The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1364233
6 ■ THE WOLFPACKER ■ WOLFPACK CLUB NEWS Paul Meares can remember when his father once told him that one of the few things in life that received more of his donations than the Wolfpack Club was his church. "I have tried to live up to that as well, and my church has been really happy with me in the last several years," Paul joked, referring to his passion for being an active member of the Wolfpack Club. Paul and his wife Lu were born to be Wolfpack fans. Both are children of fa- thers who graduated from NC State on the GI Bill. Paul, though, may have been slightly more predestined to become a Wolfpack faithful. With his father, he went to football games at old Riddick Stadium, and prior to 2020 could probably count on one hand the home games he missed at Carter- Finley Stadium. His father had tickets to every season of men's basketball at Reyn- olds Coliseum. Lu was formally sold on NC State thanks to former Pack legendary basketball coach Norm Sloan. "I was a basketball player in high school," Lu said. "Norm Sloan's basketball camp was the only one they had for girls. I went to that for two summers. It was just a week, but to be on a college campus playing basketball every day all-day long — I went home and told my dad I wanted to go to State." Lu would play for the very first women's basketball team, which was coached by Pea- nut Doak and went 11-4 in 1974-75. While at NC State, she would write for the Techni- cian and then became the first-ever full-time female sportswriter hired by The News & Observer. "When I was a little girl, I used to want to be a sportswriter, but in that day and time women just didn't do that," Lu noted. "There wasn't an opportunity. What happened was it was just the right timing. The newspapers were realizing they were going to have to cover more of the women's sports, and the men didn't want to do it. That's just the way it was." After college, Paul went to work for A.E. Finley and Associates, the same A.E. Finley whose name was on the field house in the north side of Carter-Finley Stadium for many years. When driving on 440 or 540 in Raleigh, know that Paul sold much of the equipment used to construct those highways. He was not, however, responsible for some of the confusion surrounding the two belt- lines around Raleigh. "When it goes all the way in a circle, how do you know which is east and which is west?" Meares said. "As an engineer, that doesn't make a bit of sense to me." Both Paul and Lu have witnessed many great NC State moments. As students, they were in attendance when NC State won the 1974 National Championship in Greensboro, N.C., which happened to be Lu's hometown. Many of the friends they have met are fellow Wolfpack Club members. Going to games and socializing with fellow NC State diehards are just two of the reasons they are pas- sionate supporters. "For me, it's a lot more than about going to ball games," Paul said. "Providing scholar- ships for athletes, many of whom would not get to attend college without scholarships, is one of the main motivators behind our giving. We really do look at it that way. "It's tons of fun and honestly for a good cause." WPC DONOR SPOTLIGHT Paul and Lu Meares COMPLIANCE CORNER CAN I HAVE A STUDENT- ATHLETE OR THE TEAM OVER TO MY HOUSE FOR DINNER? Answer: Yes, donors/supporters can provide student-athletes with what is called an "occasional meal." There are VERY specific NCAA requirements about this, so contact the compliance staff and the coaching staff if you want to do this. WHEN I WATCH A GAME AND SEE A TALENTED HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER WHO I THINK WOULD BE GREAT FOR NC STATE, WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH THIS INFORMATION? Answer: Contact the coaching staff of that sport and pass along the infor- mation. You cannot be a recruiter for NC State, which means you cannot be communicating with recruits, but if you occasionally see a player who seems like a great fit for us, then by all means, pass along the information. If you are ever in doubt, contact the compliance staff BEFORE doing what you want to do! Thanks for everything you do to keep NC State safe! "ASK BEFORE YOU ACT" by contacting NC State Athletic Compliance directly. Toll Free: 1-855-5 COMPLY (1-855-526-6759) Text: 919-675-4424 E-mail: ask_compliance@ncsu.edu Online: gopack.com/compliance All properties donated to the Wolfpack Club and the proceeds of a sale will be used for scholarships and/or Athletic Department Capital projects. Call Buzzy Correll: 919-865-1508 WOLFPACK CLUB W O L F PAC K W O L F PAC K C L U B L U B PR O PE R T Y R O PE R T Y Paul and Lu Meares are both children of fathers who graduated from NC State on the GI Bill, and they have continued to support the school through the Wolfpack Club. PHOTOS COURTESY PAUL AND LU MEARES