Elon University trustee Wes Elingburg and his wife, Cathy, have been recognized by the Southern Conference with the league’s 2010 Distinguished Service Award for their contributions to the institution. The Elingburgs received one of 12 awards – one for each member of the conference – and will be honored June 1 at the Southern Conference Honors Dinner in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
The Elingburgs are familiar faces among Elon supporters, as the couple is a staple in the stands, encouraging and cheering on the Phoenix student-athletes. The couple made a generous contribution in support of Alumni Field House, a project that will add a 30,000 square-foot facility at the north end of Rhodes Stadium and help to service more than half of Elon’s student-athletes.
The Elingburgs, who are parents of an Elon student, also play an active role in providing necessary scholarship support for Elon student-athletes as members of the IMPACT Circle, the premier giving group of the Phoenix Club, the athletic department fundraising arm. In addition, the pair is an active member of the men’s basketball Champions Club.
The Elingburgs have made many generous financial commitments to Elon, including endowing the Wesley R. Elingburg Professorship in the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. They also contribute to the Elon Academy, a university-run academic enrichment program for high school students in the Alamance-Burlington School System.
Wes Elingburg joined the Elon University Board of Trustees in 2005.
The Distinguished Service Award program was started in 2002 as a way for the Southern Conference to recognize those individuals from its member institutions who have contributed to all aspects of the university.
This year’s honorees also include G.A. Sywassink (Appalachian State), George and Marie Barnette (College of Charleston), William F. Schupp (The Citadel), Janet H. Wilson (Davidson), Colonel and Mrs. F. Pelzer Barry, Jr. (Furman), Phil Moore (Georgia Southern), Pat Hielscher (UNC Greensboro), Lynn Boggs (Samford), Robert T. Davis (Chattanooga), Steve White (Western Carolina) and John Bauknight (Wofford).