Gift & Estate Planning

Diane and Steve Horton

Home Is Where the Heart—and UGA—Is

For Steve and Diane Horton, who have spent most of their adult lives working on college campuses, the University of Georgia is home. Their college experiences, their careers and their lifelong friends are all tied to UGA.

"I would not be doing what I am doing or where I am now professionally if not for the University of Georgia," Steve says.

Steve stumbled upon UGA by accident, really. He hitchhiked with friends to visit other friends at Athens and declared "this is the coolest place I have ever seen in my life" upon arrival. He was later accepted as a transfer student from North Georgia College in the fall of 1969. He immersed himself in campus life, his fraternity and his studies, receiving a journalism degree in 1971.

While working in Atlanta for the Honeywell Corporation, Steve met his bride-to-be, Diane. Following their wedding at Stone Mountain, they moved to Athens where Steve began work as the marketing director for COSMIC, which distributed NASA technology to the public. Diane took a position in university housing, a position she immediately fell in love with.

Part of the UGA Family
Diane had the good fortune of meeting coach Vince and Barbara Dooley through the Athens Junior Miss Program. Vince hired Diane soon afterward to work for the UGA Bulldog Club, a job she truly loved. Steve and Diane were treated like family at UGA.

They credit Coach Dooley, along with Bill Hartman, Lee Haley and Loran Smith in the UGA athletic department, for making it possible for Steve to leave his job at COSMIC in 1984 and earn his master's in sports management at UGA. They found part-time work for Steve in all areas of the athletic association, and the experience was invaluable.

After graduation, Steve and Diane moved to Kansas City, where Steve took a position with the NCAA. Steve went on to work in several athletic departments including Virginia Tech and the University of Texas at El Paso before heading to Florida in 1998.

He now serves as associate director of athletics for compliance at the University of South Florida, and Diane, after completing her undergraduate degree at USF, works as an admissions counselor at the university.

Planning for Family—Including UGA
They've enjoyed great experiences on college campuses across the country, but their hearts have remained true to the University of Georgia.

Recently, when updating their wills, Steve and Diane contemplated: Where is our favorite place? Georgia, of course! They decided to leave a significant, unrestricted bequest in their estate to the Arch Foundation for the University of Georgia.

"Hopefully this will encourage others to give unrestricted gifts, as the university will have priorities in the future we are not yet even aware of," Steve says. "While we love athletics and have given to specific departments in the past, we feel the university will be a good steward and use the unrestricted funds for the best purpose."

Steve and Diane hope to retire someday in Athens. Why? According to Diane, it's "because Coach Dooley asked us to come home!" When autographing his latest book, Dooley's Playbook, Coach Dooley wrote, "To my longtime, good friends Steve and Diane. Hurry back to Athens town."

The information on this website is not intended as legal or tax advice. For legal or tax advice, please consult an attorney. Figures cited in examples are for hypothetical purposes only and are subject to change. References to estate and income taxes apply to federal taxes only. State income/estate taxes or state law may impact your results.