February 1999
Thanks a Million ’98
Woodward? Philllip$? McNair? You can $ay at lea$t one thing about la$t year’$ mo$t generou$ Texan$: Their gift$ were big, but their name$ weren’t.
DESPITE A LATE-SUMMER STOCK MARKET PLUNGE that gave both donors and recipients fits, 1998 was a fine year for giving in Texas.
For one thing, two of our state’s most benevolent souls received richly deserved—and long overdue—recognition. Ruth S. Altshuler of Dallas was named the National Society of Fund Raising Executives’ Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year, and Harold Simmons of Dallas was added to The American Benefactor’s list of the most-generous Americans, joining twelve other Texans in what is a sort of Giving Hall of Fame.
For another, many new givers burst onto the scene. When we last reported on who gives and to whom (“Thanks a Million,” December 1997), the names at the top of our list were familiar: Robert H. and Nancy Dedman, Robert M. and Anne T. Bass, H. R. “Bum” Bright, H. Ross and Margot Perot. In 1998 they’re nowhere to be found (of course, even these megadoners can’t give away millions every year). Instead, the most-generous Texans were Robert R. Woodward, Daniel T. and Merlene Phillips, and Robert C. and Janice McNair. Who? Read on to find out.
Last time around, many of the gifts we chronicled went to Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, which was in the midst of a capital campaign. This time two other universities, Texas Tech, in Lubbock, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, pop up as recipients over and over, though youth-oriented organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, children’s hospitals, and grade schools appear frequently as well.
A few reminders about our criteria for inclusion:
• We listed only gifts of at least $1 million made between January and December 1998. Our last list stopped at November 1, 1997, so contributions made in the last two months of 1997 fell, for our purposes, into a philanthropic black hole. Unfortunately, that means we don’t get to recognize several substantial acts of generosity, like the Hobby family’s $21.4 million gift to Rice University’s Fondren Library, which was announced in December 1997.
• We didn’t count corporate gifts, so we couldn’t salute Texas Instruments, which gave $5.1 million to Texas A&M University.
• We didn’t count gifts in which the amount wasn’t revealed or the amount was revealed but the giver’s identity wasn’t—not even generous anonymous gifts like the $6 million donated to Rice University so a new baseball stadium could be built.
• We only listed givers whose primary residence is in Texas.
• Finally, we listed only living givers. Dead ones, alas, didn’t make the cut—though we’re grateful just the same.
Robert R. Woodward
Kerrville, $26.5 million
$26.5 MILLION TO ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY, in Abilene, to support the work of its College of Biblical Studies. The money came from a trust Mr. Woodward created in honor of his mother, Grace L. Woodward, who died last year. The retired rancher’s eldest daughter is a graduate of ACU; he is also a longtime friend of John Stevens, its former president and chancellor emeritus.
Daniel T. and Merlene Phillips
Dallas, $25 million
A total of $25 million to the BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, for education programs and general use. Mr. Phillips, the chairman and CEO of FirstPlus Financial Group, says his own experience as a child in the Boys Club inspired the gift, which he and his wife made after learning that the organization was the official charity of the Goodwill Games. “I’m a big believer that Boys and Girls Clubs can make a real difference in helping many thousands of kids overcome their negative circumstances at home and in enhancing the education they receive in school,” he says.
Robert C. and Janice McNair
Houston, $22 million
$20 MILLION TO THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA, IN COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA—the second-largest gift to the university in its history—to endow the McNair Scholars Program, a national scholarship program for outstanding students. Mr. McNair, the CEO of CoGen Technologies Energy Group, is a graduate of the university; Mrs. McNair is a South Carolina native. “Janice and I were recipients of scholarships,” he says, “and we appreciate the assistance that was provided to us when we both needed it.”
$2 MILLION to the SOUTH CAROLINA AQUARIUM, its largest gift to date, to sponsor the Great Hall, a sunlight-filled space with a tank of schooling fish.
Harold Nix, Walter Umphrey, John Eddie Williams
Daingerfield, Beaumont, Houston, $20 million
$20 MILLION to BAYLOR UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL, in Waco, to fund an endowment and the construction of a new building. These trial lawyers, all Baylor Law School alumni, were on the legal team hired by Attorney General Dan Morales to help Texas sue U.S. tobacco companies; they shared in the record $17.3 billion settlement.
Edward H. and Janet Harte
Corpus Christi, $17.8 million
$10.8 MILLION to a variety of charities and nonprofit groups in South Texas, including $3.5 million to TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY–CORPUS CHRISTI, $1 million to CORPUS CHRISTI METRO MINISTRIES, and $1 million to the CORPUS CHRISTI MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND HISTORY.
$7 MILLION to charities outside South Texas, including historically black STILLMAN COLLEGE, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; the NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY, in New York City, the AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST, in Washington, D.C., the MAINE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, in Ellsworth, Maine, and the TRUST FOR PUBLIC LANDS, in San Francisco, California.
Not all of the Hartes’ gifts were made public at first, but word got out. “We are shy about publicizing donations,” says Mrs. Harte, who has served on the boards of Planned Parenthood and the Food Bank of Corpus Christi. “But at the same time, we feel very strongly that we should share our good fortune with our community.” Initially the couple planned to make bequests, but they changed their mind late last year. “It’s more fun to watch what your money will do while you’re still alive,” says Mr. Harte, a former publisher of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times and a member of the board of directors of Harte-Hanks Communications. “It’s not much fun at all after death, I would imagine.”
Gordon A. and Mary Cain
Houston, $15 million
$10 MILLION to the Department of Chemical Engineering at LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana—the third-largest private contribution ever pledged to the university. Mr. Cain, an LSU alumnus, is the former chairman of Sterling Chemicals and the co-founder of the Sterling Group, a merchant bank that sponsors and invests in leveraged buyouts in the petrochemical industry.
$5 MILLION to RICE UNIVERSITY, in Houston, to develop writing programs for and improve the communication skills of science and engineering students.
Jack and Camille Garey
Georgetown, $15 million
$15 MILLION to SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, in Georgetown, the largest gift it has ever received, to create an endowment for scholarships. Mr. Garey, the owner of Garey Construction Company, in Austin, and Mrs. Garey, a retired physical therapist, are University of Texas alums, but they chose Southwestern because they live nearby and wanted to make an impact on the school.
Michael and Susan Dell, Tom and Deborah Green, Tom and Lynn Meredith, Kevin and Debbie Rollins, Mort and Angela Topfer
Austin, $13 million
$13 MILLION to the AUSTIN MUSEUM OF ART from five top executives of Dell Computer Corporation and their spouses. Mr. Dell is the company’s founder and CEO. (He and his wife also gave $1 million to the CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF AUSTIN to upgrade its imaging center.) Mr. Green and Mr. Meredith are its senior vice presidents. Mr. Rollins and Mr. Topfer are its vice chairmen. (Mr. Topfer and his wife also gave $1 million to the seton healthcare network in Austin for the construction of the Seton Topfer Community Health Center, which will provide medical care to low-income workers without health insurance.) “Clearly, we’ve all benefited greatly from Dell’s success,” says Mr. Green, “and that carries a responsibility for us to be involved in the community.”
Joe and Lee Jamail
Houston, $12 million
$10 MILLION to the TEXAS HEART INSTITUTE, in Houston, in tribute to Dr. Denton A. Cooley, who performed bypass surgery on Mr. Jamail last year. “It’s a great honor for me and Lee to be in a position to help somebody who helps people,” says Mr. Jamail, who is a trial attorney.
