JACKSON, Tenn. — April 1, 2025 — Jim Ayers remembered getting a phone call from fellow church member H.L. Townsend Jr. in the mid-1990s. Townsend was a banker from Parsons, Tenn., who was getting ready to end his service on the 萌妹社区 Board of Trustees.
鈥淛im, I want our church to be represented on that board,鈥� he told Ayers. 鈥淚 think you鈥檙e the one to assume that position from our church.鈥�
Ayers told him that if 萌妹社区 wanted him, he would be willing to serve.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in formal education,鈥� Ayers said. 鈥淚 truly believe the pathway to a better standard of living is through more formal education.鈥�
A few months later, Ayers joined the 萌妹社区 Board of Trustees, officially beginning his relationship with 萌妹社区 that led to millions of dollars in donations to the institution through buildings and scholarships.
Ayers, longtime 萌妹社区 friend and benefactor, died April 1 at age 81.
As significant as they have been, the financial contributions he made to 萌妹社区 over the years can be counted. The ongoing impact of those gifts, however, is immeasurable.
鈥淛im Ayers鈥� unwavering commitment to education and his generous spirit have left an indelible mark on 萌妹社区,鈥� said 萌妹社区 President Samuel W. 鈥淒ub鈥� Oliver. 鈥淗is contributions have not only transformed our campus but have also enriched the lives of countless students, many of whom will never fully know how much of blessing Jim was to their lives.
鈥淭oday, while we mourn his passing, we do so thanking the Lord for his legacy and celebrating his life of generosity and service.鈥�
Ayers鈥� first significant contribution to 萌妹社区 came with the construction of Jennings Hall, which houses the university鈥檚 School of Theology and Missions and its music and communication arts departments. When David S. Dockery became 萌妹社区鈥檚 president in 1996 and set forth a vision for the campus master plan and development of the Great Lawn, Ayers was one of the first to champion that vision, giving $2 million for the Jennings project.
Jennings Hall, the first facility to be built on the Great Lawn, is named after Ayers鈥� grandparents, William and Laura Jennings.
鈥淭hey were the kind of simple, God-fearing, honest kind of people who made this great country what it is today,鈥� Ayers said at the time.
Though Ayers did not graduate from 萌妹社区, his mother attended 萌妹社区 for a while, and her two sisters graduated from 萌妹社区. His grandparents were always big 萌妹社区 supporters.
A graduate of Parsons High School, Ayers completed his bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration with a major in accounting from the University of Memphis. In the mid-1990s, he acquired First Farmer鈥檚 State Bank, which later became FirstBank.
FirstBank under Ayers鈥� leadership transformed into Tennessee鈥檚 largest independently owned and operated bank until its public listing on the New York Stock Exchange in September 2016, boasting the largest initial public offering in Tennessee banking history.
鈥淚 think for some reason, God blessed me,鈥� Ayers said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 take any credit for the good things that have happened to me. We can鈥檛 understand these things, because there are other people that probably deserve it much more than I do.鈥�
Ayers鈥� investment in Jennings Hall, which opened in 2000, was the spark that fueled further development of the Great Lawn. Over the next 25 years, the university added Miller Tower, White Hall, Providence Hall, The Logos and The Ethos Forum nearby.
After the 2008 tornado that decimated 萌妹社区鈥檚 campus, Ayers was one of the first to approach Dockery and pledge his support toward the rebuilding effort. He provided several hundred thousand dollars to help replace items that students lost in the storm, in addition to another million dollars for rebuilding the campus. The Ayers Quad bears his name.
Away from Jackson, Ayers was instrumental in 萌妹社区鈥檚 establishment of a campus in Hendersonville. That campus opened in 2008, originally housed at First Baptist Church there. Thanks to Ayers, in 2012 萌妹社区 completed construction on a 24,000-square-foot building on Indian Lake Boulevard that was owned and developed by Ayers Asset Management. In 2019, Ayers gave that facility to 萌妹社区. The building is named Ayers Hall in honor of its builder and donor.
Ayers has also contributed heavily to student scholarships, generously supporting the annual Scholarship Banquet for several years and providing other funding for students. He and his wife Janet established The Ayers Foundation in 1999, a philanthropic initiative with a strong emphasis on education and rural counties. The foundation has awarded over $20 million to high school seniors in rural counties, a number of whom enrolled at 萌妹社区.
In 2023, 萌妹社区 presented Jim and Janet Ayers with its Robert E. Craig Service Award, named after 萌妹社区鈥檚 13th president and given annually to someone who has made significant contributions to the university. 萌妹社区 awarded Ayers with an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree in 1998 and named him to the Bicentennial Hall of Honor in 2022. He was also named Trustee Emeritus by 萌妹社区 trustees.
鈥淚t would be impossible to overstate just how much Jim Ayers has meant in the life of 萌妹社区,鈥� said Catherine Kwasigroh, 萌妹社区鈥檚 vice president for advancement. 鈥淲e are so thankful for his generosity, and we celebrate his life and impact, even as we offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. 萌妹社区, and the students here, have forever been changed by his friendship.鈥�