Jim Keever ’71, the recipient of Pfeiffer University’s 2026 Outstanding Alumni Award, played so well on the golf teams of his alma mater that he was inducted into the Pfeiffer University Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

But Keever’s impact on Pfeiffer athletics didn’t stop there. He has also made numerous monetary and in-kind donations, each aimed at advancing objectives such as providing equipment for golfers, enabling soccer players to bond better off the pitch, furnishing special caps for fans of particular teams, and building collective pride in the accomplishments of Pfeiffer athletes.

Jane Edwards Crenshaw ’72, a Pfeiffer alumna who recommended Keever for the Outstanding Alumni Award, praised him for “quietly and consistently” supporting Pfeiffer since the year he graduated. She added that he “has an exceptional ability to recognize needs — often before they are formally identified — and willingly offers his time, resources, and expertise to address them.”

Keever has sought to address many needs through the Pfeiffer Athletic Advisory Council, which consists of alumni and boosters, aims to increase alumni engagement, strengthen community connections, and grow financial support. David Smith ’70, a former star tennis player at Pfeiffer who’s also a member of its Sports Hall of Fame, co-founded the council in 2019 along with Rick Knapp ’69.

Smith enthusiastically supported Keever’s nomination for the Outstanding Alumni Award. He called his fellow Falcon “a person of high character, a successful businessman, and, of course, a faithful and loyal supporter of Pfeiffer over many years.”

Smith, the 2023 recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award, also lauded Keever for his role in providing various murals that have been showcased on the exterior walls of Merner Gymnasium. The murals consist of special fabric upon which photos of Pfeiffer athletes are showcased. The murals are created with materials and technology used by Colonial LLC, Keever’s High Point, N.C.-based firm, which has been a leading provider and innovator for display and branding products in the mattress industry since 1982.

Keever likened the Merner murals to a family photo that all students can enjoy and react to by thinking something like: “Hey, that’s my friend up there. That’s pretty cool. She’s really good at soccer. Or, he’s really good at basketball.”

Keever’s support of Pfeiffer’s athletic-related projects continues to run the gamut. He’s helping to underwrite the outfitting of a soccer house on Pfeiffer’s campus in Misenheimer, N.C. The house, once a residence for faculty, has become the centerpiece in efforts to strengthen team unity among players on the University’s men’s and women’s soccer teams.

The house will also provide a place for players to bond, watch television, play board games, lounge on comfortable furniture, and eat meals prepared in a backyard cookout area. Current soccer players and their coaches will woo recruits there as well.

As Keever looks forward to receiving the Outstanding Alumni Award, his desire to support athletic-related causes at Pfeiffer shows no signs of waning. A major reason is the gratitude he feels toward a place that gave him a great start in life after the late Francis Essic ’69 (Hon.) (1925-2018) recruited him to play on the golf teams he coached.

Keever, who majored in Biology, became a serious student of that subject when he took his first course taught by Dr. Steve Dial ’59 (1937-2012), the legendary Professor Emeritus of Biology, whose humor and love for his subject inspired Keever throughout his studies.

“You have unlimited cuts unless a test has been announced,” Keever remembers Dial telling him and his classmates. “Oh, by the way, I’m announcing a test for every day.” 

Keever says that he wouldn’t be where he is now in life without Pfeiffer.

“That’s why I try to give back,” he said. “I consider it a privilege to be able to do this and glad that I can.”