A Gift that Launched a Basketball Legend

Eleanor Baldwin was a longtime supporter of Florida Atlantic University long before everybody knew her name. With a passion for education and a love of sports and Florida Atlantic, she had supported scholarships and several capital projects over more than three decades.

But the gift that has brought her the most joy also brought her thousands of young admirers and made her name a part of Owl basketball legend. She made a transformational blended gift to renovate and improve the basketball and volleyball arena. And forevermore, the facility will be known as the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena.

Little could she have known that her gift would become a motivating factor, launching the men’s basketball team into the NCAA Final Four. Nor could she have known how the students would cheer her name by the end of the season.

“Over the years I have made many donations to FAU, but none have been as exciting and enjoyable as the donation made for the naming of the Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena,” she said.

“Following that donation, everyone came to call me the good luck charm because after the donation was announced the basketball team won 20 games straight. Then all the fans and the announcers came to start calling the arena “The Elly.” Whenever I was in a group of fans, everyone started chanting, ‘Elly, Elly, Elly.’ In all, it was just for me a wonderful basketball season. And I just hope if you make a donation to FAU that you enjoy the same pride and joy that I have from this donation.”

Elly’s gift is the most recent in a 3-decade history of support for Florida Atlantic University. Her philanthropy includes major donations for the Eleanor R. Baldwin House, the on-campus residence for the university president, and the Eleanor R. Baldwin History and Tradition Hall inside the Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence, as well as the Eleanor R. Baldwin President’s Suite at FAU Stadium.

In addition to her generous philanthropy, Elly has given her talents, imparting wisdom and knowledge to student teachers in the College of Education.

Amplify Your Impact

By combining your current support with a gift for the future, you can make an even greater impact than you thought possible. Contact Kristina Gregg, CFRE, at 561-297-2058 or k.gregg@fau.edu to start a conversation about the legacy you want to leave at Florida Atlantic University.