DATE:    12/1/99
CONTACT: Charles Williams, (864) 646-2718 
WRITER:  Giles Singleton, (864) 656-3876

Deborah Bishop Clark Gives $100,000
To Clemson's Garrison Arena

     CLEMSON -- Deborah Bishop Clark of Myrtle Beach has made a
$100,000 gift to Clemson University to finish the construction of
a third horse barn at the T. Ed Garrison Livestock Arena. 
     The gift was officially announced Oct. 9 at the Clemson-
Florida State football game. 
     "I show Tennessee Walkers," Clark said. "I absolutely love 
the arena; it's a fantastic facility."
     "This gift will assure us we will be able to complete the
new barn according to the design, with stalls and restroom and
shower facilities," said Charles Williams, director of the arena.
     The barn will be named after Clark's mother, Dorothy Jones
Bishop, also of Myrtle Beach, who recently committed $300,000 to
the barn.
     "The additional barn will allow the arena to host larger 
horse shows and bring more visitors to the Clemson area,"
Williams said. "We are deeply appreciative to Mrs. Clark for this
generous gift."
     Garrison Arena currently has two horse barns with permanent
stalls for 224 horses at the rear of the main arena. They are not
enough for the larger shows who want to book the facility, and 
they are far less than the 700 stalls at its nearest competitor,
a facility in Asheville, N.C. The new horse barn will contain
about 112 stalls, as well as a restroom/shower facility.
     Arena supporters hope to add a fourth horse barn when
additional private funding becomes available, bringing the
facility's total capacity to about 450 stalls. 
     "Because of its impact on animal agriculture and tourism,
the Garrison Arena is one of Clemson University's major 
priorities. Mrs. Clark's gift strengthens the foundation for 
future private support of Clemson University's mission," said
John Kelly, Clemson's vice president for public service &
agriculture. "It is a particularly rewarding gift for the
university because of the high caliber of the person who gave the
contribution. The Bishop family is truly one of the most generous
in our state."
     Garrison Arena hosts horse and cattle shows as well as
rodeos and other livestock and agricultural shows. In 1998,
weekly events at the arena attracted more than 100,000 visitors, 
which added an estimated $8 million to the area economy for the 
second year in a row.
                           END