KEARNEY – The University of Nebraska at Kearney celebrated the opening of the Bess Furman Armstrong Hall with a ribbon cutting Feb. 2.
The 41,000 square foot facility was built as part of a $32.65 million project, that replaced the former fraternity and sorority.
The fraternity, Martin Hall, reopened in Jan. 2023.
Attendees had an opportunity to take tours and see the new space. The hall features study rooms, living pods, lounge areas, a kitchen space, a large laundry room, and more. The building will house Panhellenic sororities Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Phi, Alpha Xi Delta and Gamma Phi .
In addition, the building also includes chapter rooms and a shared lounge for UNK’s multicultural chapters – the Sigma Lambda Gamma and Lambda Theta Nu sororities and Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity.
Following the attendees heard from speakers UNK Chancellor Doug Kristensen, Diana Armstrong, daughter-in-law of the late Bess Furman Armstrong, President of Alpha Omicron Pi and former president of the Panhellenic Council, Mackenzie Welsh and Student Body President Temo Molina.
“We’re really grateful and excited to be here,” Welsh said. “It’s so nice that UNK cares so much about the Greek community.”
During the dedication Diana Armstrong, shared fond memories of Bess and that it was great honor to see this for her late mother-in-law.
Bess Furman Armstrong was the first female editor of the UNK student newspaper, The Antelope. She later went on to work for the Associated Press, the New York Times and then hold a top public affairs position in the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.
