Donor support helps the CSU foster an environment of leadership, personal accountability and hard work among the thousands of students who participate in the university’s many athletic programs. Additionally, it brings together campuses and communities, alumni and students, and fans of every stripe to create a sense of shared purpose and commitment.
Alumni Student-Athletes Thank Aquatics Coach with Scholarship
Three-time All-American diver Lori Stilson-Armstrong joined California State University, East Bay Pioneers swimming star Brad Gothberg and fellow alumnus water polo goalie Steve Victorson to announce the creation of a scholarship honoring their former coach and mentor, Cal Caplan.
“I had absolutely no idea this was going on. I was speechless,” Coach Caplan said of the scholarship announcement, adding, “This scholarship fulfills a recognition that we are more than individuals or islands in sports.” Caplan was inducted into the Pioneer Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006 and is recognized for playing a key role in developing the university’s Physical Education and Kinesiology department.
Besides honoring Coach Caplan, the scholarship’s goal is to help the swimming and water polo coaches recruit and retain student-athletes who exemplify Caplan’s values and show promise for qualities of leadership, teamwork and high achievement in their sport and academics.
Gift to Championship Program Hits It Out of the Park
Joseph and Paula Cervantes, longtime Titan supporters, pledged $75,000 to the California State University, Fullerton softball program, with an additional $50,000 match to name the patio deck of the renovated clubhouse at the fields as The Cervantes Family Terrace.
Scheduled for completion by the 2022 season, the clubhouse modernization will also feature new offices, training rooms and a lounge. Joseph Cervantes hopes the investment in the softball facility instills pride and camaraderie among team members to continue the Titan legacy. “It is my hope that our gift will give the program a better opportunity to compete with other nationally recognized softball programs in the U.S.,” said Cervantes, senior executive vice president of operations at R.D. Olson Construction.
Titan softball head coach Kelly Ford called the Cervanteses’ support “monumental.” “This gift is just magical for us. It’s an absolute game changer for us recruiting wise.”
Honoring Her Parents to Better Society
Cyd Crampton was looking for a way to honor her parents after they passed away. “I felt that CSUMB was my best opportunity to make an impact,” she said.
Crampton’s father, Chuck, coached at De Anza College and several high schools during his lifetime. Following his passing, Crampton contributed toward new locker rooms for the California State University, Monterey Bay women’s basketball and volleyball teams. She continues to support those programs with annual gifts.
Crampton’s mother, Beverley, taught English in high school. “Shakespeare was a huge passion of hers, and she infected me with it,” Crampton said. After her mother’s passing, Crampton created the Beverley Cooper Crampton Memorial Scholarship at CSUMB for students who plan to become English teachers in the Tri-County area.
“Education is the true equalizer,” Crampton said. “To have education and knowledge is power. And the more people who have access to education, the better our society.”
Bakersfield Native Establishes Women's Excellence Fund
Shelly Carlin, a philanthropist and former chief human resources officer of Motorola,
has committed $500,000 over five years to support women’s athletics at California
State University, Bakersfield. Carlin’s gift establishes the Athletics Director’s Women’s
Excellence Fund, which will directly support CSUB’s 10 women’s athletic programs.
The pledged gift will also increase for the first time in program history the number of
scholarships available to the Roadrunner softball program to the maximum allowed by
the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Carlin, a Bakersfield native and a former Division I softball scholar-athlete at UCLA, has
long held a vested interest in the development of scholar-athletes at CSUB and within
the Bakersfield community. “College sports provided the means for me to experience
the world beyond the San Joaquin Valley,” Carlin said. “My UCLA experience changed
my life—and it’s my hope that this gift can help change the lives of the Roadrunner
student-athletes of the future.”
CSUB President Lynnette Zelezny praised Carlin, saying the gift will advance the
aspirations of women athletes at the university. Director of Athletics Kenneth “Ziggy”
Siegfried echoed Zelezny’s praise: “The creation of the AD’s Women’s Excellence Fund
will impact women’s athletics on our campus for many years to come.”