Claudette Riley

CRILEY@NEWS-LEADER.COM

Late developer John Q. Hammons promised to give Missouri State University more than $30 million to help build the JQH Arena.

Of that amount, $22 million is still outstanding.

"That is what is left on their side," said MSU President Clif Smart.

The Springfield-based hotel company founded by and named for Hammons filed for protection Sunday in federal bankruptcy court in Kansas.

MSU officials said the trust is scheduled to pay $1.8 million a year and the last payment is scheduled for April 2032. On Monday, Smart said it's too early to know what the impact will be on the arena payments.

John Q. Hammons Hotels files for bankruptcy

"I do not know yet. We are working on that, obviously," Smart told the News-Leader. "We are tracking all that down today. We'll obviously try to make contact with their general counsel over there to visit about this. It's a lot of unknowns now."

At a news conference Monday, Hammons CEO Jacquie Dowdy said the restructuring and protection under the bankruptcy will allow the company to meet its ongoing philanthropic commitments.

Gregg Groves, senior vice president and general counsel, said he wouldn't get into specifics.

"The trustees have paid all beneficiaries in full except for one and that one is being paid currently and we anticipate that it will be continued to be current," he said, apparently referring to the arena donations to MSU. "It was set up in his trust as ongoing payments. The trust has recognized those payments and we expect to continue."

Nearly a decade ago, Hammons' gift helped fuel construction of JQH Arena. The project, roughly $67 million, provided a home for MSU's basketball teams. The venue is also frequently used for graduations, concerts, circuses, and other large-scale events.

It is located on the west side of the MSU campus, not far from the Juanita K. Hammons Center for the Performing Arts, which was named for Hammons' wife. That facility, too, was funded with donations from the Hammons trust, but was paid off shortly after his death in 2013.