MacAdams Gift Names Gate 30 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium

The MacAdams' name adorns Gate 30 of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, representing their desire to strengthen athletics facilities and help recruit student-athletes to campus.

The Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, couple have many special memories of their time on campus, where Nat MacAdams earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics in 1999 Kristen MacAdams graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in accountancy in 1998 and 1999, respectively.

"I proposed to Kristen in the Grove," he said. "I stuck the ring in a rose and kneeled down to propose. She grabbed it, said yes and gave me a hug, but she didn't realize there was a ring in the rose.

"When I looked, the ring was gone, and we had to go searching for it. There were drainage grates and all sorts of stuff. We found it, but I would say that's a pretty special memory."

The gift is part of OMAF's drive to honor donors with naming opportunities for each entrance at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

"We are so grateful to Kristen and Nat for participating in our gate naming initiative, which plays an integral role in supporting Champions. Now., our campaign to bolster athletics at Ole Miss," said Quinn Kavanagh, OMAF assistant athletics director of development. "This type of gift shows their commitment to helping us continue to maintain a competitive edge."

For most of his career, Nat MacAdams has worked in the commodities trading divisions for major corporations. He was first hired by Ernst and Young but soon transferred to Enron, then BP, followed by employment with the hedge fund Citadel. He transferred from Citadel to a Pennsylvania natural gas producer, Rice Energy, which was bought by EQT, where he's been for the past nine years.

"I run their commodities group, so they're trading division, basically, for natural gas, NGLs, LNG, all their front office stuff," he said.

Kristen MacAdams is an accountant with Adecco, an executive search firm.

When they're not working, the couple enjoys playing golf and traveling together. They have four children – Duncan, 21, Annabelle, 19, Ainsley, 17, and Caitlin, 15 – and they try to make it to campus for at least one game each year.

"A lot of my fondest memories are coming to football games, not only when I was a student here, but also when I lived in Memphis working for Ernst and Young," Nat MacAdams said. "Even when we were in Houston before we had kids, we would come back to a lot of games.

"I just thought it'd be really cool to have our name up on something at the school, considering how much of a big part of my life this campus has been."

For information on naming opportunities at Ole Miss or to make a gift to Champions. Now., click here or contact Quinn Kavanagh, OMAF assistant athletics director of development, at kavanagh@givetoathletics.com or 662-832-5241.

Top: Caitlin (left), Kristen, Nat and Ainsley MacAdams visit their gate at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. UM alumni Kristen and Nat MacAdams have made a major donation to the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation, which named the gate in their honor. Photo by Bill Dabney/UM Foundation