Lovelady Named PPHM Director
Carol Lovelady Named Director at PPHM
CANYON, Texas—Dr. Walter Wendler, president of West Texas A&M University, has announced that Carol Lovelady of Amarillo is the new director of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum (PPHM). She will begin her duties immediately.
Lovelady has served as the museum’s interim director since mid-May, filling the position vacated by Guy “Cliff” Vanderpool, who left in late April to take a position at the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth.
“We conducted a careful review of a number of very qualified candidates,” Wendler said. “Carol Lovelady rose to the top of the list as a person with tremendous interest in the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and its continued development as a strong partner with West Texas A&M University. I am pleased that she has accepted our offer, and she will begin work immediately in charting a course for continued progress.”
As director, Lovelady will oversee all aspects of the museum’s operations. She will continue to build on the museum’s reputation as well as the visitor base to share the cultural heritage of the Texas Panhandle through its extensive collections, innovative exhibitions and educational programming. Lovelady also will explore fund-raising opportunities and facility enhancements while working with the museum’s board of trustees and West Texas A&M University to develop a strategic plan to meet the needs of PPHM through 2025.
“I am thrilled to be selected director of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum,” Lovelady said. “As the new director of Texas’ largest history museum, I look back to Hattie Anderson, who founded the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society in 1921. She was a woman of vision, commitment and energy. It is an honor to follow in her footsteps 96 years later.
“Like Hattie, I too have a vision for the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum. I see the museum in partnership with West Texas A&M University, reaching out into the Panhandle, collecting and sharing the stories of the people—from the first residents to the newest residents. I am committed to this area. My grandmother came to Amarillo in 1901, and my family has been here since. That’s 116 years. This is where I belong. I am proud to be associated with the museum and the University. I am excited, and I am energized.”
She brings almost 20 years of experience with PPHM to the position. She has served on the board of trustees for 12 years under two directors. She also served as the board president and as a member of several committees including a turn as the chair of the strategic planning committee. As interim, Lovelady quickly stepped in and facilitated acquisitions for the museum’s collection, prepared the Legislative Appropriation Request and launched a fund-raising campaign.
Her interests and volunteer work extend well beyond the museum. The Amarillo native and 1974 graduate of Tascosa High School is devoted to her hometown and volunteers her time and energy to everything from Llano Cemetery to the Presbyterian Home for Children. She is a member of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities Advisory Council at WTAMU and the Arts Committee of the Amarillo Convention and Visitors Council. Other community activities include the Amarillo College Foundation, board of the Amarillo College Children’s Theatre and the Amarillo Hospital District Board of Directors.
In 2014, the Amarillo Globe-News recognized her dedication to the Amarillo community by naming her the AGN Media Woman of the Year in recognition of her leadership, philanthropy and community service.
Lovelady graduated from Baylor University with a B.A. in journalism and earned a master’s degree in advertising from Syracuse University. She has worked at the Amarillo Globe-News, the old High Plains Baptist Hospital and KACV-TV. She is married to Sam Lovelady and they have two children, Patrick and Lizzie.