Jimmy Dean Museum planned for Wayland Baptist

Groundbreaking is planned in Texas for next month on a museum dedicated to the country singer and sausage mogul Jimmy Dean.

Wayland Baptist University and the Museum of the Llano Estacado will break ground June 24 on the Jimmy Dean Museum addition to the museum on the Wayland campus in Plainview, Dean’s hometown.

The Dean family contributed $1 million to the university in 2008 in what is the largest cash gift in school history. The museum will cost about $5 million to complete and will house memorabilia from Jimmy Dean’s personal collection. It will depict Dean’s life from its most beginnings in northeastern Plainview top his career in music, television and business.

Photo: AP Photo

Smiles while he gets ready for a taping of his show "The Jimmy Dean Show" in the New York studio.

A bronze statue of Dean will be delivered this week and will be moved to the museum entrance.