Meet Our Donors

“I hope my support of the University will honor what my mother did and the impact she had on so many others.” — Jeff Cotten (B.A. ’99) made tribute gifts in his estate plan to support future Longhorns.

A Legacy of Appreciation

“The University of Texas and the Jackson School meant so much to us. This was an opportunity to honor Weyman’s legacy by giving back to the University that enabled him to have a great career and foster so many incredible experiences.” — Carol Akkerman Crawford, Ph.D., honored her late husband, Weyman Crawford (B.S. ’50), by documenting a future gift in her will in support of geosciences students.

Nurturing Nature and Knowledge

“I hope that my gift can help provide resources to improve the visitor experience and help strengthen everyone’s interest and ability to preserve natural landscapes at the ground level — no pun intended.” — Master naturalist Carolyn Long made a gift in her estate plan to strengthen the Wildflower Center.

Linda Garcia Mora and Dixie and Phil Stanforth

Class Acts

“My time at the College of Education meant so much to me and I want to pay it forward. I hope my gift can provide students who may be struggling with an opportunity to complete their education and reach their full potential.” — Linda Garcia Mora (Ph.D. ’05) made a gift in her estate plan to support students in the College of Education

“We have so much to be grateful for and UT is a huge part of that. Students have always been at the center of our careers, and a scholarship was our way of giving back and making a life-changing impact.” — Dixie (Ph.D. ’10) Stanforth and her husband, Phil, retired UT professors, made a gift to support students majoring in exercise science or applied movement science. They also documented a future gift in their estate plans to support students in the College of Education.

A Foundation for the Future

“UT’s commitment to excellence and its unwavering dedication to making a positive impact resonates deeply with my values. Knowing our contributions can nurture the Cockrell School’s next generation of brilliant minds is a source of great pride and motivation.” — Alumnus Sanjay Chandra made a transformative gift to the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Spreading Sunshine

“I want there to be a level playing field, and we’re not there yet … I’m hoping that these scholarships will assist in that process.” — Susana Alemán, B.S. ’75, M.Ed. ’78, J.D. ’84, who made a gift in her estate plan to support scholarships for law students.

Keeping Step

“If students march and play well enough to be in the band, I want to reduce some of their financial worries.” — Randall J. Storm, BBA ’83, made a gift in his estate plan to support scholarships for students in the Longhorn Band.

A Prescription for Success

“I was able to attend national pharmacy association meetings with funds provided by generous alumni … I want current and future students to have those same opportunities.” — Marissa Schlaifer (B.S. ’87, M.S. ’92), who established an endowment at the College of Pharmacy through her estate plan

Shared Joy

“It’s fascinating to watch how excited the kids get during the shows. For many of them, it may be their only opportunity to see something like this.” — Anita Cochran who, with her husband, Bill, created an endowment to support performing arts access and education

In My Own Words: An Extraordinary Life

“With more gifts, the law school could continue to attract the very best professors and get the best students to study in any area that they wanted.” — Terry Lord, J.D. ’66, who made a gift in his estate plan to Texas Law

A Meeting of Minds

“My gift is about wanting to give thanks and to give back to an institution that's done a tremendous amount for me, my family and my career.” — Faculty member Bob Gilbert, right, made a gift in his estate plan to support UT. His former colleague Danny Reible, left, did the same.

A Cultural Gem

“Our gift sends a message … we value UT’s cultural offerings, and we want them to continue.” — Laraine Lasdon who, with her husband, Leon, made a planned gift to the Harry Ransom Center

Closing the Divide

“We want everyone who has the merit to attend The University of Texas at Austin to have the opportunity without worrying about how they’re going to get here.” — David Druley (BBA ’88, MBA ’03) who, with his wife, Melissa, made two gifts to support McCombs students.

There’s No Place Like Home

“As local business owners, we want to support other local programs … KUT was the natural first choice.” — Mardy Chen (M.S. Accounting, ’99) and her husband, Jeff, made a gift in their will to KUT

Changing the Cancer Equation

“The biggest promise of computational oncology is personalized medicine … the ability for us to answer questions that save precious lives.” — Dheeraj Pandey, M.S. ’98, who, with his wife, Swapna, made a gift to foster interdisciplinary cancer research at UT.

Mary Taylor Henderson holding a photo of her father

Carrying Forward a Father’s Love

“My father loved UT and valued the education he received. I’m proud to honor his hard work and devotion to his country.” — Mary Taylor Henderson created scholarships through a gift that pays income for life.

A Winning Combination

“Many students don’t have the advantages I had, and I want to pay it forward.” — Glena Pfennig, B.J. ’64, who, along with her husband, Jon C. Pfennig, B.A. ’64, J.D. ’67, used their IRAs to create a scholarship fund.

Making Room at the Table

Preston Lee credits the LBJ School of Public Policy for giving him the skills to bring more diversity and inclusivity to the world of public policy. Now he’s paying it forward with a legacy gift to the school — and encouraging others to join him.

Creating a World of Opportunities

“There are very few opportunities to make as much of a difference in someone’s life as giving them access to education.” — Linnet Deily ’67

The Gift of Time

“The scholarships gave me autonomy. Without them, there’s no way I would have had the time because I would’ve been working to cover my expenses.” — Arjun Menta ’21

Pursuing Passions

“A lot of medical students graduate with huge student loans. It would be great if more people would support endowments so that medical students could have their degrees paid for.” — Rich Piasecki

Energy U

“Receiving the William D. Moore Endowed Friends of Alec Scholarship made me feel like I belonged at UT. The scholarship also allowed me to spend more time focusing on schoolwork, research and extracurriculars.” — Branch Archer, 2022 graduate, Environmental Engineering and Plan II Honors

A Documented Life

“Marion felt very strongly about the news media collections at the Briscoe Center, one of the most comprehensive in the nation documenting the nature, history and significance of American journalism.” – Don Carleton, executive director of the Briscoe Center, speaking about the late Marion Goldin’s estate gift.

Picturing a Better Future

“I’m so thankful for the funding I received. Getting support for your research or funding for your ideas opens so many doors, especially for Ph.D. applicants and budding academics.” — Akash Thakkar ’21

A Texas Welcome

“When we talked about where we wanted to give back, we agreed to support UT because it was really good to us and gave us such a wonderful welcome as a couple.” — Professor John Clarke, who established a professorship in honor of his late partner, Michael Larvey

Space to Explore

“I just want my work to have a genuine impact on people.” — Catherine Dominic ’24

A Class Act

“For low-income students, scholarships are vital. Without a scholarship, I would have had to wait to finish my degree.” — Laura Orozco Domínguez ’22

Bridging Cultures

“At a time when women from her background essentially followed their husbands, [my mother] made her own very distinctive career.” — Alumnus Jon Graham who, with his wife, alumna Elizabeth Ulmer, made a gift to the UT Libraries in honor of his mother, former librarian and alumna Ann Hartness.

Dreams Accomplished

“We’re excited to support students and to invest in future generations of Longhorns.” – Texas Leadership Society member Jeffrey Petterson, B.A. ’71, who, along with his siblings, created two scholarships at UT

A Legacy of Values

“Mr. Kozmetsky was such a giving and caring person that he endowed a scholarship in perpetuity. Because of that, I have been given access to so many different opportunities.” — Lucious McDaniel IV, BBA ’22, recipient of the George Kozmetsky Forty Acres Scholarship

Longhorn Pride

“Our gift will help student-athletes make the best use of their time in the classroom and on the field so they can achieve their goals.” – Jane Rose (B.A. ’84) who, with her husband, Tony (B.A. ’88, M.P.A. ’90), made a future gift to support Texas Athletics

Finding My Voice

“I want students to be able to broaden their horizons and further their educations just as I was able to.” — Andrea Anderson, B.J. ’89, who established a new scholarship to create opportunities for UT students.

Lockstep in Gratitude

“We look forward to our gifts helping a number of students who would otherwise struggle to find a way to pay for college.” — Alumnus John Hartman who, with his wife, UT alumna Judye, established a scholarship for engineering students.

Ready to Help

“Through our gifts, Jeanne and I can help graduate students enter the workforce ready to help individuals, families and communities enhance their well-being.” — Terry Startzel, B.A. ’76, MSW ’85, who, with his wife, Jeanne, created a fellowship for social work graduate students.

Designing a Gift for the Future

“I have empathy for students who don’t have the financial strength to pay for their college education, so I really wanted to pay it forward.” — Susan Benz, School of Architecture alumna, who established a scholarship to support architecture students.

Longhorn Spirit

“I want students to be able to broaden their horizons and further their educations just as I was able to.” — Chester Liu, MBA ’68, a first-generation student from Taiwan, who established an endowed scholarship in memory of dear friends.

Virginia Massey Bowden and Charles Lee Bowden, M.D.

Alumni Gift Will Open Windows to the World

UT alumni Virginia Massey Bowden, Ph.D., and Charles Lee Bowden, M.D., are passionate about empowering others to expand their knowledge and strengthen their minds. Helping others achieve these goals is their life’s work.

Gifts of Knowledge

“I feel that public higher education is extremely important to our society, now more than ever.” — Carla Blumberg, BS ’83 who established two scholarships for UT’s top critical thinkers.

The Hearts and Minds Behind AI

“Zaib and I chose to make this gift because we believe artificial intelligence will one day help elevate the human condition, and that the research conducted [at UT] will pave the way.” — Amir Husain, BA ’98, who with his wife, Zaib (BBA ’99), are helping fund UT’s Machine Learning Laboratory.

Dedicated to UT, Education and Austin

“I think that the first part of my life was focused on making money,” Mickey Klein, BS ’58, JD ’68 says. “The second part has been devoted to giving money away intelligently. It’s a greater thrill to give money — to see that we’ve improved the life of a person through education.”

Painting a Bright Future

“The degree from UT changed my life. I never would have gone to New York, gotten my MBA from Columbia or have the life that I have now without UT. I decided to include UT in my estate plans because I want other students to have the same opportunities that I did,” Lisa shares.

Longhorn's Gift Helps Others Have a Voice

After meeting Dr. Courtney Byrd, a Moody College of Communication professor focused on stuttering treatment and research, Michael Lang developed a deep passion for Dr. Byrd's work. To support it, he made an amazing gift to create the Michael and Tami Lang Stuttering Institute.

Law Alumna Supports Aspiring Lawyers, Honors Family Legacy

MariBen Ramsey, J.D. ’84, was destined to be a Longhorn. “In my family it wasn’t even a thought process about where to go to school — it just was Texas,” she says with a laugh.

A Civil Engineer With a Love for Service

A belief in the power of education motivated Charles Machemehl, BS '57, MSE '64 to support students at The University of Texas at Austin, including a type of estate gift called a charitable remainder trust that will provide scholarships to Cockrell School of Engineering and McCombs School of Business students.

A Worldly View

“I choose to support the College of Liberal Arts and specifically students with an interest in international relations because the challenges they will face are global ones, and they need to be prepared for that,&rquot; Tom Ward, College of Liberal Arts, '54, shared.

The Fight Against COVID-19

Elizabeth “Betsy” Sauer, BBA '66, a Houston native, often referred to Austin as “her place.” She considered the four years that she spent at The University of Texas at Austin to be the best years of her life. Her estate is helping in the fight against the coronavirus.

"The Degree From UT Changed My Entire Life"

Roger Roberts and Mary McCallum believe in the transformative impact of education and now they want to help others receive the same life-changing experience they enjoyed.

Band Leader Plays On

Nothing ignites students, alumni, and friends of The University of Texas at Austin quite like the Longhorn Band playing “The Eyes of Texas.” What people may not realize, though, is that one man, Vincent R. DiNino, is responsible for much of what we experience when we watch The Showband of the Southwest take the field.

Supporting the Future of Earth Science

“The Earth is being challenged, and Earth scientists have a responsibility to help.” — Ed Duncan, B.S. ’79, M.A. ’87, and his wife, Karen, made a gift in their estate plans to support the Jackson School of Geosciences.

A Family Love Affair with Media Inspires Daughter’s Gift

“My parents loved their college years and studying journalism at UT. It was a place that helped give them the skills and confidence, right out of college, to go straight to Washington D.C. and play in the big leagues” – Christy Carpenter established a scholarship for Moody College of Communication students in honor of her parents.

Gazing Upward

“Graduate students are key to attracting world-class faculty, so my gift will help elevate education and research one graduate student at a time.” — Anne Marie Adkins, B.A. ’75, who created a planned gift to support future astronomers.

Celebrating Texas

“[The Wildflower Center] is a place that promotes the state flora. It promotes Texas pride. So, why would I not give to it?” – Matt Turner, B.A. '83, Plan II, who included the Wildflower Center in his estate plan.

A Legacy of Philanthropy for the Next Generation

“I am grateful that Texas Law gave me a great education and prepared me for a successful career. I give to Texas Law because I want to provide similar opportunities for a new generation of talented law students.” — Susan Blount, B.A. '78, J.D. '81, who created a scholarship to support Texas Law students and also gives back through beneficiary designations.

The Gift of a Texas McCombs Education

“I want there to be enough resources available for McCombs students with financial need. If students earn a place at McCombs, I don’t want financial concerns to be an obstacle.” — Luis Pablo Rhi, BBA ’98, who created two endowments and a planned gift to support students at the McCombs School of Business.

Backing the True Heroes

“We believe our gifts to Texas Nursing are an investment in society. Just look at the impact nursing has had during the pandemic.” — Alumna Kim Chapman who, with her husband, Jeff, made a gift in their estate plan to support the School of Nursing.

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