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COLUMBUS — Preservationists are hoping a philanthropist’s $100,000 matching pledge will prompt others to make donations for much-needed repairs to the Stafford Opera House.
According to a news release, when Columbus native and businessman John H. Massey recently “came forward with the largest pledge to start this important capital campaign, the promise of ensuring a successful outcome for Saving Our Opera House became real.”
The funds will help fix an elevator as part of the Columbus Historical Preservation Trust’s recently launched initiative.
Massey, a former longt ime resident, “made a matching pledge of $100,000 to (CHPT) for this effort. He is challenging the community and other potential donors to step up and contribute to this campaign by pledging to match up to $100,000 in donations.”
To date, the trust has received $29,000 in charitable contributions, according to the release.
Other funders identified by the trust include Cheryl Mellenthin of the Mark A. Chapman Foundation in Sealy, $20,000; Bo Rubenstein of FreBo Ranch, $5,000; The Lion’s Club, $3,000; and Industry State Bank, $1,000.
The capital campaign is designed to take care of “the mounting repairs that are needed at the Stafford Opera House,” an official with the trust said, adding the “desperate situation … endangers the future of our town’s crown jewel.”
Preservationists said there have not been any significant repairs since the 1970s or 1980s to the structure, which was built in 1886 by Nicholas J. Clayton. Clayton was a prominent Victorian-era architect in Galveston and is responsible for historic buildings including Saint Mary’s Cathedral in Austin, Bishop’s Palace in Galveston, St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Alexandria, Louisiana, and St. Edward’s University and the Driskill Hotel, both in Austin.
According to the trust, Massey has donated more than $35 million to various causes including many in the Columbus area. One of those was $2.5 million for the football stadium.
Massey and his wife, Elizabeth “Libba” Massey, both grew up in Columbus and graduated from Columbus High School in 1957. They were named “Mr. & Mrs. Columbus High School.” The pair served on student council as president and secretary, respectively, and were two of the first three individuals to receive the Distinguished Columbus High School Alumni Award along with James Truchard.
In 1993, John H. Massey received the Most Distinguished Alumnus Award from Southern Methodist University, where he earned a bachelor of business administration degree before later earning a master of business administration from Cornell University and a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law.
In 2011, Massey received the Presidential Citation from UT-Austin, the highest honor given by the university to any living graduate. In 2014, he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Texas Exes, or the University of Texas Ex-Students Association; he also served served as the president.
In 2021, he received the Hall of Fame award from the McCombs School of Business at UT-Austin for “distinction and high achievement in business,” according to the release.
Massey has served on 42 corporate boards, with eight of those being companies on the New York Stock Exchange.
He served as president of the University of Texas Law School Foundation and continues to support the university.
For almost 25 years, according to the release, the Masseys have provided full-ride scholarships to UT through the Elizabeth Shatto Massey Scholarship, which is permanently endowed at UT-Austin.
The scholarships are for Colorado County undergraduate students seeking teaching certification for a career in education. Sixteen students have received these scholarships, all of them graduating with honors from the university, according to the release.
In addition, officials with the trust said, Libba Massey has been “a significant contributor to UT-Austin in many ways,” including co-chairing a $3.2 billion capital campaign under President Bill Powers.
