SAN ANGELO, Texas — Angelo State University has received new grants totaling $150,000 from two nonprofit organizations to help fund the ongoing renovations and updates to the ASU Rodeo Complex at San Angelo Fairgrounds. The money, ASU says, is in response to a $1 million challenge grant announced last year.
Dallas-based Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust awarded a $100,000 grant and the local Earnest and Dorthy Barrow Foundation awarded a $50,000 grant. Both will be used for the rodeo complex improvements.
The $150,000 also brings the total of donations for the complex project to $225,000, which will be matched by the challenge grant that was pledged by an anonymous donor in June 2023, to provide a dollar-for-dollar match of all gifts and donations up to $1 million.
Fundraising efforts are still going on and anyone who would like to donate can visit angelo.edu/give.
"We are thankful for the generosity of our donors whose passion aligns with our strategy of launching and sustaining new programs impacting recruiting and retention efforts at Angelo State," Jamie Mayer, ASU vice president for external affairs, said. "The ASU Rodeo Team has been generating a lot of excitement since it was announced last spring, and these grants will help us to not only provide our rodeo student-athletes with a top-notch facility, but also build on the strong foundation already in place to propel the ASU Rodeo Team into a bright and successful future."
Crystelle Waggoner was born into a North Texas ranching family and raised cattle and thoroughbred horses throughout her lifetime. She established the Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust through Bank of America to benefit nonprofit organizations, and since her death in 1982, the trust has awarded millions of dollars in grants to the Fort Worth and North Texas communities, primarily in the areas of the arts, healthcare and education.
"Given Crystelle's passion for western heritage, such as rodeo, love for ranching and cowgirl lifestyle, it is a great honor to support the Angelo State University Rodeo Team," Meghan Bennett, vice president and philanthropic client manager, said. "This grant will benefit students for many years to come through the mission and legacy of the Crystelle Waggoner Charitable Trust."
Earnest and Dorthy Barrow established their foundation in 1977 to operate and maintain the Earnest and Dorthy Barrow Foundation Museum in Eola, and to provide grant funding in the areas of the arts and humanities, culture and education.
"The Earnest and Dorthy Barrow Foundation has a long history of supporting Angelo State by funding scholarships for students pursuing degrees in history and agriculture," Daniel Wilde, foundation president, said. "We feel that the ASU Rodeo Team will not only attract top students and competitors from our region and beyond, but also embody the West Texas spirit and culture that the Barrows were so proud of and worked to preserve in their museum. We look forward to seeing the improvements to the ASU Rodeo Complex and the success of the ASU Rodeo Team."
The complex features an approximately 20,000-square-foot dirt floor, stalls, holding pens, bucking chutes, a concession stand and indoor restrooms. In addition to being the rodeo team's practice facility, student-athletes on the team board their horses at the complex and it also houses practice livestock.
ASU Rodeo Team members competed in their first season in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) Southwest Region this past fall. The southwest region is made up of 18 rodeo teams at colleges and universities in Texas and New Mexico, including about 750 student competitors.
