Khayat Lecture Series

Khayat Lecture Series Brings Renowned Speakers to UM Community

Launched in the fall of 2021 by the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy, the Robert C. Khayat Lecture Series brings renowned speakers to the University of Mississippi community to share their inspirational ideas, fresh perspectives, personal experiences and unique insights.

By bringing cross-cultural leaders, entrepreneurs and philanthropists to the Oxford campus, the Khayat Lecture Series creates opportunities for these speakers to engage with our students and community members.

“When these speakers share their transformative topics and unique experiences, our students will be better able to view the world through a more philanthropic lens,” said Liz Randall, chair of the Ole Miss Women’s Council (OMWC). “This helps further one of the primary missions of the Women’s Council, which is to create caring and ethical leaders, who ultimately will be change agents helping to accomplish this goal.”

Given the noble purpose of the lecture series, the OMWC members unanimously agreed to name this initiative in honor of Chancellor Emeritus Robert C. Khayat. Khayat was UM chancellor when the idea for the Women’s Council was developed and, with his support, the program was successfully launched in 2000.

Khayat continues to be one of the OMWC’s biggest boosters, calling its scholarships some of the “most innovative in the nation.”

“I am enormously grateful and honored to have my name associated with this remarkable lecture series, but the true honorees are those who support the University of Mississippi’s students, fund our scholarships, and work so hard to ensure tomorrow is even better than today,” Khayat said.

“Creating a lecture series aimed at improving the lives of others is reflective of all the efforts of this phenomenal organization. What the Women’s Council has become is truly remarkable. The women who organized it are still active; the program has grown; the endowment has grown; and the success has been exceptional.”

The Robert C. Khayat Lecture Series is part of the OMWC’s Global Leadership Circle, an international studies and internship initiative. While the GLC raises funds to enable students to expand their horizons by studying abroad and obtaining rewarding national and international internships, the lecture series is a way to bring similar experiences to community members who may not otherwise have those opportunities.

Those who want to support the series will be able to buy tickets to one lecture, a series of related speakers and/or topics, or the whole season of lectures. Additionally, the series can be supported by sponsorships or financial pledges to the program.

For more information or to support the Robert C. Khayat Lecture Series and/or the Global Leadership Circle, contact Suzanne Helveston, program director of the OMWC, at shelveston@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2956.

‘Nothing to Lose,’ Everything to Gain

Generous UM supporter J.L. Holloway shares inspirational story at Khayat Lecture Series

Before the most recent Robert C. Khayat Lecture Series featuring J.L. Holloway in conversation about his recent memoir, “Nothing to Lose,” began Sept. 5, 2024, Holloway (center, left), and his wife, Diane, were celebrated for their recent gift to renovate the Green Room at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

J.L. Holloway’s life story is a uniquely American story.

He started from humble beginnings. Growing up in Prentiss, Mississippi, Holloway had few resources and even fewer paths to success. But he was determined to improve his station in life. And he did – in a remarkable way.

Over the next few decades, he founded and oversaw several business ventures that proved to be enormously profitable. Yet Holloway has used the benefits he earned to support his community. He has generously shared his financial rewards with many others, including the University of Mississippi.

Holloway discussed his story with members of the UM community and attendees from throughout the southeast on Thursday as the featured speaker in the most recent Robert C. Khayat Lecture Series, a program launched four years ago by the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy (OMWC).

J.L. Holloway (right), the author of “Nothing to Lose,” shares a story while in conversation with Neil White, the publisher of Holloway’s memoir, at the Sept. 5 Khayat Lecture Series program, which was launched by the Ole Miss Women’s Council for Philanthropy.

At the event, Holloway spoke about his award-winning memoir, “Nothing to Lose: A Story of Poverty, Resilience, and Gratitude.” He shared his journey in conversation with Neil White, his publisher at Nautilus Publishing, in the Studio Theater at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

“My childhood was very difficult,” said Holloway, who now lives primarily in Nashville, Tennessee, and maintains a home in Ridgeland, Mississippi. “Consequently, when I started writing my memoir, it was very difficult for me to delve so deeply into those painful years. But my wife, Diane, was a big source of encouragement. She was with me as I started the book, and she remained there to help me persevere through the process.

Karen Moore, president of the Ole Miss Alumni Association, a member of the OMWC and friend of the Holloways, recognized how “Nothing to Lose” reflects the purpose of the Khayat Lecture Series:  to bring cross-cultural leaders, entrepreneurs and philanthropists to the community to share their stories to inspire students and others to become caring and ethical leaders.

“J.L. truly is a leader, entrepreneur and philanthropist – all in one,” Moore said. “When I read the first couple of chapters, I had tears in my eyes. Yet, I also saw the grit and determination J.L. had to have to overcome how he grew up.

“His rags-to-riches story didn’t come easy but look where it took him. J.L. developed a philanthropic spirit and a positive outlook on life with his beautiful wife, Diane, and their family. It’s inspiring to read about his journey and to get to know his kind and generous heart.”

Diane Triplett Holloway, a 1985 UM graduate with a degree in interior design, is the daughter of the late Jackie and Dr. R. Faser Triplett of Jackson, Mississippi, who were both longtime dedicated Ole Miss supporters.

Earlier in the evening, a group gathered for a champagne toast to celebrate Diane and J.L. Holloway’s $200,000 gift to renovate the Green Room at the Ford Center.

Additionally, the Holloways have given more than $3 million to the university. These gifts include $250,000 to the Women’s Council Global Leadership Circle and a $1 million gift to Ole Miss Athletics in 2017 that UM recognized by naming the south entrance of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in the Holloways’ honor. Additionally, the couple recently made a $250,000 gift to the Vaught Society, the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation’s fundraising level that provides financial assistance to student-athletes in the form of scholarships, academic guidance and wellness support.

White, Holloway’s publisher whom the author described as his “amazing partner” during the process of writing the book, said the gentleman is one of Mississippi’s most generous philanthropists and most successful entrepreneurs.

Neil White, the publisher of J.L. Holloway’s memoir, “Nothing to Lose,” shares a few words at the dedication of the new J.L. and Diane Holloway Green Room at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

After he served a six-month stint in the U.S. Army, Holloway landed his first job, which was selling sewing machines and vacuum cleaners. At 24, he started a small construction rental business that he built into a multistate organization before selling it. He then began HAM Marine, which became the foundation of Friede Goldman International. With Holloway serving as its CEO, the company became a leading international provider of offshore drilling services. The business had operations in eight countries and employed some 8,000 people when Holloway retired.

Holloway came out of retirement to found Tenax Aerospace in Madison, Mississippi. The company leased aircraft to the U.S. government while Holloway invested in and operated other companies. Holloway sold Tenax in 2018. Afterwards, Holloway formed Sable Investments, where he invests in land development, health care, construction, real estate and veterinary clinics.

Holloway has earned many honors over the years, including being named to the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame and receiving the Mississippi Governor’s Citizen of the Year award. The J.L. Holloway Business & Technology Center at Mississippi College was named in his honor in 2007.

“J.L. Holloway has given us a remarkable gift by telling his story in ‘Nothing to Lose,’” White said. “His candor and honesty about his struggles and failures offer great hope to young people who will certainly make mistakes, stumble and fail themselves. His book should be required reading for students in business schools.

“His tenacity and resilience are models for us all. As he has said so many times, ‘If you don’t quit, you don’t fail.’

“It was an honor to work with J.L. and his brilliant wife, Diane, on this project,” White said. “He told his story in such a forthcoming and confessional manner that I couldn’t stand to think about its audience being limited to his family. That’s why Nautilus decided to publish the book, and the story is now resonating in circles J.L. never would have imagined.”

This spring, “Nothing to Lose” was recognized by the Independent Publishers Association as part of its annual IPPY Awards. It was awarded the gold medal for best nonfiction book in the South region.

“I want our children, grandchildren and future family members to know what it took for me to not only survive but to thrive even in the most difficult of circumstances,” Holloway said. “I hope my story told in this book encourages them and others, such as future entrepreneurs, to pursue their passions, dreams and goals with tenacity, determination and conviction.”

For more information about the Ole Miss Women’s Council and the Khayat Lecture Series, contact Suzanne Helveston, OMWC program director, at shelveston@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2956.

By Jonathan Scott/UM Development

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