2023年10月13日
东德克萨斯浸会大学 welcomed generous 捐助者 and friends of the institution in celebration of the opening of the newly constructed Billy and Winky 老虎场的福特大厅 and the ETBU Tiger Ballpark during a ceremony held on Friday, 10月13日.
“Billy and Winky Foote met each other on this Hill and it's amazing what God sewed together and continues to bless,ETBU总裁J. 布莱尔布莱克本说. “富特一家已经把他们的生命交给了耶稣基督, 他们的部门, 他们的家庭, 以及他们的母校. Billy and Winky have sacrificially and generously invested in 学生奖学金 and we are proud to name this facility in their honor as a tribute to their legacy. 我们非常感谢他们的事工, 他们对这个机构的热爱, 他们对主耶稣的爱, and the contributions to the Kingdom they have made through their Christian spiritual leadership.”
More than 100 alumni and friends of the University contributed to the Vision for Victory, a campaign that raised funds for the creation of ETBU Tiger Ballpark at Woods Field and the construction of Billy and Winky 老虎场的福特大厅.
Billy and Winky 老虎场的福特大厅 is a multi-purpose facility that houses loft-style student residences, ETBU棒球俱乐部, 以及蓝孟加拉杂货公司, ETBU’s branded micro-market grocery store that provides a vast array of foods, 小吃之类的东西, 饮料, 家庭的必需品, 以及为学生提供的蓝孟加拉商品, 教师, 和工作人员.
“ETBU alumni and 捐助者 have rallied behind the Vision for Victory campaign to provide ETBU 学生 and the Tiger Baseball team with outstanding facilities,” ETBU Vice President for Advancement and Administrative Affairs 斯科特科比 said. “I am grateful to God for the people who gave generously to make the vision a reality. The new additions to our campus will impact Tiger 学生 for generations to come.”
Billy and Winky 老虎场的福特大厅 is named in honor of former East Texas Baptist College 学生 Billy and Winky Foote for their generous investment in institutional service, 学生奖学金, 以及校园建设计划. ETBC让比利和闪闪走到了一起, 把他们介绍给一辈子的朋友, 提供事工培训. 感谢上帝的信实, Billy and Winky have provided generous financial support to ETBU throughout the years. The Footes have contributed to numerous University capital campaigns and established the Billy and Winky Foote Endowed Scholarship, which provides financial assistance to 学生 preparing for careers in vocational ministry. Billy also gave back to the institution by serving as a member of the 东德克萨斯浸会大学 Board of Trustees from 2015-2023.
“我们怀着感激之心反思, 令人难以置信的是，上帝所做的比我们想象和梦想的还要多,比利·富特说. “He paved the way for us to share the Gospel with countless individuals through ministry and evangelism over the years. There is no greater blessing than to serve the college that invested so much in us. 神在我们生命中使用ETBC的方式是无法充分表达的, which paved the way and opened numerous doors for us to carry the mess年龄 of Jesus Christ. 这座建筑是为了纪念上帝, and it is our prayer that all the 学生 who pass through its doors will go on to live for the cause of Christ and be a light in this dark world for Him.”
ETBU Baseball celebrated a banner year at the newly renovated ETBU Tiger Ballpark in the spring of 2023. 老虎队在赛场上取得了前所未有的成功, including the ASC regular season championship followed by claiming an ASC Tournament Championship, NCAA第三分区地区锦标赛, 以及在ETBU老虎棒球场举行的NCAA第三级超级地区锦标赛. The team finished in the top four at the NCAA Division III National Championship, 42胜15负.
“As I stand in this impressive facility I am reminded of our alumni who are the foundation of our baseball program,棒球总教练贾里德·胡德说. “Their blood, sweat, tears, heartache, and victories are cemented into these walls. They are the reason we are the program we are now, and I hope they never forget that. 这些设施将把这个项目带到新的高度, 当一切尘埃落定，这些年轻人完成了他们的学位, they will have lifelong friends and relationships that will never be replaced. 我们非常感谢校友们的支持, 捐助者, 也感谢母校的朋友们，是你们让ETBU成为一个如此特别的地方.”
The newly renovated ETBU Tiger Ballpark is one of the premier baseball facilities in NCAA Division III. The ballpark features 535 permanent seatbacks and holds up to 1,500 fans with standing-room areas. 一个新的记者室，两个广播亭和两个套房被添加到体育场. 老虎场的福特大厅, 就在左外野墙那边, ETBU棒球队会所的所在地是哪里, 更衣室, 教练的办公室, 设备间, 招聘室.
“看到我们的棒球队令人兴奋, 学生, 球迷们可以享受我们最先进的设施,负责学生参与和体育活动的副校长瑞安·欧文说. “去年春天, the new ETBU Tiger Ballpark at Woods Field allowed us all to experience an electric postseason atmosphere. We are thankful for the vision of our administration and the generosity of our alumni and friends. This addition to ETBU’s residential housing and upgrades for our baseball program will enhance the student experience now and well into the future.”
比利·富特补充道, 诗篇115:1说:“不是向我们, 耶和华阿, 对我们来说不是, 但为了你的名字, 愿你因你的慈爱和诚实，得着一切荣耀. 所以，敬我们的主和救世主，敬. 布莱克本,博士. 斯科特科比, 感谢所有为这一具有纪念意义的时刻做出贡献的人, Winky and I want to say thank you for the joy and the privilege of being a part of what God's doing and what He's doing in such wonderful ways.”