Gene Fuller '52 of Charlotte shrugs off a recent gift he and wife Jane made to fund both a new kinesiology lab and classroom furniture at his alma mater, Catawba College.  He simply says, “They needed money and I was able to help.”  But the reason for Fuller’s gift is likely a little more complex than that. 

Fuller continues to give back to his alma mater because he is grateful for his years there and the opportunities provided to him thanks to his Catawba education. And, although he was a business major when he attended Catawba, his passion was for athletics and his most recent contribution still hits close to that mark. 

The new kinesiology lab will provide a training facility for athletic training majors, the students who actually serve as trainers for Catawba’s 17 NCAA Division II athletic teams.  And, the new furniture will be placed in classrooms in the Abernethy Physical Education Center. 

Catawba College Senior Vice President Tom Childress notes that this most recent gift is typical of Fuller. “Gene saw a need we had and simply tried to help fill it.  He’s all about helping us with the nuts and bolts of our operation.  Projects we approach him with are not always the most glamorous, but are rather the most needed, and Gene steps up to the plate.” 

The lab will allow students to practice first hand concepts which are taught in kinesiology and exercise physiology.  Students will be able to participate in VO2 max (maximum capacity of oxygen intake) tests, anaerobic strength tests, and muscle endurance tests just to name a few.  The lab will be equipped with a treadmill, bicycle ergometer, VO2 system, heart rate monitors, and various other assessment equipment. 

“The athletic training program and physical education department are extremely grateful for Mr. Fuller’s generosity.  The lab will further enhance and broaden the education of our athletic training students which will allow them to become successful graduates of Catawba College.” 

In 2003, the Fullers made a substantial gift to the Shuford Stadium campaign, a $4 million project to upgrade that facility, and the home coaches’ box at the stadium bears their name in commemoration.  The couple supported the Campaign for Catawba, a $59.6 million effort which raised funds for capital and infrastructure improvements, and has long made annual gifts to the College. 

Fuller, who is retired as a commercial real estate developer, now works managing commercial property which he owns. Born and raised in Lumberton, he was the youngest of five children and the first in his family to attend college.  After a brief stint in the U.S. Army (1946-1948), he chose Catawba because a couple of his friends were planning to go and encouraged him to join them.   

“When I got out of the service, I knew I wanted to go to a small school,” he says.  “My goal was to get an education and that was one reason I didn’t want to attend a large institution.” 

What Fuller found at Catawba was a close-knit college community where he “wasn’t just a number.”  He played basketball during all four of his college years and made friends that have lasted a lifetime. 

“I have a place in my heart for Catawba,” he explains.  “I didn’t realize what it meant to me until I got away from it.” 

Fuller’s two sons, Mark and David, have followed their father's footsteps and are employed as commercial real estate brokers.  And, Fuller notes, that he and wife Jane are especially proud of their two grandchildren, Elizabeth, 15, and William Alexander, 17.