New Endowment Honors Herb and Linda Reinhard, Supports VSU’s Legacy of Athletic Excellence

Allan and Joan Dear, longtime friends of Valdosta State University and VSU Athletics, established the Herb and Linda Reinhard Scholarship endowment to support student-athletes by providing them the financial support needed to pursue their academic, athletic, and professional goals. They hope the fund will also help VSU attract future generations of student-athletes with the talent, potential, and performance needed to continue Blazer Nation’s legacy of excellence in the classroom and on the field, course, or court.

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University’s latest endowment promises to support student-athletes by providing them the financial support needed to pursue their academic, athletic, and professional goals. 

It will also help VSU attract future generations of student-athletes with the talent, potential, and performance needed to continue Blazer Nation’s legacy of excellence in the classroom and on the field, course, or court.

Allan and Joan Dear, longtime friends of VSU and VSU Athletics, established the Herb and Linda Reinhard Scholarship endowment with an initial gift of $25,000. With a focus on expanding the scholarship’s impact on campus, the couple has vowed to match future gifts to the endowment up to $400,000.

“Linda and I are extremely honored by the creation of this endowment,” said Herb Reinhard, director of VSU Athletics. He retired on June 30 after 32 years of service. “Allan and Joan have been tremendous supporters of VSU Athletics for many years and their generosity and support have touched the lives of countless VSU student-athletes. Their wonderful gift will provide tremendous opportunity for future VSU student-athletes to realize their potential.”

The Herb and Linda Reinhard Scholarship will provide financial support to student-athletes from VSU’s 12 NCAA Division II sports — baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis, soccer, men’s and women’s cross country, football, golf, and volleyball. 

“This benefit provides VSU student-athletes the opportunity to focus on academics while developing leadership skills that will prepare them for future employment and teaching opportunities,” Allan Dear said.

Herb Reinhard joined Blazer Nation as athletic director in 1992 and is credited with prominently placing VSU on the national map of collegiate athletics, including a dominance across NCAA Division II programs. Under his leadership, VSU's athletic programs have won 51 of the university’s 55 Gulf South Conference championships and eight of its nine national championships and expanded to include volleyball and women's soccer.

His wife, Linda Reinhard, has worked for the university for 10 years and currently serves as an accounting associate with VSU Foundation Inc.

“We want to show our appreciation to Herb and Linda Reinhard for their dedication and 30-plus years of service to Valdosta State,” Joan Dear said. “The VSU administration and the Reinhards have endeavored to make Blazer Athletics one of the most respected Gulf South Conference programs in NCAA Division II history, and we are happy to do our part to foster a positive team culture and competitive success.”

Donations to the Herb and Linda Reinhard Scholarship fund may be made online at www.givecampus.com/schools/ValdostaStateUniversity or by mailing a check to VSU Foundation Inc., 1500 North Patterson Street, Valdosta, Georgia, 31698, with “Herb and Linda Reinhard Scholarship” written on the memo line.

Please contact Abigail Harrell, development officer for VSU Athletics, Division of University Advancement, at arharrell@valdosta.edu for more information.