It was Friday night of Mardi Gras weekend 2008, but neither Don Boyle ’08 nor Kathryn Perry ’11 was feeling very festive. Kathryn’s date had stood her up, so she found herself wandering the aisles of Randall’s grocery store where she witnessed Don agonizing over peanut butter options. It was clear he needed her help.
Having never met, the Texas A&M University at Galveston students recognized each other and learned they had a lot in common. They were older than their peers, and neither was a Texan: She grew up in Indiana, while he was from Virginia. She had already served in the Coast Guard and as an able-bodied seaman for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. He was a former Army Airborne Ranger and had served as an infantry squad leader during combat in Iraq.
And rather than bleeding maroon, each was attending Texas A&M Galveston solely to gain the degrees needed to further their careers—a bachelor’s degree in marine transportation for Kathryn and in maritime administration for Don.
“I didn’t know much about Texas A&M before I attended Galveston,” Kathryn said. “As a freshman, I was just focused on getting through. By my senior year, I was Corps commander and very proud to be an Aggie.”
Today, the Boyles live in Richmond, Virginia, where Kathryn cares for their son, while Don is a project manager for Oceaneering International Inc. But Don feels his true calling in life is to be an advocate for combat veterans.
With this in mind, the Boyles made the Texas A&M Foundation beneficiary of their life insurance policy. After their lifetimes, the policy will fund their endowment to provide support for undergraduate students at Galveston, with preference for military combat veterans.
