Planning for Innovation

The potential for impact and inspiration is limitless with a planned gift. From pets and people to pivotal research, these five planned gifts are laying the foundation for innovative programs at Texas A&M University that help us understand the past and embrace the future.
 

Educating on Ecology

Dr. H. Wayne Springfield ’59 was a trailblazer in ecology. During his 32 years as a range conservationist and scientist for the U.S. Forest Service, he published 79 scientific articles and discovered an undescribed species of grass. His renowned research took him many places, including Iraq, where he conducted range evaluation studies under the United Nations to develop rehabilitation programs for depleted range resources.

Springfield’s love for ecology was matched by his love for Texas A&M University. To support students who share his passions, the pioneer established an endowment for graduate students in the field of rangeland ecology and management. His generosity has spurred unique research in plant ecology, vertebrate organisms and more.
 

Leading Aggie Cadets

The Hollingsworth Center for Ethical Leadership was created through a planned gift from Janie and Lt. Gen. James Hollingsworth ’40, one of the most decorated Aggies in Texas A&M history. Hollingsworth participated in seven major campaigns during World War II, served in combat in both the Korean and Vietnam wars and was liaison to the chief of staff in Washington, D.C. His legacy of leadership and bravery lives on through the opportunities his endowment creates for cadets to become career-ready, innovative leaders.

The Hollingsworth Center’s intentional leadership development model is organized around four primary objectives: learning, coaching, mentoring and inspiring. Its coursework builds upon what cadets learned in previous years to shape well-rounded leaders who know how to effectively develop themselves and others. More than 90% of graduating seniors who participate in the center have secured employment, commissioned to the military or entered graduate school, making it clear that Hollingsworth has perpetuated excellence at Texas A&M.

Unearthing Civilization

Don Carlson’s generous planned gift helps the Center for the Study of the First Americans in the College of Liberal Arts uncover evidence about the world’s earliest civilizations. Faculty and students are unearthing new knowledge at archaeological sites in Alaska, Canada, Central America, Mexico, Northeast Asia, South America and the 48 contiguous United States.

The center is known for groundbreaking discoveries through its North Star Archeological Research Program. At Buttermilk Creek, just 40 miles northwest of Austin, students and faculty discovered spearpoints that are approximately 15,500 years old. If the dating of these spearpoints is correct, the finding has the potential to prove that people settled in the Americas earlier than previously thought.
 

Priming Dentistry Pioneers

Through his extensive research, Dr. Bernhard Gottlieb established himself as a pioneer in dental medicine. Known as the “father” of endodontics, periodontics and oral pathology, Gottlieb’s journey started at the Dental Research Institute in Vienna, Austria. After anti-Semitism disbanded the institute in the late 1930s, however, he immigrated to the United States with more than 75% of the faculty to continue his work. After time in Chicago, New York and Michigan, he joined the faculty of a Dallas dental school that would become the Texas A&M College of Dentistry many years later.  

Despite less-than-ideal conditions in Dallas, including deteriorating buildings, minimal scientific instruments and limited space, Gottlieb persisted in his research. Most notably, his detailed collection of histologic specimens of teeth and sections of the jaw remains integral to the history of dental education. Dr. Ralph Boelsche (Class of 1926), who assisted Gottlieb in his work, established the Bernhard Gottlieb Endowed Chair in Craniofacial Research to honor his pioneering role in dentistry. A testament to Gottlieb’s legacy, the first holder of the chair used Gottlieb’s slides to publish research findings on the origin of cementum, a hard layer of tissue that supports a tooth’s place in the jawbone. Today, the chair supports research investigating how stem cells can regenerate gum tissue.
 

Providing a Home for Pets

Dr. E.W. “Ned” Ellett, former head of the Small Animal Teaching Hospital at Texas A&M, dreamed of a place where companion animals would be cared for if their owners could no longer do so. In 1993, his vision came to life after an investment from Madlin Stevenson and the W.P. and Bulah Luse Foundation established the Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center. As a lifelong animal lover, Stevenson valued the peace of mind the center could provide to pet owners like herself. After passing away in 2000, Stevenson’s four cats, seven dogs, pony and llama resided at the center to be loved by staff just as she had loved them.

This unique center gives pet owners the assurance that their companions will be cared for prior to entering a retirement home, being hospitalized or predeceasing a pet. By providing for the physical, emotional and medical needs of animals, the center has become home for 26 pets, including the retired Reveille IX. With only a handful of similar pet retirement homes in existence, the center is a rarity that honors the strong bond between pets and their owners.

Ready to plan for innovation? Start your planned giving journey by contacting Angela Throne ’03 at the bottom of this page.