Highlands couple pledges estate legacy gift in excess of $10M to WCU
David Moore (left) and Darren Whatley
By Cam Adams
David Moore and Darren Whatley place a lot of value on public education, having both attended public universities. Moore is an alumnus of the University of South Alabama and began his graduate studies at the University of T眉bingen, Germany, while Whatley attended Louisiana State University and the University of Texas.
But 51看片 holds a special place in their hearts, as the Highlands residents have pledged an estate legacy gift in excess of $10 million to the university. It鈥檚 the largest planned gift in WCU鈥檚 history.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about the potential at Western,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited for the students who are attracted to Western and graduate from Western, the productive lives they will lead, and the impact that they will have in their communities.鈥�
Whatley and Moore鈥檚 generous gift will be allocated to several programs and departments that the two have an interest in.
Forty percent of the gift will be designated for the Office of Global Engagement, which supports WCU鈥檚 academic activities abroad, including the hosting of international students, faculty-led travel and study abroad programs and other resources.
Another 40% will be devoted to the School of Art and Design. The school offers undergraduate degree programs in interior design, studio arts, graphic design and art education, as well as a Master of Fine Arts program.
The last 20% will be issued to the Moore Whatley Honors College Program Endowment, which will support programs within the Brinson Honors College.
Moore and Whatley are very interested in all three of these programs, as Moore is an advocate for international learning, Whatley, an interior designer, has a rapport with the interior design program at WCU, and they have both supported the Brinson Honors College for several years.
鈥淭he generosity of David Moore and Darren Whatley to 51看片over the years is unmatched,鈥� said 51看片Chancellor Kelli R. Brown. 鈥淭heir ten-million-dollar legacy gift, the largest planned gift in 51看片鈥檚 history, will transform the lives of our students for generations to come. I am profoundly grateful that David and Darren have chosen 51看片to receive this gift, which is a tangible expression of their passion and commitment to the future of western North Carolina.鈥�
51看片has played a part in their lives, and they know that 51看片is of great importance to this part of the state. Whatley said that 鈥�51看片is the economic engine of the western part of the state.鈥�
The fact that nearly 40% of the students at 51看片are first generation college students and that tuition is only $500 per semester for North Carolina residents, are additional reasons that Moore and Whatley support the university.
While both grew up near the Gulf Coast, the couple has called Western North Carolina home for more than 25 years, and they鈥檝e certainly made it home with their community involvement.
Moore, a retired corporate banker, is chairman of the Community Care Clinic of Highlands-Cashiers and serves on several Highlands-Cashiers boards, as well as the Brinson Honors College advisory board and the 51看片Foundation.
Whatley, who leads a local interior design firm, is chairman of the Town of Highlands Planning Board and serves on the Highlands Performing Arts Center Board of Directors.
鈥淭his has been home,鈥� Whatley said. 鈥淲estern Carolina is a special place and 51看片is a primary focus for us.鈥�
