Longtime Western Carolina University supporters and friends have come together to honor the legacy and dedication of the university’s former sports information director, Steve White, a man many affectionately refer to as “the walking encyclopedia of Catamount athletics.”

WCU alumni David and Joy Wiggins have made a lead gift to the university’s “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign and chosen to direct their gift toward the naming of the football stadium’s new Western Skybox media center in White’s honor.

Three former members of the Western Carolina University women’s basketball team stepped up to the line to tip off the process of raising enough philanthropic support to name the current Catamount squad’s locker room after the founder of the program. 

That opening shot has resulted in a resounding “swish,” as that locker room now bears the name of the individual who launched the program during an era when women’s intercollegiate athletics was primarily an afterthought. 

A planned gift from a longtime Western North Carolina economic development and marketing professional and his spouse has pushed Western Carolina University’s “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign past its minimum goal of $100 million in philanthropic support.