Jerry and Linda Fields donate $1 million to athletics

Posted by University News Service
April 24, 2009

Jerry and Linda Fields of Houston have donated $1 million to support the Department of Athletics at Texas State University-San Marcos.

The gift was announced Friday, April 24, by Texas State President Denise Trauth.

“Jerry and Linda Fields are alumni, generous donors and dear friends of this university,” said Trauth. “Their support has helped us achieve new standards of excellence, and their continuing generosity and work on behalf of Texas State serve to further brighten our future.”

The Fieldses are among Texas State’s most generous benefactors. Their recent gift brings their total contributions to Texas State to approximately $3.8 million. They are co-chairs of Texas State’s Pride in Action fund-raising campaign. The campaign has five pillars: academic excellence, a new performing arts center, an alumni center, athletics and the university library.

In the past, they have donated $2.8 million in support of academic excellence, the alumni center and athletics.

"Our gift, along with the $1 million gift by Darren Casey, has enabled the university to make huge strides in its move to the Football Bowl Subdivision. Look at the new baseball, and softball complexes, and the records of our teams, and see the difference that these gifts have made. All one has to do is look at the progress of Bobcat Stadium, and see that the time is right for supporting our Athletic Department. It is a pleasure, and honor, to support Texas State and to lead the Pride in Action Campaign. I hope that our gifts will inspire others to follow in our actions and leave their lasting footprints on this university with their gifts as well," said Jerry Fields.

Larry Teis, director of athletics at Texas State, said the Fields’ gift will strengthen the university’s drive toward becoming a member of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of collegiate competition in football.

“We are very appreciative of the Fields’ generosity. This is an exciting time to be involved in Bobcat athletics. We are seeing unprecedented success on the playing fields, our student athletes are excelling in the classroom, and we are making tremendous improvements to our facilities. This gift will help take all that positive momentum to new levels,” said Teis.

Jerry Fields, a 1969 business graduate of Texas State, is founder, chairman and chief executive officer of J.D. Fields & Co., a worldwide supplier of steel products headquartered in Houston, with regional offices in Dallas, Tulsa, New Orleans, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and Guadalajara, Mexico.

His wife, Linda Gregg Fields, is a 1966 graduate of Texas State and a native of San Marcos.

Jerry Fields was a vice president of L.B. Foster Co. before leaving in 1985 to establish his own business. He and his wife are well-known philanthropists and are involved in a number of charitable organizations, including the American Cancer Society and the Ronald McDonald House. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Houston  Museum of Natural Science. She is on the Ronald McDonald House Board of Directors.