HOME TOWN’s Ben Napier Gifts Handmade Desk to Alma Mater Ole Miss
By Movieguide® Staff
HOME TOWN’s Ben Napier, who co-stars alongside his wife Erin, recently gave back on behalf of his alma mater, The University of Mississippi.
Over the course of their HGTV careers, the dynamic duo returned to the university to show their support for the school and help fundraise—including a hand-built desk from materials found on campus.
“A friend of mine reached out to me explaining that he had gotten his hands on some wood from the campus at Ole Miss,” Napier, a 2007 UM graduate from Laurel, said. “There were two slabs of oak and the slab of cedar from Rowan Oak.”
Napier is a skilled craftsman and originally had plans to auction off the desk to raise money for UM. However, after pitching the idea, Napier decided to gift it to the university.
“I drew up the plans for the desk weeks before we actually built it,” Napier said. “I wanted the desk base to have a somewhat modern silhouette. I didn’t want it to distract the eye away from the beautiful cedar top.
“That being said, we used some really beautiful oak that was left over from the bar top we built for McCormick’s. It took us a couple of days to build out the base, but the majority of the work on the top had to be done on camera,” he said.
Read Also: HOME TOWN’s Erin Napier Encourages Husband Ben: ‘I Love Parenting With You’
The desk eventually found its way to the UM English department.
“The producers of the show approached me to see if we would accept the donated desk, and if we had a good place to put it,” Matt Bondurant, associate professor of English and director of the Ole Miss creative writing program, said. “Ben wanted to donate it to the MFA/creative writing program at UM because of his love of literature, writing, etc., and his fond memories of being an English minor.”
Caroline Wigginton, chair and associate professor of English, added: “William Faulkner is an iconic Mississippi author, and we are honored to have Ben Napier’s beautifully crafted desk,” Wigginton said. “Its presence in the department represents our community’s literary heritage and also our creative writers’ talent for adapting the materials of the past to imagine a vivid and sustainable future.”
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Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
