Stewart's Gift Names Entrance to Ole Miss Football Stadium
Athletics foundation honors alumnus with lasting family tribute
OXFORD, Miss. – James Stewart's recent $250,000 gift to the University of Mississippi is being honored by the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation with a lasting family tribute.
The Houston, Texas, and Jupiter, Florida, resident's name adorns a gate at the south end zone of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, representing in perpetuity the family's desire to strengthen athletics facilities and help recruit student-athletes to campus.
"Like most Rebel fans right now, I'm very impressed with the work coach (Lane) Kiffin is doing to build a powerhouse football program at Ole Miss," said Stewart, who earned a UM degree in electrical engineering in 1984. "So I hope this gift will contribute to the university's vision to equip our student-athletes, coaches and support staff with anything necessary to continue to excel at the highest levels in collegiate athletics."
William Fisher, director of development, expressed gratitude for Stewart's gift.
"We are so grateful to James for participating in our gate naming initiative, which plays an integral role in supporting Champions. Now., our campaign to bolster athletics at Ole Miss," Fisher said. "This type of support shows his commitment to helping us make a transformative difference in the lives of our student-athletes."
Champions. Now. is an ongoing campaign designed to support the expansion and renovation of the Olivia and Archie Manning Athletics Performance Center; the Ole Miss golf, softball and soccer complexes; and Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.
In 2022, Stewart made a $100,000 gift to the university to establish the James C. Stewart Biomedical Engineering Program Support Fund that benefits the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Stewart is chairman and CEO of Covenant Testing Technologies and serves as a director of Patterson-UTI, a drilling and technology company.
He previously served as a member of Keane Group and, subsequently, NexTier's board of directors from 2011 to 2023. He joined Keane (predecessor to NexTier) as chairman and CEO and served as executive chairman from August 2018 to October 2019.
Stewart began his career with Schlumberger Limited, where he held senior leadership positions across the globe for over 21 years.
To make a gift to Champions. Now., contact William Fisher at fisher@givetoathletics.com or 662-915-7159. Champions. Now. is part of Now & Ever: The Campaign for Ole Miss.
Top: William Fisher (left), director of development for the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation, greets UM alumnus and donor James Stewart in front of an entrance gate named in his honor at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Photo by Bill Dabney/UM Foundation