GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina University Athletics and the ECU Pirate Club received a $1-million leadership gift from The Harold H. Bate Foundation towards the $55-million Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation Campaign. The gift supports the renovation project, targeted to be completed by the fall of 2018.

"On behalf of ECU and the Pirate Athletics Department, I would like to commend and thank The Harold H. Bate Foundation for this leadership gift toward our southside stadium renovation project," ECU Director of Athletics Jeff Compher said. "The Bate Foundation has consistently been a very generous source of financial support to ECU. This project will enhance the overall fan experience at Dowdy-Ficken Stadium and will provide much needed upgrades to many of our athletic facilities."

As part of a long-term facilities master plan, the $55-million Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation capital campaign involves the construction of a southside tower resulting in the creation of 1,000 premium seats through the creation 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.

"The Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation project will put East Carolina on track with other schools by having the state-of-the-art stadium in the eastern part of NC," president of The Harold H. Bate Foundation Don Brinkley acknowledged. "East Carolina is the driving engine of eastern North Carolina and plays a vital role in the overall economic growth and stability of the East."

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 430 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.

"The project will have a tremendous impact on our University and the Eastern part of North Carolina by bringing awareness, and visibility to both our athletics and our academics," Brinkley further explained. "It will impact all students, not just student-athletes."

The Harold H. Bate Foundation has been active in past ECU Athletics capital campaigns including "It's a Whole New Ballgame" campaign for Clark-LeClair Stadium, "Step Up to the Highest Level" campaign for the Smith-Williams Center encompassing the ECU Athletics Hall of Fame and the Pirate men's and women's basketball practice facilities and the Circle of Excellence campaign.

Upon receipt of a $1-million donation, the foundation was recognized through the naming of the Bate Foundation Track & Field Facility finished during the summer of 2011. The facility is located at the Terry Holland Sports Complex and is host to the annual Bill Carson Invitational, which began in 2014.

In addition, the foundation has provided $500,000 to the Pirate Club Scholarship Endowment Fund, as well as additional professorships and scholarships across campus.

"The Harold H. Bate Foundation has been there for ECU Athletics and its student-athletes every time a need arises," Executive Director of the Pirate Club J. Batt shared. "The steadfast generosity and tremendous leadership of the foundation has been shown again through this incredible commitment to the future of ECU Athletics."

A New York native, Harold H. Bate moved to eastern North Carolina in 1964 to expand his family's lumber business, overseeing the operation of several sawmills and the acquisition of timberlands in nearby New Bern.

Eastern North Carolina became his home and it was his mission to serve the region and East Carolina University. The Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation allows his legacy to continue.

"The project relates directly to Mr. Bate's mission and vision of the Foundation to enhance education, youth, recreation, and the quality of life," Brinkley explained.
Capital campaigns like the Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Southside Renovation project would not be successful without the generous support and understanding of the impact of each project. Each step in a project provides a challenge for others to meet a need and take part in ECU history. Like Bate, their legacy is solidified for generations.

"It is very important for others to give to the renovation project," Brinkley expressed. "It is not necessarily the size of the gift that matters, what really matters is that everyone is engaged and "buys in" to the overall mission of the university both academically and athletically."

The Harold H. Bate Foundation has been there each step of the way for East Carolina University and Pirate Athletics.

"The Pirate Club is forever grateful for the support of the Harold H. Bate Foundation," Pirate Club Executive President Dan Nichols stated. "This $1-million investment toward the southside renovation project is another example of the Bate Foundation's generosity and continued support for ECU Athletics."

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.