Murray State University on Friday conducted a dedication ceremony for the naming of a campus building in honor of Dr. Tom and Jo Logan of Henderson.
In recognition of their gifts and lifetime of service to Murray State, the university honored them by renaming the Biology Building in their honor.
It is officially the Dr. Thomas B. Logan and Jo Lloyd Logan Biological Sciences Building, and will be informally known as Logan Hall.
The Logan family has deep, multi-generational ties with Murray State, from earning undergraduate degrees there to becoming major benefactors of the university.
It is also where Tom Logan, who is from Edmonson County, Kentucky, and Jo Brown, a native of east-central Indiana, met. Their first date was to a Sadie Hawkins dance, meaning she made the first move in their relationship.
He went on to receive his bachelor of science degree in 1961 from Murray with a double major in biology and chemistry while she received her bachelor of arts degree from the university in biology in 1962.
Several other members of the family—including the Logans’ son Mark, and Mark’s wife, Donna—also earned their bachelor’s degrees from Murray, while son Scott spent a summer on the campus as part of the Governor’s Scholar Program.
Jo’s aunt was even married to Murray State’s fifth president, and Jo and her family visited them and the campus often. “I fell in love with Murray State at an early age,” she said.
As a student, Tom Logan was a member of the Student Council and joined the Sigma Chi fraternity. Following graduation from Murray State, he graduated from the University Kentucky School of Medicine in 1967. He completed a year-long surgical internship followed by a general surgery residency at the Medical College of South Carolina.
In 1972, he completed his ear, nose and throat residency at the University of North Carolina. In his last year, he served as chief resident of his class.
In 1974, Dr. Logan incorporated Midwest Ear, Nose and Throat Surgery, P.S.C. here. Eventually, his twin sons, Drs. Mark and Thomas C. Logan, joined their father in the practice.
In addition to his career as a practicing otolaryngologist, Dr. Tom Logan taught university courses and held leadership positions in various professional organizations.
He served as a trustee on the Murray State Foundation for 33 years; university representatives believe he is the longest-serving member in its history.
Dr. Logan was named a 1987 Murray State University Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus.
Jo Logan at Murray State served as president of the sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma. She also served as president of the Woods Hall Council, and was a member of the Student Council, Panhellenic Council and the Romance Language Club. She was also a member of the Wesley Foundation and the honors organization, Alpha Chi.
She later obtained a master’s degree in medical technology and worked for a number of years while Dr. Logan was completing his medical training.
As a dedicated community volunteer, she has served numerous organizations, including the Methodist Hospital Foundation, Operation Community Pride and United Way, and served as chair of the Methodist Hospital Campaign for the $1 million tower addition.
The Logans have made numerous gifts to Murray State, and they are members of the John Wesley Carr Society, representing more than 20 consecutive years of giving.
With a major gift in 2002, they established the Anna S. Brown and Ruth B. Logan Endowed Chair in Pre-Medicine, named in honor of their mothers, to help educate future doctors.
More recently, they made gifts to establish and fund the Dr. Thomas B. Logan Endowed Chemistry Professor Fund and the Logan Family Science Equipment and Technology Fund.
University President Dr. Robert Jackson said Friday that the Logans are members of every giving society that Murray State has established; in most cases, he said, they were among the first to respond to calls for donations.
“Their lifetime of giving back to Murray State University has fostered program growth, helped retain exceptional faculty members and continues to impact the education of thousands of students,” according to the university.
“We are so grateful to Murray State for providing us a world-class education,” Jo Logan said in a prepared statement. “Tom is particularly grateful that the university provided him scholarship assistance, because without that help, he would not have been able to afford a college education.
“We know that we stand on the shoulders of the donors and supporters who came before us, and because of that, we know we have a responsibility to support the generations of students who came and will continue to come after us,” she said.
