BOONE, N.C. — The debut of new spaces at Kidd Brewer Stadium to honor Mountaineer legends and supporters continues this fall with the naming of the Hatley Pavilion for alumnus Robert “Bob” Hatley ’72.

In September, the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees Executive Committee approved a recommendation to establish the Hatley Pavilion at Kidd Brewer Stadium’s north end zone facility. The naming is in recognition of a $500,000 gift to App State Athletics from the TowneBank Foundation in honor of Hatley and his wife, Carol Jane Hatley.

The leadership gift was part of App State’s A Mountaineer Impact fundraising campaign, launched in February 2017, which reached its $60 million goal earlier this year.

“Bob and Carol continue to support App State Athletics at the highest level, and this gift has been critical in completing the north end zone construction,” said App State Athletics Director Doug Gillin. “We are pleased to honor them with the Hatley Pavilion — part of this new, state-of-the-art facility — to say thank you for their support of our student-athletes.”

The Hatley Pavilion encompasses the west-side turf area below the north end zone facility’s club seats.

Hatley, a native of Concord, earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration from App State. He played basketball for the school’s freshman team and attended App State during the school’s switch from NAIA to NCAA membership.

Hatley began his banking career working with Wachovia in various capacities, including as city executive in Cary. He later worked for Peoples/Centura Bank, and in 1999, he founded Paragon Bank, which, under his leadership, grew from $15 million in assets in 1999 to more than $1.5 billion in 2016. Paragon was acquired by Virginia-based TowneBank in 2018, and Hatley now serves on the bank’s board of directors.

In 2015, Hatley was appointed by North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory to a four-year term on App State’s Board of Trustees.

Hatley has been involved in community service for many years, active with organizations that include the Cary Chamber of Commerce, Cary Rotary Club, Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, North Carolina Bankers Association, Wake County Hospice, WakeMed Foundation, North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, First Tee of the Triangle and Wake Education Partnership.

Bob and Carol Hatley reside in Cary.

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About Mountaineer Athletics

More than 400 student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division I varsity sports at Appalachian State University, and dedicated fans love to cheer them on. App State's championship football team has enjoyed unprecedented success at the highest level of Division I (Football Bowl Subdivision) with seven bowl wins in its first 10 years at the FBS level and four Sun Belt Conference championships. The Mountaineers were a dominant force in the Southern Conference for more than 40 years before moving up in 2014. App State student-athletes in all sports pursue daily comprehensive excellence in academics, competition and community involvement. All varsity teams compete in the Sun Belt Conference, except for field hockey (MAC) and wrestling (SoCon). For more, visit https://www.appstatesports.com.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.