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Couple’s Major Gift Supports Student-Athletes and Rebel Sports Facilities
Mark and Alisa Bourne made a major gift to the Vaught Society in support of Ole Miss Athletics. Greeting them pre-game in UM’s Vaught-Hemingway Stadium are Matt McLaughlin (left), OMAF chief development officer, and Quinn Kavanagh (right), OMAF director of development. Photo by Josh McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics.

Visitors to Mark Bourne’s office in Pontotoc, Mississippi — just 30 miles east of the University of Mississippi — will notice his floor-to-ceiling bookshelves contain dozens of signed Ole Miss football helmets.

He’s collected autographs from Wesley Walls, Deuce McAllister, Archie and Eli Manning, Evan Ingram and Bo Wallace among many other historically notable players.

Though they’re passionate Rebel fans, neither Bourne nor his wife, Alisa, attended Ole Miss. Yet, the Oxford, Mississippi, couple recently made a major gift to the Vaught Society — the Ole Miss Athletics Foundation’s (OMAF) fundraising level that provides financial assistance to student-athletes in the form of scholarships, academic guidance and wellness support.

The Bournes decided the time was right to make a major gift, incentivized by the opportunity to level up in stadium seating while also fueling the Grove Collective, a support organization for NIL-associated student-athletes.

“When we moved up here in 2002 from Gulfport (Mississippi), neither one of us had ever been on campus at Ole Miss,” Mark Bourne said, adding that he became acquainted with the late Bill Seawright, a former Ole Miss football player.

“Bill had a couple of tickets to the Egg Bowl when Eli was the quarterback and invited us to the game,” Bourne recalled. “Alisa and I drove to campus early in the week before the game. Of course, the campus was empty because it was Thanksgiving break. She commented, ‘Had I known Ole Miss was this beautiful, I would have insisted on going here.’ And I said, ‘I would have too!’”

So began their love for Ole Miss and they’ve been loyal fans ever since, attending countless Rebel sporting events over the past 20-plus years.

Quinn Kavanagh

“The Bournes’ gift directly helps our student-athletes by underwriting scholarships and facility improvements, helping to keep the Rebels competitive in their respective sports and high-achieving in their classes,” said Quinn Kavanagh, OMAF director of development.

“Interestingly, the Bournes are great examples of loyal fans who love Ole Miss primarily because of our beautiful campus and exciting gameday experience,” he said. “We are extremely grateful for their dedication to the success of our student-athletes and programs.”

Born in Metairie, Louisiana, Mark Bourne is a financial adviser with Edward Jones Investments. After high school, he attended the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) like most of his extended family before transferring to Texas A&M after a brief stint working for Macy’s in Dallas.

In 1987, he returned to Gulfport with the intention of enrolling in the UM School of Medicine. Detouring into ownership of a lucrative landscaping business, his plans for medical school were sidelined indefinitely. A couple of decades later, stresses inherent in managing employees drove him to seek employment in a profession that had always interested him, and Edward Jones Investments provided the opportunity to move to north Mississippi.

Alisa Bourne, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, attended Mississippi University for Women before transferring to USM where she earned a bachelor’s degree before pursuing a master’s degree at William Carey University. For most of her career, she worked as a teacher and high school counselor. In 2018, she joined the Ole Miss staff as an administrator in the UM Office of Outreach and Continuing Education, where she continues to work.

Their son, Christian Malley, graduated from Ole Miss in 2009 with a degree in finance and is now a principal in Edward Jones’ home office in St. Louis, Missouri. He and his wife, Ashley, have two daughters, Harper, 7, and Harlow, 5.

To join the Vaught Society, visit https://givetoathletics.com/donate/ or for more information, contact Quinn Kavanagh, OMAF director of development, at kavanagh@givetoathletics.com or 662-832-5241.

By Bill Dabney/UM Foundation

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