Union College receives donation from “Light of Union” benefactor for softball field lights
Martin Williamson donated a six-figure amount to the college for the project. In recent years, he has also donated money for lights for the football and soccer field.
Union College's softball team will no longer be playing in the dark, thanks to another donation from longtime Union College benefactor Martin Williamson. A previous donation by Williamson lighted the football and soccer field.
According to an article on Union College’s website, Associate Athletic Director and Head Softball Coach Renee Hicks is quoted as saying, “This is going to have a huge impact now and in the future. This is going to create more opportunities for young ladies to play and it’s going to help with recruiting, too.”
Hicks goes on to explain that with the addition of lights to the playing field, there will be more hours in the day that the softball team can practice and play. With games and practices able to be held later in the day, the team won’t need to miss classes for practice and more fans will be able to enjoy the later games.
Williamson’s father was a Union College alumni, and Williamson has always appreciated Union College, despite not attending the school himself. He went to the University of Virginia, but decided to continue his father’s legacy of donating to Union College.
“My father was pretty generous with Union himself, and he suggested that if I didn't spend all my money, why don't I give some of it to Union College? I found it was easy to do because Union's a pretty likable place. Union educates, particularly, first-generation college students in the Appalachian area. I think they do very well at it,” said Williamson.
Back in 2014, Union College’s president Dr. Marcia Hawkins appealed to Williamson to ask for a donation to install lights for the football and soccer field. Williamson obliged.
Speaking of the lights that Williamson’s generous donation made possible in 2014, Dr. Hawkins said, “Those lights added another dimension to campus life at Union. When the center of campus lit up, it changed the whole dynamic of work, study, and play at Union.”
Williamson plans to donate in order to have lights installed for the last remaining sport: baseball. However, he says the lights will be much more expensive, and he doesn’t know when he will be able to make it happen.
“The goal is to put lights on all the fields. I hope to get around to the baseball field sooner or later. It may or may not be in my lifetime, but I'll try to make sure it happens,” he said.
Hawkins expressed her gratitude for all Williamson has done for Union College’s athletics. She said, “I am so grateful to Martin Williamson and so happy that he has found Union a worthy recipient of his gifts. Martin understands that field lights do much more than light a field. They light the whole campus environment and provide opportunities for community participation.”
Hawkins and Hicks expect that the softball field lights will be installed in time for the season’s final game in April, to which they will invite Williamson for the opportunity to thank him in person.
For more information about Union College, visit the school’s website.