The fine arts building at Colorado Mesa University has been named after an artist whose work and work ethic leaves behind an inspirational legacy.

A $1 million contribution to CMU in his name also will support students.

The Jac Kephart Fine Arts Building was officially introduced at a ceremony on the CMU campus in Grand Junction.

Pat Kephart donated $1 million in memory of her late husband.

A CMU alumnus, Jac Kephart donated more than 40 of his paintings to the university. They remain on display in buildings throughout the campus.

“There are few people who cared so little about credit and accolades as Jac. But there are few people who deserve those things more than he,” said CMU President Tim Foster. “I am grateful to Pat and Jac’s family for making his legacy a permanent part of the CMU campus and history.”

A plaque installed inside the fine arts building describes Jac Kephart’s approach to his work in his own words: “I haven’t been able to put an end to the goal. The goal is always resetting itself. It is a built-in ladder that keeps climbing above me that says ‘You can do better than that. You can do better than that.’ So you just keep after it. It’s been that way as long as I can remember.”

Suzie Garner, head of the department of art and design at CMU, said those words reflect the importance of constantly striving to improve.

“Kephart’s words are good for students because his legacy reminds us we can work to improve our art by using the artist we were yesterday as a baseline for who and what we want to be in the future,” Garner said. “In this way, we improve ourselves while bringing more and more beauty into the world while we do so.”

Kephart attended what was at the time Mesa State College. While he initially planned to earn a degree in architecture, his interest in art led him in a different direction.

The Kepharts ran Jac’s House of Flowers in Grand Junction. Jac worked as a florist during the day and created art by night until his career as a painter became sustainable. He worked with oils, pastels and watercolors to create everything from still lifes to landscapes to abstracts.