The Marshall, Texas Independent School District has announced a new facility will be named for Dr. Jerry Payne, an alumnus of Northwestern State University.

The Dr. Jerry Payne Fine Arts Center will include classrooms and areas for fine arts programs including band, choir, orchestra and theatre.

Currently under construction, Marshall Junior High School will be approximately 182,000 square feet and have a capacity of 1,300 students. The project is scheduled to be completed by late August.

Payne served as MISD Director of Bands from 1977 until his retirement in 2002 and built the ‘Big Red Pride’ band program into one of the most respected high school bands in the state of Texas.

Payne earned bachelors and masters degrees in Music Education from NSU in 1957 and 1968, Specialist in Education in 1969 and Doctorate in Education in 1973.

In a career spanning 45 years, he was a music educator for 20 years in Louisiana, including four years as Director of Bands at NSU, and 25 years in Texas.

He was inducted into the Louisiana Music Educators Hall of Fame, the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame, Northwestern State University’s Hall of Distinguished Educators and the NSU Creative and Performing Arts Hall of Fame.

Payne was also a chartering member of the Beta Omicron Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi at NSU in 1956.