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Luca Maldoner

Men's Tennis

“Because of you, I have the special opportunity to play the sport that I love every day and receive a great education at the same time. I am more than proud to represent ODU with this amazing team. Without you I would not be where I am today and I cannot thank you enough for that.”

Donor Spotlight

Carolyn Disparti

What is your favorite memory of ODU Athletics?

I have so many memories! I guess my favorite is the trip to the 1997 Women’s Basketball Final Four in Cincinnati. The Stanford game was worth the whole trip! We won in overtime! I brought a tape of the Tennessee game for the bus ride. We had beaten them in overtime at the Field House earlier in the season.

How long have you been a member of the ODAF?

I have been an ODAF member since the early 2000’s!

What is your favorite ODU Athletics program and why?

ODU Women’s Basketball is my favorite program. I first attended a men’s/women’s doubleheader against William & Mary in 1978. I got hooked watching Nancy Lieberman do her magic. Alas, the Navy transferred me to San Diego in the summer and I was able to watch only a few games that next season. (TV coverage wasn’t that great!) I returned to the Norfolk area in 1981 and have been a season ticket holder since then! Women’s basketball is my passion, but I have also been a football season ticket holder since day one!

What is a specific initiative that you have supported through the ODAF? Why is it important to you?

In December of 2004, I signed an agreement with Alonzo Brandon and Dr. Jarrett to endow a women’s basketball scholarship upon my demise. The endowment is important to me because I have no children of my own and this is a great way to provide an education for a deserving student athlete. It will be endowed by a charitable remainder trust.

Is there anything else that people should know about you?

I spent 26 years in the Navy, serving as a hospital corpsman and retired as a master chief in January 1994. In preparation for getting out, I enrolled at ODU in an interdisciplinary studies program. In December of 1994, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in health care management. I used that degree to get a job managing a physician’s practice. (The one I quit to go to the Final Four!) I now work for American Para Professional Systems doing medical requirements for life/health insurance policies.