A new season of Bulldog basketball means the return of the “Baskets for Books” program initiated by men’s Coach Jerry Tarkanian and his wife, Lois.
The fund-raising program allows individuals and corporate sponsors to contribute to the Jerry and Lois Tarkanian Book Fund, which is used to buy books for the Henry Madden Library at California State University, Fresno.
Sponsors pledge a dollar amount for each basket scored by the Fresno State Bulldogs. At the end of the season, the sponsor donates the total amount pledged to Baskets for Books, which benefits the Tarkanian Book Fund.
The Tarkanians pledged $100,000 to start the fund in 1998 as a demonstration of their support of academics at Fresno State. Two years later, the Tarkanian family donated an additional sum and raised a matching amount to start Baskets for Books, which links Bulldog basketball with the Madden Library, the academic heart of the campus, and ensures that the Tarkanian Book Fund is never depleted.
Sponsors are recognized at basketball games and in Madden Library publicity materials. For information and to become a sponsor, call Marcie Morrison at the Madden Library, 278-7177.
