Dedication of Ross Hall - Johnson Hall

Thursday morning, William Carey University held a dedication service for one of the university's oldest buildings in school history. Students, faculty and staff, and even board members attended the ceremony for Ross-Johnson Hall, a dorm that's been on-campus for 99 years.

The building received an extensive amount of damage from the January 2017 EF-3 tornado. William Carey supports and students say, that are glad to see the everything returning back to normal.

"Ross and Johnson Hall are more than merely a building that just has a functional purpose," William Carey's, SGA president, Brian Cloys said. "This represents to us that William Carey has unflappable strength and unstoppable progress even in the face of such a tragic event such as the tornado." University officials now say they look forward to the dedication of Tatum Court, which they say will happen in a few months.

More Ross-Johnson Hall Facts:

· Ross Hall-Johnson Hall is made up of two dormitories built side-by-side, connected by a lobby. Each three-story, 24,500-square-foot structure will house 91 students, one resident director and one faculty member. The floor plans include a lounge space and laundry room on each floor.

· Background: An EF3 tornado swept through the WCU campus in January 2017, destroying six buildings. The destroyed buildings were Tatum Court, Ross Hall dormitory, Johnson Hall dormitory, Ross Anatomy Lab, 512 Tuscan (which housed the Lucile Parker Gallery and apartments) and a commercial building WCU had purchased with the intention of tearing it down to make room for an educational facility. A year and a half later, Ross Hall and Johnson Hall have re-opened in a different location on campus. The final tornado recovery project, new Tatum Hall, is scheduled to open in December.