A Blue and Gold Community
Rebecca and Gary Eldridge help build the future of UC Santa Barbara Athletics
When your team makes the NCAA tournament and there’s no time for plane tickets, you just hop in the car, knowing your community will meet you there to cheer for your Gauchos together.
It’s this community that inspired Rebecca and Gary to name UCSB Athletics as a beneficiary of their estate plan. When the Eldridges first began supporting UCSB Athletics, women’s basketball hosted halftime pie raffles. While the team no longer relies on pie, practical updates to Thunderdome infrastructure like seats and locker rooms are still critical. Until recently, a lack of lights meant that the baseball team couldn’t play at night or host regionals.
“When you support a facility, you help an entire generation of athletes,” said Gary. The couple’s generosity will support facilities improvements for all student-athletes at the athletic director’s discretion.
“I wish more people knew how incredibly talented the student-athletes are,” said Becky. “It’s hard to balance school, practice, games, exams and papers in a whole new environment with a new group that changes every year.”
Students move on each year, but Becky and Gary remain steadfast supporters. After returning from the service in 1965, Gary resumed working as speedometer technician at Martin De Piazzi Inc., later owning the business with his father and brother. Becky was hired by Dr. Davidson himself when Davidson Library was only two stories tall, beginning a 25-year career on campus. Since retirement, the Eldridges have reflected on how they could honor the impact of UCSB Athletics on their lives.
“The most rewarding part of UCSB Athletics is socializing with other supporters,” Becky said. “It’s the connections with people and the hospitality.”
A Gaucho blue vase filled with gold sunflowers sits on the Eldridge kitchen table, an emblem of the couple’s cheerful support for UC Santa Barbara.
Published November 2019
The most rewarding part of UCSB Athletics is socializing with other supporters. It’s the connections with people and the hospitality.
Rebecca Eldridge