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TO RECOGNIZE AND CONGRATULATE THE IPTAY SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION OF CLEMSON UNIVERSITY ON THE CELEBRATION OF ITS SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY.
Whereas, it is with grateful pleasure that the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives recognizes those organizations that support ambitious young people in their attempts to fund a college education; and
Whereas, the IPTAY Scholarship Foundation of Clemson University, the oldest scholarship fundraising organization in college athletics, stands high among its peers; and
Whereas, as the father of all athletic fundraising groups, IPTAY traces its roots to its establishment on August 20, 1934. Dr. Rupert Fike is credited with being the originator of IPTAY, but the seed that Dr. Fike needed for his now much-envied organization was planted there by Clemson's then-head football coach, Jess Neely; and
Whereas, at the critical moment, Dr. Fike wrote his famous letter to Neely, stating "Last night we had a little meeting at our house and organized the IPTAY Club". So began Clemson's athletic support group, which, in those days, stood for "I Pay Ten a Year"; and
Whereas, while the basic governing principles outlined in IPTAY's early days remain the same, the scope of IPTAY has grown tremendously. Not only does this unique organization provide for athletic scholarships, but it also plays a key role in building and maintaining the outstanding facilities that are essential to Clemson's remaining one of the top intercollegiate athletic programs in the United States. For example, when Vickery Hall opened in 1991, it was the first support facility in the country built solely for the all-round education of student athletes; and
Whereas, some of IPTAY's notable achievements include a membership of 16,000 from 48 of the 50 states and include support of athletic scholarships which have lead to over 133 conference championships and 4 national championships; and
Whereas, while its focus is on athletic scholarships, IPTAY does not overlook the broader mission of Clemson University. To further that mission, the IPTAY Academic Scholarship Endowment was created to help meet the need for more academic scholarships for nonathletes who are qualified academically. The IPTAY Academic Scholarship Fund is presently the largest scholarship of its kind at Clemson and has helped more than twelve hundred students attend the university; and
Whereas, in recent years, some of the most impressive additions to IPTAY have been the Tiger Cub Club, IPTAY CATS (Clemson Active Teen Support), and the IPTAY Collegiate Club. In this its seventy-fifth year, remembering its nearly twenty-two thousand donors' track record of loyalty and generosity, IPTAY looks forward to even more growth. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, recognize and congratulate the IPTAY Scholarship Foundation of Clemson University on the celebration of its seventy-fifth anniversary.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the IPTAY Scholarship Foundation.
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