Clark Family Provides $900,000 Leadership Gift in Support of Dowdy-Ficklen Renovation Campaign
September 22, 2016 | Football
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The successful progress of the $55-million Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation Campaign continues. East Carolina University Athletics and the ECU Pirate Club are proud to announce a $900,000 leadership commitment from the Clark family of Greenville. The gift supports the renovation project, targeted to be completed by the fall of 2018.
"Time and time again, the Clark family has stepped up as leaders for our fundraising efforts," ECU Director of Athletics Jeff Compher said. "They are and always will be loyal Pirates who are willing to invest their resources to help our athletic department and our student-athletes. We are fortunate to have their outstanding support and commitment."
For the Clark family, their love for ECU has been instilled through the years and passed down to generations. For them, East Carolina Athletics has been a family cornerstone.
"ECU is a very special place to my family," said Lance Clark, son of Bill and the late Gloria Clark. "My mother and father met while attending ECU. They were married right out of college before my dad attended graduate school there. Both my brothers Heath and Hunter graduated from ECU. Heath was also a four-year starter for the baseball team from 1991 to 1994."
Bill Clark and his family have been instrumental in the growth of Greenville through real-estate firm Bill Clark Homes. Established in 1977, the company has expanded beyond Greenville to include Raleigh, Wilmington, New Bern, Fayetteville as well as Myrtle Beach.
Joining the Pirate Club in 1970, Bill and Gloria provided their sons an example of sacrifice and devotion to ECU Athletics. They also displayed how to give back.
The Clark family took part in the Shared Visions Campaign in 1993 through an endowment scholarship and expansion of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The family answered the challenge issued to Pirate Nation in the "It's a Whole New Ballgame" Campaign for Clark-LeClair Stadium. The Clark family committed the lead gift of $1.5 million in support of the project. For the family, it was a way to give back to ECU and the athletics department for the investment made in their sons.
"The Clark family is again at the front of our philanthropic efforts," Executive Director of the Pirate Club J. Batt acknowledged. "They led the way in honoring late ECU Baseball Coach Keith LeClair years ago and have again stepped forward to lead the Pirate Nation."
Pirate Club Executive President Dan Nichols shared Batt's gratitude saying, "The Clark family has again shown their Undaunted support for ECU Athletics with this leadership gift to the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation campaign. Having the second generation of this family step up to continue the legacy of support that was started by their parents is a prime example of the pride that so many Pirate families share. The Pirate Nation is truly fortunate to have the support and generosity of the Clark family."
Mirroring their parents' generosity and commitment to their hometown and alma mater, the Clark sons took the lead on this $900,000 gift for the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation project.
"When it was presented to my brothers and I, we felt like this was the right time to make a contribution as a family and help move this project forward," Lance Clark explained. "The campaign is a significant upgrade and very well designed. If you look at college football landscape and see what some of the other programs have done and are doing, this campaign is imperative for our university."
The Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation will offer state-of-the-art facilities and serve as a model for other universities across the nation. It will not just change the face and reputation of Pirate football, but ECU Athletics overall. Taking it one step further, the southside renovations will impact the university as a whole.
"In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, now is as an important time as ever to put ourselves in as good of a position so we can continue to compete at the highest level," Lance Clark shared. "These facility upgrades are essential to elevate not only our football team, but our university as a whole. This renovation is a vital recruiting tool for the entire university."
As part of a long-term facilities master plan, the $55-million capital campaign involves the construction of a southside tower resulting in the creation of 1,000 premium seats through the addition of a new Club Level, Loge Boxes, Standard Suites and Founder's Suites. In addition to an enhanced game-day experience with a new Pirate Club Level, Field Level Club and premium parking spaces.
Beyond Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, the project includes improvements to the Ward Sports Medicine Building and Scales Field House to provide needed functional space for over 450 Pirate student-athletes. Development of the indoor hitting facility adjacent to Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium, is also part of the capital campaign project.
For more information on how to support the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation project, contact the ECU Pirate Club at 252-737-4540 or ecupirateclub@ecu.edu.
"Time and time again, the Clark family has stepped up as leaders for our fundraising efforts," ECU Director of Athletics Jeff Compher said. "They are and always will be loyal Pirates who are willing to invest their resources to help our athletic department and our student-athletes. We are fortunate to have their outstanding support and commitment."
For the Clark family, their love for ECU has been instilled through the years and passed down to generations. For them, East Carolina Athletics has been a family cornerstone.
"ECU is a very special place to my family," said Lance Clark, son of Bill and the late Gloria Clark. "My mother and father met while attending ECU. They were married right out of college before my dad attended graduate school there. Both my brothers Heath and Hunter graduated from ECU. Heath was also a four-year starter for the baseball team from 1991 to 1994."
Bill Clark and his family have been instrumental in the growth of Greenville through real-estate firm Bill Clark Homes. Established in 1977, the company has expanded beyond Greenville to include Raleigh, Wilmington, New Bern, Fayetteville as well as Myrtle Beach.
Joining the Pirate Club in 1970, Bill and Gloria provided their sons an example of sacrifice and devotion to ECU Athletics. They also displayed how to give back.
The Clark family took part in the Shared Visions Campaign in 1993 through an endowment scholarship and expansion of Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The family answered the challenge issued to Pirate Nation in the "It's a Whole New Ballgame" Campaign for Clark-LeClair Stadium. The Clark family committed the lead gift of $1.5 million in support of the project. For the family, it was a way to give back to ECU and the athletics department for the investment made in their sons.
"The Clark family is again at the front of our philanthropic efforts," Executive Director of the Pirate Club J. Batt acknowledged. "They led the way in honoring late ECU Baseball Coach Keith LeClair years ago and have again stepped forward to lead the Pirate Nation."
Pirate Club Executive President Dan Nichols shared Batt's gratitude saying, "The Clark family has again shown their Undaunted support for ECU Athletics with this leadership gift to the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation campaign. Having the second generation of this family step up to continue the legacy of support that was started by their parents is a prime example of the pride that so many Pirate families share. The Pirate Nation is truly fortunate to have the support and generosity of the Clark family."
Mirroring their parents' generosity and commitment to their hometown and alma mater, the Clark sons took the lead on this $900,000 gift for the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation project.
"When it was presented to my brothers and I, we felt like this was the right time to make a contribution as a family and help move this project forward," Lance Clark explained. "The campaign is a significant upgrade and very well designed. If you look at college football landscape and see what some of the other programs have done and are doing, this campaign is imperative for our university."
The Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation will offer state-of-the-art facilities and serve as a model for other universities across the nation. It will not just change the face and reputation of Pirate football, but ECU Athletics overall. Taking it one step further, the southside renovations will impact the university as a whole.
"In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, now is as an important time as ever to put ourselves in as good of a position so we can continue to compete at the highest level," Lance Clark shared. "These facility upgrades are essential to elevate not only our football team, but our university as a whole. This renovation is a vital recruiting tool for the entire university."
As part of a long-term facilities master plan, the $55-million capital campaign involves the construction of a southside tower resulting in the creation of 1,000 premium seats through the addition of a new Club Level, Loge Boxes, Standard Suites and Founder's Suites. In addition to an enhanced game-day experience with a new Pirate Club Level, Field Level Club and premium parking spaces.
Beyond Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, the project includes improvements to the Ward Sports Medicine Building and Scales Field House to provide needed functional space for over 450 Pirate student-athletes. Development of the indoor hitting facility adjacent to Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium, is also part of the capital campaign project.
For more information on how to support the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation project, contact the ECU Pirate Club at 252-737-4540 or ecupirateclub@ecu.edu.
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