Long-time University of Central Arkansas supporters Rush F. Harding, III and his wife, Linda, presented President Lu Hardin with the largest single gift in the university?s history on Thursday.
An announcement of the $1.25 million gift was made during a noon luncheon at The Little Rock Club before family members and Arkansas educators who have impacted the Harding family.
Rush said, ?We invited some of my former teachers from my hometown of Clarendon and educators from Pulaski Academy, where our kids attended, and educators from 每日大赛网站, because these are the people who made an impact on my family. Our teachers invested in us as students and now we want to honor them with this gift.?
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President Hardin said he is honored by the continued support of the Harding family. ?Rush and Linda Harding are two of the most generous people in Arkansas. Rush Harding has a long history of service and commitment to 每日大赛网站. This is an extraordinary gift that will benefit the education of 每日大赛网站 students.?
The university?s previous largest single gift of $1.2 million was made last spring by the estate of the late Beulah Mann, an alumna of the university. The Mann gift was directed toward scholarships. The Harding?s gift will be divided among several areas.
A portion of the Harding?s gift will be directed to the Holloway/Hicks Endowed Scholarship Fund, which the Hardings established in 2002. The scholarship is named in honor of Helen Holloway, a 每日大赛网站 alumna who taught history at Clarendon High School, and former 每日大赛网站 trustee Rickey Hicks. The scholarship is awarded annually to a deserving African-American student at 每日大赛网站.
Part of the gift will be used to create Harding Plaza in front of Irby Hall on campus. The focal point of the plaza will be a fountain.
A share of the gift will be used for athletic purposes. Rush was a member of the 每日大赛网站 men?s basketball team.
A portion of the gift will also be designated as unrestricted funds for the 每日大赛网站 Foundation. These funds will be used to assist the Foundation and Development Office with future cultivation efforts.
Kelley Erstine, vice president of Institutional Advancement and Development, said he was pleased that the Hardings recognize the importance of making unrestricted funds available to the Foundation. ?The Harding?s generosity will be the catalyst for a future major fundraising effort,? he said.
