Jim & Joyce Faulkner

James H. Faulkner

Jim Faulkner, a 1954 graduate of the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, noted philanthropist and namesake of the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center, is remembered for his substantial impact on music and the arts on the University of Arkansas campus.

Originally from Malvern, Faulkner earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the U of A and was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, the Razorback Band and the tennis team while he was a student. He was also a sportswriter for the Arkansas Democrat and the Arkansas Traveler and served as an assistant sports publicity director for the university.

Faulkner passed away in February 2021, but leaves behind a tremendous legacy at the university, where he and his wife, Joyce, supported numerous initiatives. Their generosity extended to the U of A’s Garvan Woodland Gardens, the Chancellor’s Society, the Wallace W. and Jama M. Fowler House, the Joyce and James H. Faulkner Band Scholarship, the Faulkner Family Chancellor’s Scholarship Fund, and – perhaps most notably – the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center.

In addition to his philanthropic support, Faulkner was also an active volunteer. He was a former member of the U of A Foundation Board, the Board of Advisors, the Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee, the Campaign Arkansas Steering Committee, and the Campaign Arkansas committee for Central Arkansas. He was a life member of the Arkansas Alumni Association, included in the Towers of Old Main and counted as a Thoroughred for his 31 years of consecutive giving to the university. He was also a long-time member of the Razorback Foundation.

Joyce Faulkner

Joyce Faulkner, a Benton, Arkansas native, noted philanthropist and namesake of the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center, is remembered for her love of learning, wit and ability to make any gathering she attended both fun and memorable.

A graduate of Benton High School, Class of 1952, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Faulkner graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in

Anthropology. She passed away in May 2021, but leaves behind a tremendous legacy at the U of A, where she and her husband, Jim, supported numerous initiatives. Their generosity extended to the university’s Garvan Woodland Gardens, the Chancellor’s Society, the Wallace W. and Jama M. Fowler House, the Joyce and James H. Faulkner Band Scholarship, the Faulkner Family Chancellor’s Scholarship Fund, and – perhaps most notably – the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center.

In honor of her Benton roots, Faulkner also supported Benton and Malvern High Schools through scholarships, donated to create a mural in the Saline County Library, and helped spearhead the campaign for Benton High School to acquire its Panther Sculpture.

Faulkner was an avid tennis player and, along with her husband Jim, won several state mixed-doubles tennis championships and founded the Arkansas Tennis Patron’s Association. She also served as captain of her women’s tennis team for many years.

Traveling was a great passion for both Joyce and Jim, who visited 127 countries. When asked which trip she found most memorable, Faulkner would reply “all of them” because they were each so unique in their own way and chronicled with beautiful pictures, wonderful stories and many journals detailing the couple’s adventures.