THE PATRICIA LINDLEY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS HISTORY
A Changing Landscape
In the fall of 2012, the voters of Wellington came together to change the landscape of our village forever by approving a bond levy to build a new middle school. This decision was based on the knowledge that our children deserve a safe, technically up-to-date facility and that the original McCormick deserved a respectful end after housing students for more than 150 years.
A new McCormick middle school was set for completion in 2015. Even among the cheers there arose many questions. Since the majority of funding for the school was from the state, the majority of decisions and regulations did too. One in particular that the community was struggling with was the inclusion of a “cafetorium.” A large room that would double as both a cafeteria and auditorium. Although this set-up has been adopted in many new schools, it did not seem acceptable to much of our community. But since the state would fund a cafetorium, our course seemed set…
An Anonymous Donor
Questions about preserving the old auditorium were explored. Questions about converting buildings in town were asked. Concern about an appropriate auditorium started as nagging voices in our heads, to rumblings among friends, to phone calls. Very few possible solutions were feasible until…
At a meeting in the summer of 2013, it was announced to a small group that an anonymous donor would donate $1.25 million of the $2.5 million needed to change the plan for the McCormick to have a real auditorium. Wow! In that small room, heads were spinning- what a donation! But also, what a task! To raise $1.25 million in just 2.5 years seemed daunting, if not impossible. Plans were set and optimism ran high at the conclusion of that meeting and then, another surprise. In September the group of concerned cititzens, now called “Friends of the Wellington Community Auditorium” received more shocking news.
A Deadline Was Set
Who is Patricia Lindley?
Patricia Jeanne Lindley (September 10, 1948 – September 11, 2010). A beautiful and charismatic person who lived her life with passion and expressed her love for her community through service to others. Having arrived in Wellington to work at the Herrick Memorial Library in 1974, Patricia developed a lifelong love for Wellington.
