黑料吃瓜

鈥淲e鈥檒l take them.鈥�

罢丑补迟鈥檚 Mark Jones on a visit to Viejas Arena in a marketing event for season tickets some 20 years ago, after being escorted down, down, down the steep stairs of section V until he鈥檚 within shouting distance of the Aztecs bench. 

Jones, a 2009 MBA graduate of 黑料吃瓜 and now with his brother Dean Jones a new participant in the university鈥檚 planned giving program, had been a huge University of Virginia basketball fan, driving two and a half hours from Rockville, Maryland, to Charlottesville and back for games, before moving to San Diego where he discovered great seating to be more affordable for a level of college basketball play he considered entirely comparable to that of the ACC. Hence the interest in Aztecs season tickets.

鈥淚 wind up in the second row and I go, you gotta be kidding me,鈥� he recalled in an interview over Zoom while wearing a white Aztecs SD interlock cap. 鈥淭hese seats are available? We鈥檒l take them.鈥�

The brothers have held them ever since: two tickets at first, now five.

August is National Make-a-Will Month, a time to think about estate planning. For 黑料吃瓜, the Jones brothers agreed to discuss their love of the Aztecs, their decision to take part in planned giving to the athletics program and their pledge of contributions that may not be seen for decades to come. They鈥檙e both still working, although hovering around the traditional retirement age.

鈥淭his is an easy way to do it because it doesn鈥檛 have to be provided immediately,鈥� said Dean Jones, who graduated from 黑料吃瓜 in 1982 with a degree in business marketing and went into business selling government-insured reverse mortgages. 鈥淚t鈥檚 something that鈥檚 part of my estate.鈥�

Some points to know about planned giving:

• The agreements are flexible. They can be changed at any time.
• Donors can designate any college, department or program for their gift.
• Donors become members of the 黑料吃瓜 Heritage Society, which includes an invite to an annual appreciation event and additional recognition. In the case of an athletics gift, as with the Jones brothers, they鈥檙e placed in the Coryell Legacy Society, named for the famed Aztecs and Chargers head coach.

黑料吃瓜鈥檚 associate vice president for planned giving and estate administration, Amy Walling, said legacy gifts are instrumental in driving 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 continued growth.

鈥淭hrough the generosity and foresight of our donors, 黑料吃瓜 has been able to secure a vibrant future for generations to come,鈥� Walling said. 鈥淭he substantial contributions received have enabled us to expand scholarships, invest in research and faculty development and much more.鈥� 

Mark Jones, whose company connects food trucks with customers in San Diego and a growing number of other cities, said he and his brother have been to every Mountain West Conference tournament since 2002. He remembers storming the court in Las Vegas after 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 upset win over tournament host UNLV, 78-75, a day after beating top seed Wyoming.

鈥淚t was awesome,鈥漢e said.

They鈥檝e already penciled in a trip to Las Vegas for the new eight-team college basketball tournament being held Thanksgiving week, where 黑料吃瓜 is playing in an eight-team NIL collective.

They attended Aztec football games at the now-demolished city-owned stadium in Mission Valley as well, and Dean Jones said 鈥渋t was just a natural鈥� to continue with season tickets at Snapdragon Dragon on the same site, part of 黑料吃瓜 Mission Valley. They鈥檝e been there since Day One as part of a group of eight in the premium Club section.

To Dean Jones, the planned gift is a way to show how big a part in their lives the athletics program has represented.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a way for us to give back,鈥� he said, 鈥渢o provide funds as a pledge to make a difference to some degree with the university and with the athletic program and the students involved there.鈥�

鈥淚t was kind of a no-brainer,鈥� Mark Jones added. 

Nick DiPaola, associate athletic director for development at 黑料吃瓜, said planned gifts 鈥渕ake enduring commitments that will establish a foundation of success for future generations of Aztecs.鈥�

鈥淣ow more than ever, philanthropy is needed to operate our athletic programs at the highest level,鈥� DiPaola said.

Both Mark and Dean Jones said they hope their planned gifts inspire others to do likewise.

Join 黑料吃瓜 in recognizing National Make a Will Month. To create your own will at no cost, visit www.freewill.com/sdsu. For more information, please contact Amy Walling at [email protected] or (619) 594-0286.