Bill Gatton
Bill Gatton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Carol Martin Gatton 25 May 1932 Near Bremen, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | 18 April 2022 (aged 89) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Known for | Founder of Bill Gatton Automotive Group; major benefactor to University of Kentucky and other institutions |
Carol Martin "Bill" Gatton (May 25, 1932 – April 18, 2022) was a prominent American businessman and philanthropist.
Born near Bremen, Kentucky on May 25, 1932, Gatton completed his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Kentucky in 1954. He further advanced his education by obtaining an M.B.A. in finance and banking from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.[1] His entrepreneurial journey began in 1959 when he assumed the roles of president and general manager at Bill Gatton Motors located in Owensboro, Kentucky. Currently, the Bill Gatton Automotive Group operates multiple dealerships including Chevrolet-Cadillac, Honda, and Nissan in Bristol, Tennessee, as well as an Acura-Mazda dealership in Johnson City, Tennessee.[1]
In 1995, Gatton contributed a landmark multimillion-dollar donation to the College of Business and Economics at the University of Kentucky, marking the largest gift to the institution before 2022. In recognition of this generosity, the UK Board of Trustees renamed the college as "The Carol Martin Gatton College of Business and Economics."[1] Additionally, the Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy at East Tennessee State University, inaugurated in 2006, bears his name.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name He also provided substantial funding for the establishment of a gifted academy at Western Kentucky University. Opened in 2007 as the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, this program enables high school students to complete their final two years through advanced college-level coursework. In February 2022, the University of Kentucky revealed a $5 million donation from Gatton.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name Subsequently, in May 2023, through The Bill Gatton Foundation, he contributed $100 million to UK’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. This donation represents the largest scholarship gift ever received by the university, solidifying Gatton’s status as its most significant benefactor with contributions surpassing $180 million.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
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- 1932 births
- 2022 deaths
- American automobile sales professionals
- 21st-century American philanthropists
- University of Kentucky graduates
- Wharton School graduates
- People from Muhlenberg County, Kentucky
- Kentucky businesspeople
- 21st-century American business figures
- Kentucky philanthropists
- American automobile salespeople