A Wolfpack family gives back
Dr. Tony Sigmon, founder and corporate president of Collegiate Capital Management headquartered in Raleigh; his wife, Nancy; their children; and children’s spouses have donated to NC State with a gift of land, a donation at the Cornerstone Level to the College of Engineering’s Fitts-Woolard Hall Initiative* and a gift of a life insurance policy to the College of Engineering and the greater University.
Pack loyalty prompted them to make the generous gifts.
Sigmon and his family are enthusiastic Wolfpackers. Sigmon received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering science and mechanics from the College in 1974, 1975 and 1977, respectively. Both of his children, their spouses and his stepdaughter also graduated from NC State, and his stepdaughter’s husband is currently in the Goodnight Scholars Program at NC State.
He has three grandchildren being primed for the Pack. A grandchild’s t-shirt displaying the words, “Raised by a Pack of Wolves,” could be a family motto.
An entrepreneur at heart, Sigmon started his company in 1994 after working as an engineer at RTI International for 12 years and receiving his M.B.A. from Duke University. His allegiance to NC State has never wavered.
His colleague Grant Walker (B.A. economics and accounting ’91) is chief investment officer and corporate vice president of Collegiate Capital Management and a “proud NC State graduate (who) has been a 20-year trusted partner in growing our business,” Sigmon said.
His two children and one son-in-law also hold positions in the company and, of course, are NC State graduates. His son, Daniel Sigmon (B.S. textiles management ’08), is vice president of financial planning; his daughter, Erin Capps (B.S. biological sciences ’04), is the firm’s director of compliance; and her husband, Cory Capps (B.A. business management ’03), is vice president of investment management.
“I think it’s noteworthy that even though we all graduated in different disciplines, the problem-solving ability and perseverance we learned at the University have played an important part in helping us achieve a measure of success,” Sigmon reflected.
Sigmon has fond memories of his years at NC State and gives special credit to John Edwards, a professor in the then Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics.
According to Sigmon, Professor Edwards “guided but didn’t narrow the path. There was a lot of flexibility in being able to try different approaches.”
He also found Yates Sorrell, now professor emeritus in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, equally helpful to him.
Explaining the family decision to invest in the College, Sigmon said, “I think (NC State) changed the trajectory of all of our lives. I think it’s a debt in some respects that we would like to repay. Certainly, what we were taught there has helped us in so many ways to work through problems to arrive at a solution. So, it really has affected us professionally as well as personally.”
Sigmon added, “I’m sure, as with all of our fellow alumni, our classroom experiences were only part of the texture added to our lives by our years at NC State. Our lives are continually enriched by our relationships with the University.”
*[Editor’s Note: The Engineering Building Oval (EB Oval) was renamed Fitts-Woolard Hall on April 20, 2018, at the groundbreaking ceremony.]
Return to contents or download the Spring/Summer 2018 NC State Engineering magazine (PDF, 3MB) along with the insert about Fitts-Woolard Hall (PDF, 479KB).
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