Bryan Latham has continued his legacy of philanthropy at Elon by contributing $250,000 along with his wife, Janet, to support enhancements to Walter C. Latham (baseball) Park.
A previous gift by Latham named the facility in honor of his father, a 1934 Elon alumnus and talented athlete who died in 2000. Bryan Latham is an Elon trustee and member of the Phoenix Club IMPACT Circle (I Make Phoenix Athletics Competitive Today).
Walter Latham was the first person in his family to attend college. It took six years for the elder Latham to earn his degree. He withdrew for two years to work and support his family. Bryan Latham is grateful to Elon for helping his father realize his dream of earning a college degree.
“Elon gave him a scholarship and a job on campus, which he appreciated,” Latham says. “He contributed a lot to Elon, but Elon was willing to work with him and help him get his degree. He loved Elon.”
A recent visit to campus inspired Latham to continue to support the school that meant so much to his father, who played football, basketball and baseball.
“Seeing the campus and the students really helped cement my desire to do something, because I think it’s a terrific place,” says Latham, who lives in Miami. “Elon is one of the top schools in the country.”
Latham also believes strongly in providing student athletes with excellent facilities.
“My father was a student athlete and I was an athlete in high school,” he says. “Athletics rounds you out and gives you insights into teamwork and cooperation.”