The Cullen’s legacy of giving started with Hugh Roy Cullen and his wife, Lillie Cranz Cullen, who were well-known philanthropists in Houston. Their grandson, Roy H. Cullen of Houston, has served on Southwestern’s board of trustees since 1973.

Through the years, donations from the Cullen family foundation have expanded Southwestern’s library, build the Roy H. Cullen Academic Mall and paid for various scholarships and faculty development programs.

The Roy & Lillie Cullen Building was named in the mid-1970s after grants from the family paid for an interior renovation. The cornerstone for the three-story, limestone building was laid in 1898, and it opened two years later as the administration building. The renovation will include replacing more than 300 of the buildings original windows and upgrading its heating and ventilation systems.