NGU Benefactor, Trustee Dies at 95
Posted on: February 3, 2021
Tigerville, SC (June 17, 2019) Mr. John Anthony “Tony” Fogle, 95, of Neeses, passed away at his home on June 14, 2019.
A World War II veteran and Purple Heart medal recipient, Fogle served on North Greenville University’s (NGU) Board of Trustees from 2004 until 2008. He was the founder and owner of Carolina Fresh Farms, which specialized in growing and selling sod.
In addition to farming, Fogle also owned several other businesses, including a grocery store and a hat shop in Columbia, S.C.
Fogle donated sod and land to various organizations over the years: land for the former private school Heritage Hall Academy, grass for NGU’s athletic complex, and grass for the Lugoff-Elgin High School baseball field, as well as landscaping materials for Hunter-Kinard-Tyler High School, and others.
His contribution and personal installation of sod at NGU resulted in the football field at Melvin and Dollie Younts Stadium being named “Fogle Field” to honor him and his wife, Margaret. In 2006, Fogle was inducted into NGU’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
“A wave of donors and supporters shared a vision of what athletics could be at North Greenville University, including Mr. Fogle. They saw that athletics could provide an opportunity for students to participate in the life of the university and be better prepared to be leaders in their careers, their churches, and their communities,” said NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr. “We are grateful for the legacy of his vision on our campus as well as his strategic service on the board of trustees. He was a part of that generation that served our nation so ably, including his role in the D-Day invasion and his receiving of the Purple Heart. NGU is a better place because of people like him.”
Fogle was an active member of Calvary Baptist Church in Neeses, where he was a former deacon. He also was a member of the Ruritan Club.
Fogle is survived by his wife Margaret Smith Fogle; son John Anthony Fogle III and his wife Bonnie of Norway; daughter-in-law Deborah Fogle of Neeses; brother Bobby Fogle; grandchildren Carol Lynn Fogle McCuen, Andy Fogle, Drew Fogle, Ross Fogle, Cole Fogle; and seven great-grandchildren. His son, Steven R. Fogle, preceded him in death, along with brothers Henry Fogle, Carlisle Fogle, Carrol Fogle, Norman Fogle, Bryan Fogle and a sister, Virginia Port.
A memorial service took place Sunday, June 16 at Calvary Baptist Church in Neeses.
A wreath will be placed in his memory at the entrance of Dollie and Melvin Younts Stadium on the Tigerville campus at the start of football season.
Photo: From left in the forefront; Tony Fogle and wife Margaret at the dedication ceremony of Fogle Field at Melvin and Dollie Younts Stadium on Saturday, August 26, 2005.
