Bill Gatton
Encyclopedia
Carol Martin "Bill" Gatton (born May 25, 1932 near Bremen, Kentucky
) is an American
entrepreneur
and philanthropist
.
C. M. "Bill" Gatton's start as an entrepreneur began as president and general manager of Bill Gatton Motors in Owensboro, Ky., in 1959, just a half-decade after his graduation from college. That lone dealership has since mushroomed to Bill Gatton Chevy - Cadillac, which now incorporates eight additional auto dealerships in Alabama, Texas and Tennessee. He also opened a Honda dealership in Bristol, Tenn., where he remains owner and general manager.
Gatton earned his B.S. in 1954 from the University of Kentucky
. In addition to his degree at UK, he holds an M.B.A. in finance and banking from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
.
In 1995, he made a multi-million dollar gift to the College of Business and Economics at UK, the largest gift ever made to the University. In his honor, the UK Board of Trustees later renamed the college "The Carol Martin Gatton College of Business and Economics
." Opened in 2006, the East Tennessee State University
College of Pharmacy also bears Gatton's namesake.
Gatton also donated a large sum of money to the formation of the gifted academy at Western Kentucky, opened in 2007 as the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, where high school students could finish their last two years of high school taking rigorous college classes.
Bremen, Kentucky
Bremen is a city in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 365 at the 2000 census. The city was settled by German immigrants who named it after Bremen, Germany.-Geography:Bremen is located at ....
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
C. M. "Bill" Gatton's start as an entrepreneur began as president and general manager of Bill Gatton Motors in Owensboro, Ky., in 1959, just a half-decade after his graduation from college. That lone dealership has since mushroomed to Bill Gatton Chevy - Cadillac, which now incorporates eight additional auto dealerships in Alabama, Texas and Tennessee. He also opened a Honda dealership in Bristol, Tenn., where he remains owner and general manager.
Gatton earned his B.S. in 1954 from the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
. In addition to his degree at UK, he holds an M.B.A. in finance and banking from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
The Wharton School is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Wharton was the world’s first collegiate business school and the first business school in the United States...
.
In 1995, he made a multi-million dollar gift to the College of Business and Economics at UK, the largest gift ever made to the University. In his honor, the UK Board of Trustees later renamed the college "The Carol Martin Gatton College of Business and Economics
Gatton College of Business and Economics
Gatton College of Business and Economics is a college of the University of Kentucky. Founded in 1925, it was not given the current name "Gatton College of Business and Economics" until 1996 after a large monetary gift to the University in 1995 from Carol Martin "Bill" Gatton. The donation was the...
." Opened in 2006, the East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University is an accredited American university located in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is part of the Tennessee Board of Regents system of colleges and universities, the nation's sixth largest system of public education, and is the fourth largest university in the state...
College of Pharmacy also bears Gatton's namesake.
Gatton also donated a large sum of money to the formation of the gifted academy at Western Kentucky, opened in 2007 as the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, where high school students could finish their last two years of high school taking rigorous college classes.