Sybil B. Harrington Honored in WT Student Film to Air on Panhandle PBS

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — The lasting legacy of one of the area’s most notable philanthropists will be celebrated in a new short film by West Texas A&M University students.

“Searching for Sybil,” an examination of Sybil B. Harrington’s generous support of WT and the region at large, will air at 9:30 p.m. April 6 and 4 p.m. April 13 on Panhandle PBS.

The film premiered March 30 during a special event for members of The Arts at WT: A Subscription Series.

“Searching for Sybil” follows Bryan Abanonu, a senior digital media and communication major from Plainview, as he interviews several people who knew Harrington well, including Dr. Sue Park, former dean of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities; Beth Duke, executive director of Center City of Amarillo; Emmanuel Lopez, Harrington String Quartet member and Harrington Lecturer in the School of Music; and Don and Dorothy Patterson, Amarillo philanthropists and friends of Harrington.

“I learned that she was a pretty private woman, but she genuinely enjoyed helping people,” Abanonu said. “She was very driven. If she wanted to do something, she did it.”

With gifts totaling more than $10 million, Sybil B. Harrington and The Don & Sybil Harrington Foundation are collectively the second-largest giver to the University.

“Mrs. Harrington made an enduring and continuing impact on our college,” said Dr. Jessica Mallard, dean of the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities. “Because of her, we have the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex, the Harrington String Quartet and the many student scholarships that we continue to give in her name. It is great that this group of students learned more about Mrs. Harrington and were able to put their creative talents toward producing this lasting legacy video.”

Having the College named for her in 1989 was a special distinction, Park said.

“She told me in a letter that it was one of the greatest honors she ever had. … (She wrote) ‘I’ve left a mark on the world,’” Park said in the film.

According to the Amarillo Area Foundation, “the Harrington name became synonymous with every successful charitable and cultural endeavor throughout the Texas Panhandle.”

An Amarillo native, Harrington was the granddaughter of Amarillo pioneers Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Hughes and the daughter of Frank and Roxy Buckingham. In 1935, she married Donald D. Harrington, who earned a fortune in the Texas oil and gas industry.

The Harringtons supported a wide swath of the visual and performing arts, including support for the Amarillo Symphony and Lone Star Ballet production of “The Nutcracker” and production of the musical drama “Texas” in Palo Duro Canyon.

Sybil B. Harrington died Sept. 17, 1998.

“This is a long overdue tribute to someone who did a great deal not only for our College but for the University as a whole,” said Randy Ray, associate lecturer of media communication and director of broadcast engineering, who oversaw production of the film. “I’ve worked at WT for 20 years and heard her name for all of that time, and now I feel like I know her better.”

Other students who took part in the making of the film include Gabriel Gonzales, a sophomore mass communication major from Amarillo; Sir’Garen Grayson, a senior marketing major from Dallas; Jacob Griffin, a senior digital media and communication major from Garden City, Kansas; Maurice Holderman, a senior digital media and communication major from Amarillo; Duncan Neus, a senior digital media and communication major from Lewisville; Cooper Rhodes, a senior digital media and communication major from Amarillo; Alexandra Rivera, a 2022 graduate in digital media and communication from Dimmitt; and Peyton Stokes, a senior digital media and communication major from Mesquite.

Promoting quality, both in education and student work, is a key cornerstone of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021 — has raised more than $120 million.

Photo: Randy Ray, fourth from right, and Dr. Jessica Mallard, second from right, direct students for “Searching for Sybil,” a short film about Amarillo philanthropist Sybil B. Harrington. Participating students include Maurice Holderman, from left, Gabriel Gonzales, Sir’Garen Grayson, Bryan Abanonu, Peyton Stokes and Duncan Neus. 

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—