Hall of Fame
A stronger supporter of Texas Wesleyan Athletics cannot be found. Though never a student of Texas Wesleyan, he has been an integral part of our community for many years. He has served two terms on the Board of Trustees and has served on several committees including the Finance committee and the Board of Visitors committee.
Fersing grew up in Vermont and attended Cornell University, graduating in 1958 with an engineering degree. He served the U.S. Navy for two years before going to work for IBM. He later went back to school and, in 1964, earned an MBA from Harvard University. Though neither he nor any of his four children attended Texas Wesleyan, he prefers to donate both time and money here rather than to his Ivy League roots. Fersing credits a professor at Harvard for suggestion that everyone spend 30 percent of their lives in public service, and he has said, “The money I give to Wesleyan wouldn’t even create a ripple in the Harvard pond, so it doesn’t mean anything. Here, I can see not only my funds at work, but I can see myself at work. I can make a difference.”
He certainly has made a difference. He has an endowed scholarship. He can be seen at numerous athletic events including nearly every home basketball game and table tennis tournament. He spends as much time as he can on campus meeting faculty and students. Fersing says he has the time to give back to the school after retiring in 2005, when he sold his manufacturing company.
Recent health concerns have not allowed Fersing to spend his normal allotment of time at Texas Wesleyan, but if you attend a home basketball game you are still likely to find him urgently cheering the home team.
