The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1481002
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022 ■ 5 ■ WOLFPACK CLUB NEWS Dwain and Gayle Lanier met in a coed volleyball physical education class at NC State, the beginning of a 44-year relation- ship that will soon include a 40th wedding anniversary. Their shared love for Wolfpack athletics is just as lengthy. The two are recent retirees who had their ambitious plans to travel the world as well as visit every Major League Base- ball and ACC stadium put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic. Both have earned their retirements. Dwain spent nearly 10 years traveling from Raleigh to Chattanooga as vice president of operational and regulatory assurance at the Tennessee Valley Authority before retiring in 2019. He also served as vice president at Progress Energy for nine years from 1997-06 and Keystone Automotive for a year after that. Gayle retired from her position of se- nior vice president of customer services at Duke Energy in 2018. She was recruited to be vice president of administrative ser- vices at Progress Energy in 2009 before the merger of the two companies. She also worked 18 years at Nortel Networks, rising up to vice president of knowledge services before moving to Progress Energy. After serving on NC State's Board of Trustees from 2007 through 2015, Gayle received the Watauga Medal — NC State's highest nonacademic honor — in 2017. Besides traveling, their other passionate hobby revolves around NC State. "We really love sports," Gayle con- firmed. Gayle can still recall jumping for joy with her husband after the 1983 national title for the Cardiac Pack. One of Dwain's fondest memories was the improbable walk-off touchdown catch by Danny Pee- bles to beat South Carolina in 1987. The Laniers are regular spectators at football and men's basketball games. Oc- casionally, you might see Dwain at a ten- nis match or watching the softball team. Women's basketball is a particularly strong interest for the couple. Dwain attended coach Kay Yow's first game leading the Wolfpack, and Gayle counts Yow as perhaps her favorite Wolf- packer of all-time. They also celebrate their NC State fan- dom with an elaborate tailgate every home game at Carter-Finley Stadium. "Our tailgates are second to none," Dwain said. "We have 20 to 25 people that come in. It is a coordinated event that is really, really over the top. It's all about family, friends and fellowship." The women prepare the menu, and the men cook the meat on site. Each tailgate has a theme, such as Southern barbeque when Texas Tech visited on Sept. 17. The passion for the Pack is also a fam- ily affair now. Their daughter, Brittany, joined her father in picking NC State over an acceptance letter from North Carolina. She has since received an MBA at Harvard. "She got her acceptance letter at Caro- lina and immediately sent her acceptance to NC State," Dwain recalled. "She was afraid that because Gayle and I had both gone to State, that we might get her into State somehow. But she knew we wouldn't ever get her into Carolina. She then real- ized she did it on her own, so she could go ahead and go to NC State." Joining the Wolfpack Club helped make the Laniers' commitment to NC State ath- letics even more impactful. "We really wanted to start to commit ourselves to supporting the school in a more formal way," Dwain noted. The La- niers have also endowed scholarships to the colleges of engineering and manage- ment at NC State. JOINING THE WOLFPACK CLUB JOINING THE WOLFPACK CLUB The Wolfpack Club would like to welcome the following first-time members. These supporters joined between August 8 and September 27, 2022. THANK YOU FOR JOINING THE WOLFPACK CLUB FAMILY! Michele Cable John Moorefield Jennifer Robertson Abigail Pierce Glenn Johnston Ryan Mumy Gerry Romanelli Kathy Maxwell Nate Africk Jack Quidley Billy Gray Jasper London Reshunda Mahone Emily Wayland Michael Hammer Steve Shore Lynne White Brant McCauley Brent Coley Your Marketing Co Tre McQueen Josh Guy William Martin Paul King, Jr. David Estes Anna DeBruyne Malcom Newberry Emma Simpson Jordan Diard Taylor McIntire Ellis Taylor Mackenzie Brown David Baker Trevor Lawson William Abernethy Tim White Ryne Maddox Erica Levai Karl Nelson Lisa Maxwell The Wolfpack Club accepts Discover, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, as well as checks and cash. In addition to these payment preferences, we also offer both bank draft and recurring credit card payment options. If you have any questions, please call our offices at 919-865-1500. Thank you for all your support! WPC DONOR SPOTLIGHT Dwain and Gayle Lanier The Laniers and their daughter, Brittany, all hold degrees from NC State. PHOTO COURTESY THE LANIER FAMILY