Saturday, May 22, 2004

Citation Presented to Dallas Couple

On May 22, 2004, a Certificate of Honor Citation was awarded to Dr. and Mrs. William Winspear at their home in Dallas, Texas. The Citation was presented to the Winspears by Dr. Jonny H. Ramsey, International President of Delta Omicron, on behalf of the Board of Directors. The Citation read: “In recognition of commitment to music through music education endowment, philanthropic support for construction of music performance centers, and lifelong furtherance of opera in both the United States and Canada.”

Canadian by birth, both Margot Macleod Winspear and William Watchorn Winspear also were educated there. Mrs. Winspear, a pianist, attended the University High School in Edmonton and the University of Alberto. Dr. Winspear attended Trinity College School at Port Hope, Ontario and the University of Alberto. In 1957, he became a chartered accountant, the Canadian equivalent of a certified public accountant.

From 1965 to 1975, Mr. Winspear served as President and CEO of TPI Industries Ltd. in Vancouver and Lake Street Steel Company in Toronto. In 1975, the Winspears moved to Dallas, Texas, and there Dr. Winspear became President and CEO of Chaparral Steel Company until 1982 and of Associated Materials from 1984 to the present.

The Winspears have been involved in artistic and community affairs throughout their life. Margot Winspear was a founding Vice President of the Edmonton Opera and has served as president of the women’s committee of three opera companies—the Vancouver Opera, the Canadian Opera in Toronto, and the Dallas Opera. Mr. Winspear has served as Vice President of the Vancouver and Canadian Opera Companies and as Chairman of the Board and President of the Dallas Opera.

The Winspears’ philanthropic contributions have been numerous. In 1998, they donated $1.5 million to complete the Lyric Theatre at the University of North Texas Murchison Performing Arts Center. The performance hall there now bears their name. In 2000, they combined a $200,000 inheritance from an aunt with $800,000 of their own to provide a one million dollar gift to rebuild Sansha Hall, a performance center erected during the 1950’s on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The hall is now known as the Mary Winspear Community Cultural Center in the aunt’s name.

In 2002, the Winspears established the Winspear Endowment for the College of Music at the University of North Texas through a $1.2 million contribution. In May of 2002, they donated $42 million to the building fund for the proposed Dallas Center for the Performing Arts—one of the largest philanthropic gifts in the history of Dallas. The 2400-seat opera and dance theatre of that facility will be named the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House and will house opera, musical theatre, ballet, and other forms of dance.

Dr. Winspear explained his lifelong love of opera in an article in the July 7, 2002 issue of The Dallas Morning News. He explained that it began when he was selected to be the top boy soprano three years in a row at the Alberta Music festival in Canada. It increased as he listened to his father’s 78 recordings of Pagliacci with Beniamino Gigli and as his father took him to the “old Met” in New York City.