The sixth annual SpectacUALR, set for Thursday, Oct. 9, at the Jack Stephens Center, will honor Betty Jo Stephens, a pioneer in women’s athletics at UALR.

The Trojan Athletic Foundation is host to this year’s fundraiser that begins at 6:30 p.m. with a silent auction, followed by a live auction at 8 p.m. Cocktails and heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served, and the attire is business casual.

Proceeds support UALR’s current student-athletes. This year’s co-chairs are Dana Kleine and Larry Golden. Tickets are $75 and may be purchased online.

For more information or sponsorship opportunities, contact Leah Thorvilson at 501.569.3393 or lmthorvilson@ualr.edu.

A 1993 inductee into the UALR Athletics Hall of Fame, Stephens has been connected to the UALR athletic program since the late 1960s.

After playing tennis for Little Rock Junior College during the 1950-51 season, Stephens returned to her alma mater in 1967 as a physical education teacher. The junior college had expanded to become the four-year Little Rock University.

She was the first coach of the UALR women’s basketball program, leading the team from 1969 to 73. As the only female in the athletic department, Stephens was also a tennis coach, swimming coach, and volleyball coach.

Eventually she was named the women’s coordinator of the Athletic Department and became associate professor of physical education at UALR.

The Betty Jo Stephens Women’s Athletic Fund – which supports women’s athletic scholarships on campus – still bears her name. Stephens touched the lives of countless UALR student-athletes over the years, including Donna Quimby, the current department chair for UALR’s Health, Human Performance and Sport Management program.

“Without her, there wouldn’t have been women’s athletics at UALR,” said Quimby, who as a freshman in 1969 was a part of the Trojans’ first women’s basketball program.

“I had played high school basketball, but there wasn’t a college team to play on. … [The importance of being able to play in college] is difficult to put into words.”

Stephens graduated from the University of Central Arkansas with a bachelor’s degree and then earned a master’s degree from Missouri before returning to UALR. She is also a member of the Trojan Lettermen’s Association.

Last year’s fifth-annual SpectacUALR event honored Dr. John Wilson and raised more than $220,000 in support of Trojan student-athletes, a new record for the event.

The event has helped raise money for improvements to UALR athletic facilities such as recent overhauls to the fieldhouse weight room. In addition, scholarships in both the baseball and soccer programs are now fully funded because of funds raised through SpectacUALR.

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