I attended Texas A&M and finished with a master’s in industrial engineering in 1970. My education was very helpful in my federal career in the Department of Defense at the U.S. Army Logistics Management Center and the U.S. Army Procurement Research Office in Fort Lee, Virginia. As a result, my wife, Beverly, and I wanted to give something back to help Texas A&M students have the same opportunity. We set up a trust to accomplish this, helping several institutions we attended. God has been very good to us, which gave us the opportunity to do this. All graduates should consider doing the same.
Kimrey “Kim” Newlin ’70
Miami, Florida
I am not a Texas A&M graduate but have adopted this magnificent university as my honorary alma mater due to some stunning veterinary care that my German shorthaired pointer received several years ago. The attention, kindness and professionalism exhibited by the Small Animal Hospital staff over periodic visits for my dog’s care was nothing short of spectacular. Dr. Oscar “Bubba” Woytek ’64 and Dr. Henry “Sonny” Presnal ’57 were instrumental in introducing me to all the opportunities at Texas A&M where I could make a difference at the veterinary school as well as the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center. I am ever grateful for being allowed to be part of this terrific institution and so very proud to call it “my school.”
Helen France
Canyon Lake, Texas
Through my wife’s journey with terminal cancer, I began to seriously think about estate planning and my charitable goals. Losing Leigh reminded me that we truly never know what tomorrow holds, so it’s important to ensure you are prepared. I knew I wanted to provide scholarship support to Texas A&M, so one of my first calls was to the Texas A&M Foundation. They made the planned giving process comfortable and personable as I decided how to direct my gift and which method I wanted to use, which ended up being a bequest in my living trust that will support students of all majors at the Bush School of Government and Public Service in College Station and Washington, D.C.
I was fortunate to serve President George H.W. Bush at the White House during my military career, and when I later learned about the inception of the Bush School, I enrolled in online courses in 2013, studying nonprofit leadership. Everything about the Bush School was and still is top notch, and I think that stems from the president and Mrs. Bush and everything they stood for. I hope my estate gift will help the Bush School remain the country’s top school for public service, government and international affairs, and that it’s a conduit that allows students to flourish here under the legacy of the president and his life of public service.
Chris Allen ’13
College Station, Texas
Read Chris' full story here!
I made the decision to bequeath my estate to the Texas A&M Foundation because I don’t have children, and all my siblings are well-off and don’t need my help. Consequently, I decided that my estate would fund General Rudder Corps Scholarships. I believe that I am what I am today because of my time in the Corps of Cadets and want to help others achieve the same.
The decision to make my gift came full circle years later, when I suffered a pulmonary embolism while returning home to Franklin, Tennessee, from Christmas in Houston. I stopped for gas in Texarkana, and as I stepped out of my car, I could barely breathe. I was dizzy and weak. After starting the pump, I sat down in my car and immediately felt better. I realized I was far from home and knew no one on my return route. But, as long as I felt able to drive, I would go straight to the hospital in Franklin, which is what I did. That’s where I found I’d suffered an embolism resulting from a deep vein thrombosis. I could have easily died while driving home if the clot had been much larger. Had I died without making plans, my estate would have gone to probate and been split up among my family.
Brian Ehni ’74
Franklin, Tennessee
When we prepared our wills, my wife, Jane ’69, and I decided we should include a planned gift to benefit Texas A&M students. We found the vehicle in a fund already established to honor the late Professor Alan Stacell. Stacell was my first-year design professor in architecture, later a colleague who remained a mentor and friend for life. The Alan Stacell Student Creativity Fund supports innovation outside the classroom, a perfect fit for his inspiring approach to help students realize their dreams. By growing this endowment, the fund might support student-led interdisciplinary projects benefiting communities or those in need, for example, or whatever worthy ideas students wish to pursue.
Stacell inspired me to be a better person and to enjoy life more. Our friendship had a profound impact on my life, so Jane and I decided to leave part of our estate to the creativity fund because it’s not important for people to remember the Fosters. They should remember Alan Stacell.
Jim Foster ’66
West Fork, Arkansas
Learn more about Professor Alan Stacell here.
As a third-generation Aggie, my decision was an easy one. As a young child, I was introduced to the Aggie way by my grandparents and parents. My grandfather, O.T. Hotchkiss Jr. ’24, had 50-yard line tickets to all Aggie home games for years. My family attended as many games as we could traveling from Dallas. My grandfather was also a past president of The Association of Former Students, and we spent many a game weekend staying in rooms in the MSC.
After my grandfather passed away, my grandmother set up our first President’s Endowed Scholarship (PES) in his honor. In fact, our first PES scholarship recipient is from the program’s inaugural year in the late 1960s. I have the plaque hanging on my wall along with a photo of my brother and me accepting it from Randy Matson ’67!
After my father, Dr. O.T. Hotchkiss III ’51, passed, we made our second PES gift in his honor. At that moment, I decided to incorporate our third PES in my name in our estate plan. It’s our way of cementing our family’s legacy at Texas A&M.
My wife, Nancy, and I attended our first annual PES luncheon in fall 2023. My mother had attended many of the luncheons over the years. We really enjoyed meeting our family’s current scholars, and that cemented our commitment to our PES family legacy. We know our support will educate the crème de la crème of Aggieland’s future leaders!
Oscar T. “Ted” Hotchkiss IV ’77
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
My husband, Steve ’76, and I hold Texas A&M near to our hearts because of its deep traditions, which have been passed down through generations of Aggies. As they say about Aggieland: “From the outside looking in, you can’t understand it. And from the inside looking out, you can’t explain it.” Because Texas A&M has held strong to its traditions, even through changing times, it makes us proud to give back in a way we know will be appreciated. Our planned giving is directed toward helping student veterans achieve their ultimate goal: to complete their studies and become an Aggie. We have never been so moved as when we presented Aggie Rings to these veterans. The emotions were beyond description as they shared what they had gone through to get their ring and fulfill their accomplishments!
Dr. Phylis Canion
Cuero, Texas
Learn more about the Canions' giving to student veterans here.
I think the Aggie Spirit entered my heart at a very early age. I became aware of it when my parents, both Aggies, and I went to the Aggie Bonfire. I was about 3 years old. From then on, Texas A&M was on my mind and in my heart. I know my experiences at that dear campus helped to make my life better and better. I'll love it until I pass on. I just hope my gift will help some prospective students acquire that same Aggie Spirit in their hearts to make our world a better place.
Cheryl Bridges
College Station, Texas
Read Cheryl's full story here.
The story behind my gift is kind of funny. My wife graduated from The University of Texas, as did both of my daughters. I know that shows poor leadership on my part. Anyway, my youngest daughter was employed at UT’s School of Social Work and was very involved with fundraising. During some of my wife and daughter’s conversations, the idea of my wife putting UT in her will and funding the donation with her IRA was presented. When she mentioned this, my first thought was “bullsh**!” However, I came around and thought if she was going to give to UT, I’d better fund Texas A&M the same amount. I originally stipulated that 10% would go to the Corps of Cadets, but I later updated my gift agreement to 100%. I have encouraged some of my Gator 2 buddies to think about planning a gift for the Corps too. It’s pretty easy to do; all you have to do is die.
Seriously, it’s an honor and privilege to contribute to Texas A&M. The education and training provided me with the best friends I could ever hope to have and a wonderful career in the military and later with Delta Air Lines.
William “Bill” Turner ’71
Lake Kiowa, Texas
Making a planned gift in your 40s isn’t typical, we know. The impact Texas A&M, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the university’s many student organizations had on our lives is difficult to quantify but so very easy to feel deeply. When our children began their time as Aggies, our gift became personal. Real students are the real beneficiaries of planned gifts! We wanted to leave a permanent reminder that Texas A&M changes lives every day. We are honored to make a planned gift to the Yell Leader Endowment. Being a Yell Leader was transformational for my husband, Scott ’95, and we hope to magnify the Aggie Spirit with our gift.
Kathryn Whitaker ’96
Austin, Texas
Read the Whitakers' inspiring story here!
Getting a good education has always been an important part of my heritage and that of my late wife, Lil. Early on, when my first option was to attend a nearby one-teacher, country elementary school, my dad insisted that I attend a much larger school in town with separate grades even though it entailed walking a mile to catch the school bus each day for a 10-mile ride to town.
Upon graduation from Schulenburg High School in 1955, there was no question whether I would go to college, even though neither my parents nor I had adequate funds to pay tuition and room and board costs. My dad and sister provided small, no-interest loans. Fortunately, I received an Opportunity Award to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas. Initially, it was for only $300 a year. That was supplemented my senior year with a $500 academic scholarship from Ralston Purina Company. I was the first in my family to attend college.
Lil paid part of her tuition at Concordia College in Illinois by babysitting, ironing shirts for male students and working a part-time job in the college admissions office.
When our own children—two daughters and a son—became of college age, they also benefited from benevolent scholarship donors.
That planted the seed in our minds that, at some point, if and when God made it possible for us to do so, we would like to help fund the education of other students in need. We established our first Endowed Opportunity Award with the Texas A&M Foundation in 2007. With God continuing to bless us, we endowed additional educational scholarships through the Texas A&M Foundation and The Association of Former Students in 2018, 2019 and 2021, as well as Courtney Cares, an equine therapy program through the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences targeted to help physically challenged children and military veterans.
The opportunity to do this has brought great satisfaction and joy to me and to Lil, who passed away in 2023. We looked forward each April to attending the Endowed Opportunity Award luncheons, where we could meet face-to-face with our scholarship recipients and their parents as they shared their accomplishments and career aspirations. I still enjoy receiving periodic letters and emails from recipients detailing their progress.
The list of recipients is too long to include here. But it is satisfying to know that our endowments have enabled nearly a dozen highly motivated and talented young men and women to achieve their dreams. They include an accountant, a young man who was the first in his family to attend college, a young lady who went on to attend medical school with the goal to establish free medical clinics for the financially disadvantaged, several soon-to-be veterinarians and military leaders, and others. Plus, there is the satisfaction of knowing that our endowments will continue to fund many more students in the future. Seeing this impact is also one of the main reasons Lil and I decided to include the Texas A&M Foundation in our will to create an additional scholarship to support undergraduates pursuing a degree in agriculture.
Growing up on a farm picking cotton by hand, the thought of someday attending college was far from my mind. Receiving a degree from Texas A&M changed the entire course of my life. It is truly a privilege and a blessing to be able to pay back the opportunity I was given.
Del Deterling ’59
Plano, Texas
My wife, Mary Patricia “Pat,” and I endowed our first scholarship after the untimely death of our 52-year-old daughter, Marlenè Elise Marshall Neathery ’85, due to aggressive cancer.
Marlenè was an Aggie’s Aggie, born into maroon and white with me, her Class of ’60 father—who met Pat on a blind date to an Aggie football game—and older sister Michelle Marshall Crotty ’84. After graduating with a double degree in management and marketing, Marlenè began her career with E-Systems and Nortel while completing her MBA at the University of Dallas, all the while joining us for Texas A&M football games. When she was 34, she married her Aggie: Charles Neathery ’88.
Marlenè was an example of selfless service, teaching English as a second language for Spanish speakers, teaching Spanish in St. Patrick Church's parochial elementary school and grading business exams for Western Governor’s University. She did this while raising sons Kyle and Trenton, who were only 14 and 12 at the time she passed away. We wanted to honor her and her loyalty to Texas A&M, and we felt that a scholarship to Mays Business School would be something she would have approved of and appreciated. We enjoy seeing the rewards of this decision each year when we have the opportunity to correspond with, and often meet, the recipients of her memorial scholarship. Marlenè is inurned at the Aggie Field of Honor Cemetery in College Station, and her columbarium faces Kyle Field.
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Our initial scholarship decision led quickly to another endowed scholarship to honor our oldest daughter, Michelle—another Aggie’s Aggie. The Michelle Elizabeth Marshall Crotty ’84 Scholarship supports undergraduates pursuing a degree in biomedical sciences and recognizes Michelle’s steadfastness and determination to complete her own degree in biomedical sciences.
Michelle married Matthew Crotty ’82 in December 1982 at St. Mary’s Church on the day he graduated and was commissioned a U.S. Marine. Matthew is special to Michelle and to us because in March 1982 he rescued her as she was unresponsive and suffering from toxic shock syndrome. Matthew carried Michelle from her dorm room to the “Quack Shack” where the toxic shock diagnosis was made, and she was immediately transferred to St. Joseph's Hospital where she nearly died. She battled back and miraculously finished that semester, going on to complete 90+ hours and get her Aggie Ring by the time they were married.
From December 1982 to December 1986, Michelle was the dutiful Marine wife, and mother to Sean and Christopher, but when it was time for Matthew to leave on another six-month float deployment, Michelle decided not to wait in southern California. Instead, she loaded up Sean and Christopher and returned to College Station to finish her degree. She re-enrolled in classes in January, all while balancing her academics, two young sons and a deployed Marine husband. In December 1987, she graduated with her biomedical sciences degree. Since the date was almost coincidental with Matthew’s 1982 graduation and their marriage, Michelle and Matthew renewed their vows at St. Mary’s on their fifth anniversary. Their son Christopher is Class of 2006. Michelle is currently a medical technologist for Texas Oncology in Bastrop.
Pat and I are extremely proud of our daughters and their embodiment of the true meaning of being an Aggie. We continue to equally increase the investment in each of their named scholarships each year through a qualified charitable distribution from our IRA assets.
Robert E. “Gene” Marshall ’60
Canyon Lake, Texas
When I made the difficult decision to take my first job in industry versus an academic position after receiving my Ph.D., I struggled for a couple of years adjusting to the business world. I knew little—let’s say closer to zero—about business. Not having gained real-world experience from an internship and having spent years doing research in an academic setting, I found it challenging to make an abrupt transition to industry, and my wife, Patricia, faithfully supported me during this time.
In 2016, Patricia and I met the head of the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Simon North, and a couple of individuals from the Texas A&M Foundation to discuss our philanthropic desire to establish an endowment that would support education and would be meaningful for the needs of the chemistry department.
Going into the discussion, we envisioned a scholarship. However, during our candid conversation, Dr. North discussed his efforts to better prepare graduate students for their careers after finishing their Ph.D. I quickly reflected on my transition from Texas A&M to my first industrial job at The Dow Chemical Company and shared my personal struggles. The result was the establishment of the Dr. Matthew A. ’82 and Patricia J. Harthcock Professional Development Symposium Fund for chemistry graduate students. The objective was to create a symposium to help students prepare for the transition into their careers by providing insight into interpersonal and leadership skills, business knowledge, chemistry in industry job types, research and development in industry, and understanding business functions like manufacturing, sales, quality roles, etc. A key component of the symposium is having Ph.D. chemistry graduates speak and participate in panel discussions about their careers. The fifth symposium was held in 2024 (two years skipped due to COVID).
Subsequently, we extended the support of this well-received symposium with an estate gift that will allow the professional development of chemistry graduate students to continue beyond our lifetime. We are so blessed and thankful that we can provide this lasting legacy to impact many individuals and make better employees!
Dr. Matthew “Matt” Harthcock ’82
Sun City Center, Florida
My wife, Mattie ’20, and I met at Texas A&M our freshman year, and we fell in love with the Aggie community and core values. We are both first-generation Aggies, so it was all a new experience for us. Once we graduated and got married, we discussed ways we could give back to Texas A&M to support future Aggies. We plan to be philanthropic throughout our lives, but we wanted to make sure that if we didn’t live long lives we could still make an impact at Texas A&M. We decided a planned gift would be a great way to ensure that no matter what happens, we can give back to the university and community that made such an impact on us.
We met in a Freshman Leadership Organization called ASSIST (Aggies Selflessly Serving in Shaping Tomorrow), so we planned an endowed fund that will benefit the group. Because we both received scholarships that helped ease the financial burden of college, we also planned endowed funds to support two scholarship opportunities: one for a female in Taylor County where Mattie is from or for students who graduated from a high school in Arkansas because I’m from Texarkana, and another for a female who is pursuing an engineering degree and is involved in a student activity. We’ve directed remaining funds to help refurbish Bolton Hall’s basement level as we both had classes there and wanted to support renovations to improve the building.
Tyler Snell ’20
Manor, Texas
Several years after graduation, a Texas A&M Foundation team member educated me on many programs and options that I wasn’t aware of. I don’t have children, so I considered what to do with my estate and what legacy I wanted to establish. The Foundation’s flexibility was exactly what I was seeking. I’ve learned a lot about the legal and financial aspects of estate planning throughout my process.
I was a double major and have been blessed with a successful career, and I know I wouldn't be where I am today without the support and counsel of my professors and advisors. I desired a way to share my blessings and provide the same opportunity for other students on a similar path. I firmly believe that my degree is only as good as the former students who came before me and those who will follow.
The Foundation allowed me to give back in a way that’s important to me. I have chosen to designate 80% of my gift equally between my two majors to support their departmental budgets. I’ve experienced how difficult it can be to get funding for special equipment, projects, renovations, etc., and this is one way the departments can have some extra money for improvements that ultimately benefit the staff and students. Additionally, I love animals and have tremendous respect for our veterinary school and the many Aggie veterinarians who have kept my fur babies healthy, so I have chosen to direct the remaining 20% of my gift to benefit the vet school and its Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center.
My heartfelt gratitude is due to the outstanding Foundation staff for working with me to develop a plan that fits perfectly with my goals of supporting the school I love. It has given me much peace and comfort knowing that my wishes will be executed per my requests.
Michele Tyson ’99
Katy, Texas
Along with receiving a stellar petroleum geology graduate education, I credit Texas A&M with making graduate school affordable. After completing my undergraduate earth and planetary sciences degree at Washington University in St. Louis, I decided an oil and gas career was the right path for me. Taking the advice of job recruiters, I pursued a master’s degree at a “big oil” school, and found myself at Texas A&M. But money was an issue. Texas A&M came through with a teaching assistantship complete with an in-state tuition rate of $4 per credit hour. Fast forward 40 years, and I’ve never worked a day in my life in the oil patch. But the knowledge, skills and abilities I learned at Texas A&M have lasted me a lifetime. Establishing graduate and undergraduate scholarships in geology using my IRA is, to me, a fitting way of saying thank you to Texas A&M.
Erol Morey ’84
Bellingham, Washington
Read Erol's incredible story here!
Our decision to make a planned gift to Texas A&M University was based on numerous conversations with Dr. Oscar “Bubba” Woytek ’64 ’65 of the school's veterinary program. Dr. Woytek was both inspirational and reassuring in explaining how our contribution to the veterinary program would benefit up and coming DVMs. We were excited about the possibility of our contribution aiding the world of animal medicine. As true lovers of our furry friends both large and small, it made our hearts happy to help Texas A&M further our desire in the healing of our critters.
Thank you, Texas A&M, for the opportunity to make a difference in this world.
Richard and Jean See
Pennington, Texas
I am a first-generation collegian who had no real family ties to Texas A&M when I chose to attend college there. My choices came down to the two flagships, and I simply got the feeling I’d be happier and more comfortable in Aggieland. I was right.
As a student, I was not a model of academic discipline. Yet, no matter my mistakes, Texas A&M continued to offer me an opportunity to redeem myself and fulfill the ultimate goal of completing my degree and achieving all the promises this held. I’ve been blessed with a successful career working with individuals to make philanthropic investments in causes that are meaningful to them. I’ve led teams to achieve goals they previously thought unobtainable. I have been fortunate enough to build a life that is happy, healthy and stable. I’ve been given the chance to give back to God, my family and my community.
Every one of these things is a great good in life, and every single one was made possible by the opportunity I had to attend and graduate from Texas A&M. I planned a gift because I owe everything in my life to God, my parents and Texas A&M. How could I fail to offer tangible signs of my gratitude?
Bryan Landry ’91
Atlanta, Georgia
I was fortunate to be on the 1971 National Champion Meat Judging Team along with Jimmy Pusok ’73 ’77, Don Kuker ’72, Larry Eubanks ’73, Donald ’72 and Ronald Powers ’72 and Burley Smith ’70, who was only with us in the spring of 1971. The key to our success was our exceptional—and I mean exceptional—coaching staff headed by Dr. Gary Smith ’68. The other coaches we were privileged to learn from were Dr. H. Russell Cross ’72, Dr. Brad Berry ’72 and Dr. Roger West ’75.
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During this time, Texas A&M only furnished a station wagon and fuel, no room or board. All members had to pay out of their pockets for rooms and meals when we traveled. Today, the Meat Judging Team members still have to pay for their meals, and they also pick up the extra expenses of attending eight contests and three practice trips annually. This costs members approximately $200-$250 per trip for a total of $2,750 per member—an extra expense added to the cost of attending Texas A&M. For some students, raising this much additional money would be impossible. Because of this, I established the Harold D. “Thump” Witcher ’73 Meat Judging Team Excellence Endowment and have supplemented my current gift with estate gifts to grow its impact.
I hope in the future the endowment will generate enough money so no team member will have to worry about trip expenses and can just concentrate on winning. Over the years, the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Meat Judging Team has won 17 national championships. As of this writing, they are ranked No. 2 nationally in total wins. Being a member of the Texas A&M Meat Judging Team opens many doors for graduates who are pursuing a career in the meat industry, and I am proud to pay it back to an experience that was so rewarding to me.
Harold D. “Thump” Witcher Jr. ’73
Powderly, Texas
What inspired me to give my entire estate to Texas A&M’s Small Animal Teaching Hospital? Short answer: Molly, a 5-pound little lady full of energy that loved hopping on her hind feet and chasing lizards. She was a white toy poodle and the last of the five I rescued.
Molly had a myriad of health conditions for which she was being treated. I knew she was living on borrowed time. Dr. Robert Judd ’79 gave her the best care in Waco and never hesitated to refer her to Texas A&M when needed.
One day, my friend and I were traveling to College Station because Molly was having a tough time breathing, and Dr. Judd said she needed to be seen by specialists. I knew in my heart that I would be returning to Waco with Molly in a cardboard casket. This was only two weeks after I’d traveled Highway 6 to the Small Animal Hospital so I could hold Casey, a Maltese that had suddenly quit eating, while she was being euthanized. If euthanasia can be a pleasant experience, this doctor went above and beyond to make it the best it could be.
When we arrived, we were told another animal needed emergency care. I had made nearly two dozen trips to the Small Animal Hospital with Molly and my other eight rescue dogs. I knew the routine well. Check in at the front desk; wait a few minutes; a fourth-year vet student would come out; questions would be answered, and my dog would be taken back; 15 or so minutes later, the student would return to take me to the exam room. There, the attending doctor would explain what was wrong with the animal, and the treatment plan was devised.
This Friday evening, things didn’t happen as they usually did. My friend and I talked, watched the people and animals come and go, and watched a silent TV. Time passed and passed and passed. Suddenly, I realized that the student hadn’t returned for us. A quick look at my phone showed we had been waiting nearly two hours. I panicked. I hurried to the desk and demanded to see my dog. I explained how long I had been waiting and that this was NOT the average time. We were taken to the exam room where the doctor and student were waiting. I was distraught. I thought Molly had been put in a cage while they worked on the other emergency case. Molly hated cages. I was desperate to see and hold Molly, but she wasn’t in the exam room. My heart sank.
The doctor began to speak. I listened as carefully as I could but to no avail. I saw his mouth moving and heard him talking, but I could not understand what was said. I thought he was speaking in another language. I asked him to repeat what he was saying. I asked my friend if she understood, and she replied yes. Why couldn’t I understand? Finally, in desperation, I asked him to call Dr. Judd and have him call me.
Dr. Judd explained that a blood clot had gone to Molly’s lung. The only way she would be able to live was in an oxygenated cage around the clock. It was time to euthanize Molly.
Someone brought Molly to me. I hurried to the family room, the same cozy, comfortable room I’d held Casey in as she took her last breath. Unfortunately, another family was using it. I was ushered into a stark, cold exam room, where I said goodbye to my little fluff ball. There was no comfort to it; it was the opposite of what I’d experienced with Casey.
I was angry and frustrated by the whole experience. Someone, anyone, could have come to the lobby to give me an update on what was happening with Molly. Several days later, I learned through Dr. Judd that several specialists had seen Molly. She hadn’t been put in a cage and left until it was her turn. For that, I am grateful.
I wanted someone to know what had happened so no other pet owner would have the same experience. I needed to do something to make Molly’s death meaningful so I could be at peace. I learned that two families often needed the family room at the same time. I offered to provide what would be required to make a second family room. It wasn’t until a couple years later, when Monika Blackwell ’17—who worked at the Texas A&M Foundation at the time—contacted me, that it happened.
I funded two comfort rooms: Molly’s Room in honor of Dr. Judd and The Griffey Gang Room in memory of my great aunt Emma P. Robison, who took in every stray animal that came her way. The Griffey Gang is the moniker given to my eight dogs by the local rescue from which they were adopted.
Shortly after I met Monika, I was making a new will. I knew I wanted my entire estate to go to the Small Animal Teaching Hospital at Texas A&M. My father, who had a third-grade education and grew up on a tobacco farm in Tennessee, became an entrepreneur and a millionaire. He left me a nice inheritance. None of the rescues I’ve been associated with had endowment funds, so Texas A&M’s Small Animal Teaching Hospital seemed the perfect fit.
Upon my death, my remaining dogs will live out their lives at the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center near the hospital, and the Robert Judd ’79 DVM Chair in Veterinary Professional and Clinical Skills will be established. This endowment will support the chairholder's clinical skills, laboratory activities, teaching, research, service and professional development activities per university guidelines.
My estate gift will also provide additional support to Emma’s Fund, a fund I established to help pet owners who cannot afford to pay the entire amount of their pet’s care. Additionally, four scholarships will be established for DVM students in the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
Although I still struggle with making peace with Molly’s death, I know that my planned gifts will benefit DVM students, professors, pets and owners. Therefore, Molly’s legacy will continue.
Janel Griffey
Waco, Texas
When I transferred to my dream university, Texas A&M, in 2012, my sister told me something I’ll never forget. She said to leave a legacy there beyond just carving my name in the Dixie Chicken. So, I did. I got really involved in the student organization Aggie Transition Camps (ATC), which consisted of T-Camp and Howdy Camp. For anyone unfamiliar with this organization, it’s like Fish Camp, but primarily for transfer students. And I believe with all my heart it’s the gold standard of new student orientation organizations in the world. Through this experience, I was lucky to not only make the best friends of my life but to also leave an impact on many students that I know had a positive snowball effect.
I departed Texas A&M leaving a legacy and having impacted others. But when I got into my profession of financial planning, I learned there was a way I could leave an even larger impact and legacy if my time on this earth were to expire. So, I used my life insurance to plan a gift that will support both ATC as well as Student Bonfire, an off-campus organization I was also involved in. It puts my maroon-bleeding heart at rest knowing that if something happens to me, these incredible organizations that changed my life will be impacted in a very positive way and that I can still make an impact on Aggies’ lives even after I'm gone. From my knowledge, it was ATC's first-ever planned gift, and I’m honored to have had the opportunity to create it. This place is special. There’s nowhere else in the world like it, and I want to do all I can to contribute to the preservation and growth of the perpetual Aggie Spirit.
Blake Johnson ’14
Argyle, Texas
Watch Blake's inspiring video here!
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