ATHLETICS REPORT
WITH THE ASSIST
Basketball Alumnae Provide Support to the Emergency Fund When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in the early spring of 2020, virtually all colleges and universities across the country were faced with the difficult decision to shift to remote learning and send students home for their safety and the safety of faculty and staff. At Guilford, this caused widespread financial hardship for some students, which in turn led the school to create the Guilford Emergency Fund. This fund helped provide support to those students who needed it. Many alumni who are former Guilford student-athletes answered the call to lend a helping hand, including Lois Wright ’85 and Catherine Herring Johnson ’94. Lois and Catherine recently answered questions about their time at Guilford and why they chose to donate to the Guilford Emergency Fund.
Lois Wright ’85 Lois Wright was a two-
recruited me, and Judy Flynn, who coached me in basketball for three
because it’s my way of giving back to the community that provided a firm foundation for me to be successful
sport athlete as she
years. In short, it is
in my career and to be successful as
competed for both the
the people that make
a person. I want to pass it forward
women’s basketball and
Guilford College the
in hopes of giving others the same
softball teams. She still
wonderful place it was
opportunities I had to discover who
ranks among basketball
and continues to be.”
average (14.2, 6th), field goals
I was and who I wanted to become. I chose to donate to the Emergency Fund
career leaders in scoring Why do you donate to Guilford,
because I know what a difficult time we
made (412, 15th) and scoring (972,
and why did you choose to donate to
are all experiencing — fear, frustration,
22nd). Lois was inducted into the
the Emergency Fund specifically?
uncertainty. Financial support is just
Guilford Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.
“I choose to donate to Guilford College
one small way I can help.”
How did Guilford prepare you for life after graduation? “The most important learning I gained from Guilford was to open my mind to different ways of thinking and being. The diversity of people and thinking at Guilford College cannot be understated. I would never have gotten the personal attention or developed the meaningful relationships with my professors at a large institution.” What makes Guilford special and unique? “Guilford was unique because of dedicated professors like Elwood Parker ’64, Sheridan Simon and Rex Adelberger, who cared about each student. Guilford was special because of the coaches like Gayle Currie, who 1 0 | W W W. G U I L F O R D . E D U
