AUTHENTICS

living

LEGACY

When J. Timothy Cloyd, Ph.D., assumed the presidency of Drury University, he and his wife, Wendy, moved into the historic president’s residence on campus. Fourteen Drury presidents have made the residence their home, and Wendy loves thinking of all the joyful receptions that have taken place in the space where she lives. We sat down with her to learn what it’s like to live in a piece of university history.

WRITTEN BY LUCIE AMBERG PHOTOGRAPHED BY LEAH STIEFERMANN

417 Home: When did you move into the house? Wendy Cloyd: We moved here in 2016. We were living in Conway, Arkansas. Drury came to Tim and asked him to interview for the presidency here. When he came home and told me the mission of the school, we prayed about it and felt this was where God was leading us, to this beautiful campus. So that’s what brought us here, and we love it.

417 Home: hat were the rst things you noticed about the house? WC: I was able to come into the house a couple of times before we moved in. The house was built in 1895, and it’s absolutely beautiful. I immediately noticed the stained glass in this house—you can’t buy it anymore. And downstairs, there are eight leaded-glass windows, which just don’t get made anymore, and they’re so special.

417 Home: How did you make this historic home feel like your home? WC: I didn’t want to take away from the natural beauty, but I also wanted to update it. The Board of Trustees was so gracious about me putting my own touch to it and making it our style. [Drury trustees] Rosalie Wooten and Rita Baron helped me a lot.

417 Home: What were some of the updates you made? WC: We took down the wallpaper downstairs and painted the walls a light gray. In the dining room, there was a brass chandelier. I didn’t want to spend money on changing things, so I antiqued the chandelier myself, which gave it a new, fresh look. There were white candlesticks, and I brushed those with a light gold. In the entry foyer, there’s a beautiful chandelier that had been in the house for a long time. I antiqued that chandelier in black and

PANTHER PRIDE Cloyd takes pride in living in a home full of history from past Drury presidents and their families. Her dog, Lottie (short for Charlotte), greets Drury University students as they walk by.

STAINED GLASS hen Cloyd rst saw the house, she was da led by its artisanal details, including the stained glass and leaded-glass windows. "You can't buy it anymore," she says.

gold, and I went to Lowe’s and found updated chandelier lanterns.

417 Home: ow is the campus refl ected in your home? WC: Of course, I wanted to have art from the school here. I reached out to [artist and Drury associate professor] Jacqueline Warren. She was in Italy at the time. She had her studio opened up for me, and I got to pick out what I wanted.

417 Home: How wonderful! WC: I know! So we have a lot of her art, and we also have work by [artist and Drury professor] Todd Lowery. We love displaying art from our ama ing faculty and students we try to ll it up with our talent here on campus.

417 Home: What are some of your favorite moments of entertaining in this home? WC: The whole downstairs is my favorite place to entertain. There are pocket doors in the living room that lead into the family room, so it’s all very open. After graduation, we always have a big picnic here for several families and board members. That’s an indoor-outdoor event, so it really utili es all of the entertaining spaces.

417 Home: You must have missed having some events during the last couple of years. WC: Well, when I look back before COVID, we were entertaining so much that it was easy to lose sight of how special it is. COVID had such an impact on our ability to gather with people and of course, everyone has gone through so much.

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Before

BEFORE & AFTER Cloyd immediately fell in love with the home's history and charm but wanted to give it a fresh look. She replaced the wallpaper with light gray paint—a simple yet elegant and updated change.

Now, just the simple act of being able to entertain feels very special again.

417 Home: What is it like to live in a home when you’re so aware of its history? WC: It’s such a wonderful place for us to live. How can I put it? I feel so much respect for the history and style and character of the house. I love to think about all the presidents and their families living here and hope they had the experience we’re having. 

A WELCOMING SPACE The rst fl oor feels open and airy, thanks to the pocket doors that connect the living room and family room. Cloyd loves this quality when she's welcoming guests for social events.