William L. "Spud" and Julia Miriam Simon Spadoni

William Lawrence "Spud" Spadoni was born Aug. 31, 1930, in Chicago, Ill., the son of Umberto and Maire Spadoni. He graduated in the class of 1948 of Calumet High School in Chicago. A four-year stint on the U.S. Air Force eventually took Spadoni to Korea for 13 months and finally to Horry County in 1955. Spadoni was the owner of Better Brands, Inc. and a wholesaler of Anheuser-Busch. He was been in the beverage business since 1955, having worked as a driver and a supervisor before purchasing Better Brands in 1974.

Mr. Spadoni was a director of the Coastal Educational Foundation beginning in 1988. He served on the board of visitors for the Wall School of Business Administration at Coastal in the mid 1980s.

He played an instrumental role in building the new 2,000-seat auditorium at Myrtle Beach High School. In 1986, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce named Spadoni Citizen of the Year. He was a member of the board of directors Mercy Hospice of Horry County and a member of the board of directors of C&S Bank. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus of St. Andrews Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach, where the Spadonis were parishioners.

Julia Miriam Simon Spadoni was born July 5, 1924, in Goldsboro, N.C., the daughter of Nicholas "Nick" Simon and Louise Heiden Simon. The Simon family moved to Horry County in 1928. She graduated from Conway High School in 1942, attended Winthrop College from 1942 to 1944, and returned to Horry County to teach in the public schools.

In 1959, the Spadonis designed the Beach View Motel in Myrtle Beach, and continued to manage the motel for 25 years. The motel is now the Emerald Shores Motel. She served on committees for Keep America Beautiful and the Myrtle Beach Beautification project. She was a member of the board of directors for Chapin Memorial Library. She served on the Wheelwright Council of the Arts at Coastal Carolina.

Coastal Carolina University's Spadoni College of Education was named for the Spadoni family through a $1 million gift to the 50th Anniversary Initiatives in 2004.

The Spadonis were named honorary founders of Coastal Carolina University in 1992.