Through the support of Garry Weber and his fellow donors, our beloved stadium will continue to drive excellence and growth in our student-athletes and inspire team spirit and excitement in our football fans.
— R. Gerald Turner, ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ President
On December 2, ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ celebrated the groundbreaking of the Garry Weber End Zone Complex, the expansion and renovation project for Gerald J. Ford Stadium.
Part of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow, the University’s multiyear $1.5 billion campaign for impact, the new complex will enhance ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅’s campus and community by supporting competitive athletics and diverse programming that build civic pride. ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅’s latest investment in its century-long commitment to competing at the highest levels, the new complex will provide ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅’s student-athletes with dedicated spaces for development and team building while offering expanded and upgraded facilities for the Mustang community.
βFor over 20 years, Gerald J. Ford Stadium has welcomed Mustang community members to celebrate the athletic and academic accomplishments of our Universityβs students,β said ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ President R. Gerald Turner. βNow, through the support of Garry Weber and his fellow donors, our beloved stadium will continue to drive excellence and growth in our student-athletes and inspire team spirit and excitement in our football fans.β
The groundbreaking concluded phase one of the fundraising drive for the Garry Weber End Zone Complex with nearly $73 million raised, to date. Launched by the largest gift in the history of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Athletics from the Garry Weber Foundation, established by former Mustang football letterman Garry A. Weber β58, the new complex is supported by generous ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ alumni and donors, including gifts from Bill Armstrong β82 and Liz Martin Armstrong β82; Jennifer Gelety Flanagan β82 and Martin L. Flanagan β82; William J. Ware β01; Lackland H. Bloom, III β95, β97; Angie Roberson Brown β91 and Robert D. Brown β92; James J. Clark and Katherine Murphy Clark β98; and Victor E. Salvino.
Through the support of Garry Weber and his fellow donors, our beloved stadium will continue to drive excellence and growth in our student-athletes and inspire team spirit and excitement in our football fans.
— R. Gerald Turner, ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ President
βIβm honored to be connected to this new chapter for ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Athletics and the achievement and enthusiasm it stimulates across campus,β Weber said. βI look forward to joining my fellow Mustangs in cheering on our team in these new spaces that we have created together as a community.β
The groundbreaking also launched phase two of the projectβs fundraising efforts, seeking to raise over $20 million to fund the new complex, which builds on a longtime legacy of excellence in ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Athletics. Since its opening in 2000, Ford Stadium has come to represent athletic distinction and Mustang pride at ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅, creating a new tradition of tailgating dubbed βBoulevardingβ along Bishop Boulevard. The stadium was made possible by and named for ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Trustee Gerald J. Ford β66, β69, who was joined in fundraising by dedicated Mustang alumni, donors and community members.
βI am proud to be see the legacy of our beloved Mustang football stadium strengthened through the addition of the Garry Weber End Zone Complex,β said Ford. βThe donors to this project are investing in the future of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Athletics and leaving a lasting impact on the lives of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅βs student-athletes and community members.β
Housing ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅βs football coaches, support staff, and video and recruiting services, the three levels of the new complex will also offer team-focused facilities to support all of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅βs 484 student-athletes. Spaces include new locker rooms, a weight room, position-specific meeting rooms, a full-team auditorium, and a kitchen and training table. Through the Garry Weber End Zone Complex, ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ will increase the functionality, efficiency and overall experience of Mustang football for student-athletes and fans, as well as inspire interest and investments in athletics across ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅βs campus.
βThrough new additions like the Garry Weber End Zone Complex, ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ is continuing to gain momentum at the highest levels of collegiate athletics,β said Rick Hart, director of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Athletics. βThrough their gifts to Mustang football and its student-athletes, our donors are laying the groundwork for personal, professional and athletic development at ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅.β
I look forward to joining my fellow Mustangs in cheering on our team in these new spaces that we have created together as a community.
— Garry A. Weber ’58, Founder, Weber Financial Inc.
With the groundbreaking of the new complex, ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Athletics reaches a new milestone in its history with over $250 million invested in championship-caliber facilities since 2013. Through these and other gifts to the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Ignited campaign, the University is building on the generosity of its dedicated donors, the merit of its talented student-athletes and the spirit of its loyal Mustang fans.
“We are incredibly grateful for the generous contributions to the Garry Weber End Zone Complex,” said Brad E. Cheves, ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ vice president for Development and External Affairs. “Through our donors and their continued investment in the future success of our University, ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ will continue to encourage excellence on the field, in the classroom and beyond our campus.”
Through their gifts to Mustang football and its student-athletes, our donors are laying the groundwork for personal, professional and athletic development at ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅.
— Rick Hart, Director of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Athletics
Garry A. Weber ’58
Proud graduate of the Edwin L. Cox School of Business, Garry A. Weber ’58 has been a member of the school’s Executive Board for over 30 years. A former member of the Mustang football team, Weber also served on the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Board of Trustees from 1984 to 1996. Having served Dallas as both a Dallas County judge and city council member, Weber is the founder of Weber Financial Inc., as well as an active individual investor in venture capital and late-stage hedge funds.
In 1998, Weber received the University’s highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2015, he was honored with the Silver Anniversary Mustang Award, the most prestigious award granted by the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Lettermen’s Association. In January, Weber committed $50 million to launch the drive for the Garry Weber End Zone Complex, the largest gift in the history of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Athletics.
An active presence at ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ and throughout Dallas, Weber has contributed generously to ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ and various educational and philanthropic causes, including Scottish Rite for Children, UT Southwestern, United Way and the Boy Scouts of America, among others. An avid outdoor and wildlife enthusiast, Weber has served on the council of advisors for the National Geographic Society, focusing his efforts on research, exploration and conservation. A member of The Explorers Club, Weber has also worked for over 20 years on the advisory council of the Whale Trust Maui, a nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific research and public awareness of whales and their environment.
Bill Armstrong ’82 and Liz Martin Armstrong ’82

Founders and co-owners of Armstrong Oil and Gas and Epoch Estate Wines, Bill Armstrong ’82 and Liz Martin Armstrong ’82 met as geology majors at ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅. While at ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅, Bill Armstrong was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, the Honor Council and the Phi Beta Kappa Society. Liz Armstrong served as treasurer of Pi Beta Phi and performed in Pigskin Revue and Parents’ Weekend with its song group. She also served as an AARO, or orientation, leader. Both attended geology field camp at ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅-in-Taos, where they fell in love and later provided the funding for Casita Armstrong.
Bill Armstrong serves on the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Board of Trustees and co-chairs the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Ignited Campaign Steering Committee for Athletics. He currently spearheads the Vision 2025 campaign for football excellence. Liz Armstrong serves on the Development and External Affairs Standing Committee of the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Board and co-chairs the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Ignited Campaign Steering Committee for Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. Both also serve on the executive boards of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅-in-Taos and Dedman College, for which Liz Armstrong is a former chair. Their past service includes co-chairing the Parent Leadership Council and the Second Century Campaign Steering Committee for Denver.
Recipients of the 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award, the Armstrongs are among three generations of family to attend the University – including their daughters, Lindsey Strawn ’10 and Leigh Young ’11 – and their investments across the campus reflect their commitment to enhancing the student experience. In 2011, they were the first to commit toward the construction of Armstrong Commons, a cornerstone of ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅’s living-learning community. More recently, they made possible Armstrong Fieldhouse, the primary component of the Indoor Performance ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅. A passion for ballet led them to fund the Armstrong Visiting Artist-in-Residence in Ballet at Meadows School of the Arts during the 2020–21 academic year, and they also endowed a Dedman College Scholarship. In October, the couple gifted $5 million to endow and name the Elisabeth Martin Armstrong Dean within the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences.
Martin L. Flanagan ’82 and Jennifer Gelety Flanagan ’82

A 2019 recipient of the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Distinguished Alumni Award, Martin Flanagan graduated from ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ in 1982 with a bachelor’s in business administration from the Edwin L. Cox School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in IberoβAmerican civilization from the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. He currently leads Invesco Ltd., one of the world’s leading investment management companies. The company’s president and chief executive officer since 2005, Martin Flanagan also serves as a member of the board of directors and as vice chair and trustee of Invesco Funds. He was honored by the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Cox School of Business with a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2005 and an Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 1999. His long engagement with ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ includes currently serving as an ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ trustee, co-chair of the National Campaign Steering Committee for ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow, and member of the Cox School of Business Executive Board.
Jennifer Flanagan also graduated from ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts in art history from the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Meadows School of the Arts. She is a community volunteer involved in charitable organizations across Atlanta. At ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅, Jennifer Flanagan served on the Atlanta Campaign Steering Committee for ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Unbridled: The Second Century Campaign from 2008 to 2015 and on the Meadows School of the Arts Executive Board from 2009 to 2015. She has also volunteered her time to the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Mothers’ Club. As a student, she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and participated in an ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅-in-France study abroad program.
The Flanagans’ efforts on behalf of the University extend to their home city of Atlanta, where they have hosted holiday parties for the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Atlanta chapter for over 10 years, including a special Atlanta kickoff celebration for ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Ignited in December 2021. Both also have been active in the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Parent Leadership Council.
William J. Ware ’01
A graduate of the Meadows School of the Arts, William J. Ware earned his Bachelor of Arts in public affairs and corporate communications in 2001, also completing a minor in history from the Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences. Currently serving as the president of Amarillo National Bank, which was founded by his great-great grandfather, Ware is among the fifth generation of his family to manage the business. Under the Wares’ management and leadership, Amarillo National Bank continues to grow as a family-owned business focused on long-term stability, customer service and community support.
During his time at ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅, Ware was an active member of both the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and the Inter-Fraternity Council, which promotes the shared interests and values of its member fraternities, including leadership, service, brotherhood and scholarship. His longtime engagement with ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ includes his current service as chair-elect of the 21st Century Council and his recent service as co-chair for the Class of 2001 Reunion Committee. Additionally, Ware is a longtime member of the ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅-in-Taos Executive Board and is an active supporter of and presence at events for Ware Commons, named for his father and fellow alumnus, Richard Ware ’68.
ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ Ignited: Boldly Shaping Tomorrow
ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅ is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. ΊωΒ«ΝήΚΣΖ΅’s alumni, faculty and more than 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they direct change in their professions, communities and the world. Building on its history of excellence, the University has launched – a multiyear $1.5 billion campaign to empower outstanding students, to enrich teaching and research, and to enhance our campus and community.