Home Field Advantage
Last Modified: 05/11/2012
Gardner-Webb Baseball Receives $1.3 Million Gift From Bill and Sue Masters
Last fall, the Gardner-Webb University Runnin’ Bulldogs baseball program received a $1.3 million gift from longtime GWU supporters Bill and Sue Masters. Fifty percent of the gift will be set up to endow the program while the remaining half is designated for baseball scholarships. This gift brings the Higher Ground Capital Campaign total to $41 million.
“The remarkable generosity of the Masters’ family will change the playing field for Gardner-Webb baseball. A gift of this magnitude and focus will allow our program to recruit the brightest student athletes who can make the right plays in the classroom and on the field,” said Woody Fish, associate vice-president for Alumni Relations and Development.
Bill Masters grew up in Easley, S.C. with a deep love for baseball that took him from the sandlot to the ACC, where Masters was a walk-on at Clemson. “When I was a kid I always said that ‘I’d rather play baseball than eat when I was hungry,’” said Masters. He also went on to play semipro baseball, and served in the U.S. Army Air Force.
Masters spent most of his career in the textile industry, working for the White Horse Cotton Mill in Greenville, S.C., Riegel Textiles in Ware Shoals, S.C. and Cone Mills in Cliffside, N.C., where he served as production manager. It was while in Cliffside that he began his relationship with Gardner-Webb 40 years ago.
“I was inspired that Cone Mills was involved in supporting private colleges like Gardner-Webb, and I wanted to be a part of that kind of community. Through the years, Sue and I have seen Gardner-Webb grow from a two-year college to university status, and we have continued to see improvements along the way. This is a thriving university that we just want to be a part of,” Masters said.In 2008, the GWU baseball field was named in honor of Masters for his generous support to the baseball program, and on Nov. 12, Gardner-Webb named the Bill and Sue Masters Athletic Facility in the family’s honor with a ribbon cutting and dedication. This facility houses the baseball and tennis offices.
“Mr. Masters is a real friend to Gardner-Webb and has made a real investment in the future of our baseball program,” said GWU Head Baseball Coach Rusty Stroupe. “Mr. & Mrs. Masters trust that we are going to continue to uphold the values that Gardner-Webb stands for, and they trust that their investment will be used wisely now and in the future. I appreciate them putting that trust in our program."
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