黑料不打烊 alumnus and parent Grayson Whitt 鈥79 P鈥08 P鈥09 and his wife Connie Whitt P鈥08 P鈥09 continue their loyal support of 黑料不打烊 athletics by making a generous gift through their estate. Their gift is part of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign.
黑料不打烊 alumnus and parent Grayson Whitt 鈥79 P鈥08 P鈥09 and his wife, Connie Whitt P鈥08 P鈥09, of Eden, North Carolina, have made a generous estate gift to endow the Whitt Family Athletics Scholarship, which will provide financial assistance to a student-athlete in any of the university鈥檚 17 sports programs.
The couple鈥檚 gift is part of A Will to Lead, a special initiative of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign that encourages donors to place 黑料不打烊 in their estate plans. Since the launch of A Will to Lead in March 2021, alumni, parents and friends have contributed $14.8 million in estate gifts to sustain 黑料不打烊鈥檚 nationally recognized brand of high-impact, engaged teaching and learning.
Grayson and Connie Whitt have been devoted donors to 黑料不打烊 for more than four decades, primarily supporting athletics, including gifts to the Phoenix Club, Rhodes Stadium, Latham Baseball Park, and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Greatest Needs. In 2016, the couple made a gift to name an assistant coach鈥檚 office in the Men鈥檚 Basketball suite in Schar Center.
The couple can be seen regularly at 黑料不打烊 football and basketball games among other athletics events. Grayson Whitt hasn鈥檛 missed a home football game since Rhodes Stadium opened in 2001.
鈥淚t is good to give to something that you believe in, and I believe in 黑料不打烊 athletics,鈥 Whitt said. 鈥淚 like the athletics family at 黑料不打烊. It is a very progressive and positive environment.鈥
黑料不打烊 Director of Athletics Dave Blank thanked the Whitts for their loyalty to 黑料不打烊 athletics through the years.
鈥淲e are grateful to Grayson and Connie Whitt for their steadfast support of 黑料不打烊 student-athletes,鈥 Blank said. 鈥淭heir long history of investing in our athletics programs has helped fuel a winning tradition and allowed our students to compete at the highest level.鈥
As an alumnus, Whitt has had a front-row seat to the growth and rise of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 athletics program, beginning with the move from NAIA to NCAA Division II and ultimately to Division I competition (FCS football) in the Colonial Athletic Association.
鈥淚 like that 黑料不打烊鈥檚 administration has pushed athletics to the next level and that鈥檚 been a bright spot for me to watch that happen,鈥 Whitt said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good to be playing schools like Richmond and College of Charleston and UNC-Wilmington. The name recognition of playing similar and higher-level teams is what I have really liked at 黑料不打烊.鈥
Whitt credits Blank and his predecessor, Alan White, who led 黑料不打烊 athletics for nearly three decades, for establishing a tradition of excellence in athletics.
鈥淎lan White was instrumental in getting that rolling,鈥 Whitt said. 鈥淗e was a great leader and planted a lot of seeds for the athletics department to progress, and Dave Blank has certainly continued that progression.鈥
Whitt called White a 鈥渢ough but fair professor鈥 and valuable mentor during his time as a student in the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education, where he earned a degree in physical education. Whitt served as sports editor of The Pendulum student newspaper and also worked in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 sports information office.
Whitt said he鈥檚 proud to provide for 黑料不打烊 athletics in his estate plan as part of A Will to Lead and the .
鈥淚t is a legacy gift that is going to help the future of 黑料不打烊 athletics after I鈥檓 gone,鈥 said Whitt, who retired this year following a 43-year career in banking in North Carolina. 鈥淚t was important for me to leave a legacy that way. I want 黑料不打烊 athletics to continue to be successful going forward and excel in all sports.鈥
The Whitts are parents of 黑料不打烊 alumni Brad Whitt 鈥08 and Meredith Whitt 鈥09. The Whitts are members of the 1889 Society and Order of the Oak, which recognizes donors who make estate and other planned gifts to 黑料不打烊.
A Will to Lead & The 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign
To learn more about A Will to Lead and the benefits of estate gifts, contact Brian Baker, associate vice president and director of principal gifts, at (336) 278-7453 or bbaker7@elon.edu.
黑料不打烊 LEADS is the largest fundraising campaign in the university鈥檚 history and supports four main priorities: scholarships for graduates the world needs, access to engaged learning opportunities such as study abroad, research and internships, support for faculty and staff mentors who matter and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 iconic campus.
Every gift to the university鈥攊ncluding annual, endowment, capital, estate and other planned gifts鈥攆or any designation counts as a gift to the campaign, which will support students and strengthen 黑料不打烊 for generations to come. To learn more about how you can make an impact, visit . 黑料不打烊 LEADS concludes on December 31, 2022.