B.W. Harrison of Cape Girardeau, a longtime supporter of Southeast Missouri State University who provided the financial springboard for the River Campus project, will be named the 1998 "Friend of the University" Oct. 31.

The award will be presented by the Southeast Missouri University Foundation at the annual Copper Dome Society breakfast at 7:30 a.m. in the Show Me Center. The award is presented annually during Homecoming weekend.

The "Friend of the University" award, which recognizes those who support and are closely associated with the mission, purposes, plans and programs of the university, is the highest honor bestowed by the foundation.

Last spring Harrison provided an $800,000 gift to the foundation to purchase the buildings and grounds of St. Vincent's College and Seminary in Cape Girardeau from the Priests of the Congregation of the Mission. Southeast plans to turn the former Catholic school into the university's new River Campus, home of a new School of Visual and Performing Arts.

"Mr. Harrison is being recognized for both his generosity to the foundation, as well as his exceptional vision," said Wayne Davenport, vice president for university advancement and executive director of the foundation.

"The significant financial seed that he planted in the spring has the potential to advance significantly Cape Girardeau, the region and Southeast Missouri State University. For this, the foundation is recognizing him, and we hope that many thousands of others will recognize him as well," Davenport said.

Harrison's gift also paved the way to begin the planning process and to provide maintenance support for the current property until such time as the project is funded, the design can be finalized and renovation of the facilities begins. On Nov. 3, Cape Girardeau voters will decide whether to increase and extend the city's hotel-motel tax and to extend the city's restaurant tax to help pay for the project. Private and state funds will be necessary to cover the remaining cost.

"The university is indebted to Mr. Harrison for his generous gift to the university foundation," said Dr. Dale Nitzschke, president of Southeast.

Harrison lives just north of the St. Vincent's College property at 340 S. Lorimier, in a house that his wife's father completed in 1906.

Harrison graduated from Salem High School and still owns and operates a family farm in that area that was originally purchased from the government in 1852. He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1936 and had a 40-year career with the Missouri Extension Service, including assignments ranging from assistant county agent to state extension agent. His career included a decade of service in Dunklin County.