Hickory, N.C. – The Piedmont Educational Foundation/Bears Club, the official fundraising arm of Lenoir-Rhyne Athletics, hosted the 2009 Board Of Trustees Dinner on Tuesday, August 4, at the Lake Hickory Country Club in Hickory, N.C.
The dinner, which spotlights the athletic accomplishments of the past season and helps kick off the new year for Bear athletics, was highlighted by the annual check to Lenoir-Rhyne University.
This year, new PEF/Bears Club President Jon Swift presented a check of $748,330 to Dr. Wayne Powell, President of the College.
The PEF/Bears Club also honored its Scholar-Athletes Of The Year, given annually to the male and female student-athletes with the highest grade point average.
Senior Kristen Fulmer (Bradenton, Fla.), a member of the women’s basketball team, was the female scholar-athlete of the year while senior Matt Corbin (Franklin, N.C.) and junior Jake Stuckey (Stony Point, N.C.) were the co-male scholar-athletes of the year. Corbin is a member of the football and men’s track and field teams while Stuckey runs cross country and track.
The scholar-athlete award was officially renamed in honor of Dr. Rufus Moretz, Lenoir-Rhyne’s Faculty Athletic Representative for 18 years from 1989 to 2007.
The Bears Club held a raffle for a trip to Atlantis (Nassau, Bahamas) and a live auction for a trip to Dallas, Texas, to watch the University of North Carolina take on the University of Texas in December at the new Cowboys stadium. All proceeds benefit L-R Athletic Scholarships.
Finally, third-year Lenoir-Rhyne University Head Football Coach Fred Goldsmith was the keynote speaker.