What a difference a single individual can make.

This statement is used in a multitude of examples such as the importance of a single vote in a tight election or the role of a particular individual in championing a project or giving leadership, vision and direction to an endeavor.

A perfect example is Christina Hixson.

This modest, self-effacing Iowa native, who lives in Las Vegas, provided the majority of the funding to build the Lied Center of Kansas, which in its relatively short history has become one of the best-known and most-used buildings on the Kansas University campus.

This beautiful building is in constant use and brings talented performers from throughout the world to perform for local audiences. It is a tremendous asset for the university, for Lawrence and for the entire area.

Hixson and former KU Chancellor Gene Budig are the two individuals responsible for this building. She would not have considered making a gift to KU if Budig had not talked to her about doing something for KU, the school her one-time boss, Ernst Lied, attended from 1923 to 1925.

Hixson came from humble beginnings and had only a few months of post high school education in a small Iowa business school before starting to work for Lied.

She started working for low wages, but Lied apparently recognized her talents, skills and honesty and, upon his death, she became the sole trustee of his sizable estate.

She has helped finance major projects in Nebraska, Iowa, Nevada, Utah and other states. Here in Kansas, she not only provided the majority of the funds for the Lied Center but also has been generous with the KU School of Medicine.

Just recently, she created a generous scholarship program for KU students.

She has a policy of making it clear to those seeking her financial assistance that, if she agrees to help, she expects the recipients to come up with a sizable portion of the dollars to complete the project. If the project were as important or worthy as outlined by those making the appeal, she reasons, they ought to be willing to help raise a good part of the financial package. This was the case with the Lied Center; the Lied Foundation provided a little more than three-fourths of the funding, and private contributions to the KU Endowment Association picked up the rest of the cost.

Given her modest beginnings, Hixson makes it clear to Lied Center officials that she wants a strong outreach program to give individuals who otherwise probably would never see and hear a live opera performance, a theater production, a fine orchestra or other professional artists the opportunity to come to the Lied and enjoy such performances.

She thinks such exposure can change the aspirations, dreams and lives of many. She has a big student scholarship program at Iowa State University, which awards scholarships to new students who, for one reason or another, do not think they have the ability to attend college. Or there are cases in which parents do not encourage their children to go to college because they need them to remain at home to help with family businesses or work around the house. The number of students attending Iowa State on such scholarships now is in the hundreds.

This philosophy ties in with her desire to expose as many young people as possible to the arts. To achieve this goal, Lied Center officials have been directed to have an active outreach program and provide free tickets to hundreds of people throughout the year.

Hixson wants the Lied Center to help enrich the entire area and, at one time, she told this writer, “We must make sure the Lied is not treated as a toy or play thing of the university and School of Fine Arts, but rather a resource for the entire state.”

She can be tough when necessary and meets several times a year with Lied Center officials and various governing bodies to make sure money is spent as wisely as possible. Likewise, she schedules visits to other universities and other recipients of her generosity to make sure money is being spent effectively and as intended.

Consider the enjoyment and entertainment provided by the Lied Center. Few cities the size of Lawrence have a performing arts facility to match the Lied in size, excellence and diversity of programming.

Chris Hixson is a unique and special individual. She has had access to millions upon millions of dollars over the years, and even though she had to scrape and save to get by in her early years, she does not spend on luxuries for herself. And she expects those who receive funding from her to make every penny count.

Residents of this part of the country are fortunate that Budig presented a strong proposal to Hixson and that this quiet, modest lady saw fit to fund a magnificent performing arts center.

It’s another example of how one person with a mission and commitment can, indeed, make a difference.