From the Duke News Service

July 7, 1999

A $5 million bequest from the estate of Duke University alumnus Tobias C. "Zollie" Sherrill, who was president of a Charlotte construction company, will support as many as eight additional scholarships annually for Duke student-athletes, university President Nannerl O. Keohane announced Wednesday.

Sherrill, who died in 1996, was a 1951 Duke graduate, football letterman and charter member of the Iron Dukes, the organization largely responsible for funding athletic scholarships.

Income from the $5 million endowment will be directed to support athletic scholarships. In recognition of the gift, largest ever for athletic scholarships at Duke, an area of the new Schwartz-Butters Building will be named for Sherrill.

"As an active participant in Duke sports, Zollie Sherrill represented the competitive spirit of our student-athletes, and it is most fitting that his memory be perpetuated through the scholarship endowment fund and the area named for him," Keohane said. "The Sherrill family's generous support of Duke's student-athletes and the facilities in which they practice and compete is greatly appreciated."

Keohane identified improving Duke's athletic and recreational facilities as one of her top priorities when she assumed the Duke presidency in 1993.

Duke currently offers 201 athletic scholarships in 15 of its 26 varsity sports, but before this gift, only 36 were supported by an endowment. Each scholarship costs approximately $33,000 annually and covers tuition, room and board and other expenses. (Because Duke is a private institution, it does not have access to state support, which reduces the annual cost of an athletic scholarship at state universities in the Atlantic Coast Conference.)

In the next few years, the university plans to add another 34 new scholarships for which fund raising is underway as part of the athletic department's portion of the $1.5 billion Campaign for Duke.

"For Duke to continue to set the pace nationally for competitive teams in addition to unsurpassed academic opportunities, we must move support for athletics to a new level," said Director of Athletics Joe Alleva. "Support from former Duke athletes like Mr. Sherrill will further our objectives significantly and challenges others to commit their support as well."

In honor of the Sherrill's many contributions, the men's basketball office area in the Schwartz-Butters Building adjacent to Cameron Indoor Stadium will bear Sherrill's name. Slated for completion this fall, the Schwartz-Butters Building is a six-story addition to Cameron that will house an academic center for student-athletes, men's and women's basketball offices and facilities, and a new sports hall of fame. The building will anchor the northwest end of Duke's West Campus recreational-athletic complex, which includes Card Gym and the Taischoff Aquatic Center; the new Wilson Center, a student recreational facility nearing completion; and the indoor Sheffield Tennis Center under construction, as well as the outdoor courts.

"I am very pleased that Duke has chosen to honor Zollie's memory by naming an area of the new Schwartz-Butters Building for him," said Elmyra Sherrill, his wife. "Zollie was vitally interested in all aspects of Duke sports and the athletic scholarship program was his top priority. It is a great source of pride for our family that, because of this gift, student-athletes at Duke can continue to benefit far into the future."

Sherrill's philanthropy to Duke and to its athletic programs is a long-lived family tradition. He previously established a scholarship endowment in memory of his first wife, Margaret, a 1950 graduate of Duke's Woman's College. She was an avid golfer and died in 1989.

The Margaret Hinson Sherrill Memorial Scholarship Fund is intended for those who would be unable to attend the university without financial aid, with preference given to female golfers. This year Duke's women's golf team, led by Sherrill scholarship recipients Kalen Anderson and Filippa Hansson and former recipient Jenny Chuasiriporn, won the NCAA championship title. Chuasiriporn graduated in May and is now pursuing a career as a professional on the LPGA tour.

In addition to women's golf, Duke athletic teams achieved NCAA Final Four berths or better in four other sports this year. The university tied for sixth in the 1998-99 NCAA Division I Sears Directors' Cup standings based on a school's results in all intercollegiate sports. Duke's finish led all nine Atlantic Coast Conference schools and was the highest ever for Duke in the six years of the competition.

Sherrill was president of the T.A. Sherrill Construction Co., a grading and paving company in Charlotte.

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