BOONE, N.C. — Brad and Carole Wilson have remained connected to Appalachian State through the "Three As" at their alma mater: Academics, Athletics and The Arts.
As Yosef Club members contributing a gift to A Mountaineer Impact, A Drive for Excellence, the Wilsons are Making an Impact on the future of App State Athletics.
Brad and Carole, who both graduated from Appalachian in 1975, fondly recall the raucous crowds and rivalry games from their time in Boone.
"The intensity of the rivals we had, it introduced a lot of energy and electricity," Brad said. "The excitement all of that collective energy would generate was one of the reasons that kept you coming back. You left with that experience and that spirit. Today, we have that now where we are, and the connection between the experience as a student carries over to the experience as an alum and continues to grow.
"I've said frequently, in many situations, everything good that's happened to us and positioned us to be successful and have the opportunities to be successful in life, we can track back to our experiences here."
Carole attended Appalachian because of her desire to study education in a co-ed setting. Brad had a big-picture goal of attending law school, and his love of the atmosphere at Appalachian convinced him to spend his undergraduate years in Boone.
Meeting his future wife there was a pretty good selling point on staying there, too.
"I applied and got accepted and didn't even see it until I came to orientation," Carole said.
History majors who were part of Greek life at Appalachian, Brad and Carole enjoyed strong social and academic support systems as undergrads.
Even after graduating, Brad said he remained close with the history professors who had worked with him and prepared him for law school.
"I quickly concluded I could achieve my ultimate destination by doing well at App," Brad said. "I had this wonderful intellectual experience with them when we were there, and l left completely prepared to do what I wanted to do. Clearly, one of the central features of Appalachian today is preparing our students to do well at whatever your choice of vocation or life journey might be."
With Brad practicing law in Lenoir as a young graduate, the geographic proximity to Boone made it even easier to stay connected to Appalachian State. The Wilsons now live primarily in Raleigh but are frequent visitors to Boone, thanks in part to a home in Blowing Rock.
The Wilsons have a history of service to Appalachian in many areas, with Carole spending time on the Board of Trustees and Brad being a former chairman of the UNC Board of Governors.
Brad received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from Appalachian's College of Arts and Sciences in 2005 and the Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2001. Carole received the Alumni Association's Distinguished Service Award in 2018.
Carole said she admires how Appalachian State emphasizes that the student-athletes are students first, and her husband notes that an athletic scholarship is an academic scholarship that provides means to a quality education.
The synergy between academics and athletics is one reason why the Wilsons feel it's important to contribute in multiple areas.
"Athletics enhances the entire university, and the university ultimately benefits," Brad said. "It's fortunate that we're growing. When you grow, it takes investment and time and money. One of the primary reasons we're enthusiastic about being part of A Mountaineer Impact is that it's an opportunity to help the university grow in that component, therefore building on the success we'll continue to enjoy long into the future and after our time is over."
