features a unique East Coweta twist. Officials at The Centre for the Performing and Visual Arts announced a grand piano would grace the stage. The piano is in memory of a local citizen who loved theatre, art, his community and his family. The family of the late Tom McKeehan of Senoia donated the nine-foot Steinway piano to the facility. McKeehan spent a number of his years in New York City and was an avid lover of the arts. “I think it is very appropriate that Tom McKeehan is honored in this way,” said arts center coordinator Don Nixon. “As I have learned about Tom and his support of community and creating beauty, I think it is very appropriate that the symbol that will now mark his life will for years create beauty for the children and citizens of this community.” The actual piano for the Centre will purchased from the Steinway Company in New York. However, a comparable piano has been delivered by Steinway to the Centre for its use during its opening and until the actual piano is acquired. “The most exciting thing about this gift is that this is the highest-quality handmade piano available,” said Nixon. “It is made here in the United States, and all the major concert artists of the world prefer and request to be able to perform on this instrument of quality. For us to be able to provide for our students that excellence of sound is extraordinary and unthinkable only a short time ago,” he said. “We will have the opportunity to expose our students throughout their educational experience with the best there is to offer.” Residents milled around the 999-seat, 46,000-square-foot center all day Thursday and turned out in force for its gala performances last night. McKeehan was a resident of Senoia at the time of his death last September. McKeehan was a local legend in Senoia and donated much of his time and money to local causes. He was one of the driving factors behind Senoia’s annual Progressive Dinner, and his home on Pylant Street was usually the site of the dinner’s main course. He also donated benches to the city of Senoia, and planted trees in the Senoia’s park after the bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma City. McKeehan’s estate included a charitable trust, managed by the Bank of New York. The Bank was given sole discretion to designate the charitable beneficiaries. McKeehan’s sister and executrix, Bobbie Thomas, and the Newnan attorney, Leah Sumner, asked the Bank to make a charitable grant in McKeehan's memory that would allow purchase of the piano. When told of the bank's decision, Thomas said of her brother, “I know Tom has on his wings and is smiling down on us.”
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