75 donors honored with membership in Legacy Society

Seventy-five Rice University donors have been named members of the Legacy Society – an honor recognizing cumulative gifts of at least $4.6 million, which was the value of the estate William Marsh Rice dedicated in his bequest to establish the Rice Institute.

The names of the Legacy Society members are inscribed in the monument that encircles the bronze owl in the Milus E. Hindman Garden. Photo by Dante Zakhidov

From Rice’s gift to establish an institution of higher education in Houston emerged the vision for an international research university that placed “no upper limit” on its educational endeavors. During the university’s first century, gifts that matched or exceeded $4.6 million have helped advance that vision.

The inauguration of the Legacy Society took place Sept. 19 during a reception at Brochstein Pavilion.

“So many of the folks in this room have literally carried on the legacy of William Marsh Rice,” President David Leebron told the honorees.

He said that if Rice and Edgar Odell Lovett, the university’s first president, could come back and visit the campus, sit in the classroom and interact with students, they would be amazed at what their university had become.

“But I think one of the things they would be most amazed at is that what they had done had inspired so many others to make a contribution in that same amount that William Marsh Rice had,” Leebron said.

The names of the Legacy Society members, along with the name of Rice’s founder, are inscribed on the Legacy Plinth, an elegant limestone monument encircling the bronze owl sculpture by artist Geoffrey Dashwood in the Milus E. Hindman Garden.

Legacy Society members (along with William Marsh Rice)

Josephine Abercrombie

*Helen D. & *Herbert Allen

Keith T. Anderson

Laura and John Arnold Foundation

*Lynette S. & *Herbert S. Autrey

Milton & Laurie Boniuk

Suzanne Deal Booth & David G. Booth

BP America

Raymond & Susan Brochstein

A. Eugene Brockman Charitable Trust

The Brown Foundation Inc.

*W. Edwin Bryan Jr. & H. Russell Pitman

*Lorain S. & E. Dell Butcher

The Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation

Nancy & Clint Carlson

Nancy & Bob Carney

Ting Tsung & Wei Fong Chao and Family

Chevron

ConocoPhillips

*John L. & Maurine Cox

*Dominique S. & *John M. de Menil

Ann & John Doerr

Anne & Charles W. Duncan Jr.

Elizabeth & Bruce Dunlevie

John S. Dunn Foundation

ExxonMobil

Barbara & David Gibbs

Susanne M. & Melbern G. Glasscock

*Annette & *Hugh E. Gragg

J.H. Harvey Trust

Kevin & Catherine Harvey

*Marjory M. & *Karl F. Hasselmann

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Hewlett-Packard Company

*Milus E. Hindman & *Mason Matthews Jr.

Hobby Family Foundation

*Naomi G. & *Edward L. Holloway

Houston Endowment

IBM

Carl E. Isgren

Betty & *Henry A. Jackson

*Lee & Joe Jamail

W.M. Keck Foundation

*Hermena H. & *Edward A. Kelly

Nancy & Rich Kinder

Robert A. Klein

Audrey Moody Ley & *Wendel Duer Ley

Karen & Walter Loewenstern Jr.

Marian & Speros P. Martel Foundation

Katherine & Robert Maxfield

Janice & Robert C. McNair

Deedee & Burt McMurtry

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

The Moody Foundation

Nancy & Lucian Morrison

*Gregory K. Norris

Ralph S. O’Connor

Barbara D. & *M. Kenneth Oshman

Isla & T.R. Reckling III

*William Marsh Rice

Sid W. Richardson Foundation

*Carl A. Robertus Jr.

*Max F. Roy

Fayez Shalaby Sarofim

Schlumberger

Shell Oil Company

Bill & Stephanie Sick

The Virginia & L.E. Simmons Family Foundation

*Harriet M. Stewart

Texas Instruments Inc.

Phoebe & Bobby Tudor

James S. Turley

The Welch Foundation

The Whitaker Foundation

The Families of Harry C. Wiess & James A. Elkins Jr.

Stephen A. Zeff

* deceased