Peavey takes renovations personally

MERIDIAN — Hartley Peavey’s mission to restore the sound of Meridian’s historic Hamasa Shrine Temple Theater to its former glory is more than just a professional challenge. To the founder of Peavey Electronics Corporation, it is personal.

Peavey’s grandfather, Joseph Lane Peavey, was very active in the Hamasa Shriners, and his name is even engraved on the Moorish Revival theater’s cornerstone.

“My grandfather had a big influence on me and my direction in life,” said Peavey, CEO of Peavey Electronics.”“He helped me understand that everyone has unique talents, and he gave me the guts to pursue mine. While restoring and upgrading the Temple Theater’s sound system is a worthy exercise for us at Peavey Electronics, it also helps preserve something my grandfather really cherished.”

The 1,550-seat Temple Theater originally opened in 1928 as a movie house, but has also served as a staging center for dramatic productions and live-music performances. The theater is currently undergoing a full restoration, beginning by returning classic movie screenings to the marquee. Peavey took on the task of updating the Temple’s “Voice of the Theater” 1940s projection sound system, which is positioned on stage behind the movie-projection screen.

When Peavey engineers brought the five towering enclosures to Peavey headquarters for analysis, they discovered that over the years the enclosures had weakened and required re-gluing and additional bracing on the enclosure walls. They eventually rebuilt the antiquated sound system with premium, modern Peavey components, including new speakers.