Mary Ann Rankin Educational Endowment
for McDonald Observatory is Nearly Two-Thirds Funded
Thanks to generous support from 50 members of the Board of Visitors and 11 other donors, the Mary Ann Rankin Educational Endowment for McDonald Observatory has reached $95,190 in pledges, or 63 percent of its $150,000 goal.
The Rankin Educational Endowment was begun in June 2011 by the Board of Visitors leadership, along with McDonald Observatory Director David Lambert and then-Department Chair Neal Evans. Mary Ann was leaving The University of Texas at Austin to become President and CEO of the National Math and Science Initiative, after 16 extraordinarily effective years as Dean of the College of Natural Sciences. The goal of the new endowment was to honor her by funding a biennial workshop at McDonald Observatory for up to 20 participants in the College’s UTeach program, which she had created and brought to national prominence. The $150,000 goal for the endowment, when met, would generate about $15,000 every two years to cover costs for the workshops.
Mary Ann Rankin at the July 2011 ceremony in her honor
The endowment, which had been a secret, was revealed to Mary Ann at a ceremony at the July 2011 Board of Visitors meeting, and she was very moved by the honor.
On behalf of the Board of Visitors Executive Committee, I want to recognize the following BoV members for their contributions to the Rankin Endowment: Lead donors Carol Whitcraft Fredericks and Jeff and Gail Kodosky; Anne Marie Adkins; Roger D. Aksamit; Wayne and Barbara Alexander; Raye Virginia Allen; Joan Ragsdale Baskin; Memo Benavides; Steve Bickerstaff, Jr.; Mark E. Bivins; Stephen Howard Blount; Carla Blumberg; Terry Bray; Michelle K. Brock; Bob Buchanan; Toby Calvert; Bob Casey, Jr.; David F. Chappell; John L. Cotton, Jr.; Bill Dingus; George A. Finley, III; Mike Gibson; Bob and Annie Graham; Jeff Hart; Mark L. Hart, III; Walter Hayne; Mary Heard; Randy and Janis Henry; Chris Job; Hon. Elizabeth Ames Jones; Bill and Susan Kopplin; Humboldt C. Mandell, Jr.; Brad Moody; Lee Pfluger; Donna C. Pierce; Tegwin Pulley; Ford Smith, Jr.; Bob Strauser; Alice Ball Strunk; Sallie and Joe Tarride; Paul Teten; Roy and Dale Truitt; Rom Welborn; Ken Wells; Carolyn Wildenthal; Harry G. Windham; Jim and Nancy Wood; Shirley C. Wozencraft; and Bill Wright, Jr. I also thank Observatory and Department members Joel Barna; John Caldwell; Anita Cochran; Neal J. Evans, II; Paul Harvey; Mary Kay Hemenway; John Kormendy; David L. Lambert; Sandra Preston; Matthew Shetrone; and Chris Sneden; along with BoV nominees Gery and Susan Muncey.
I urge everyone on the Board of Visitors who has not already done so to join in completing this wonderful tribute to Dean Rankin, which, in perpetuity, will serve her vision of helping math and science teachers throughout Texas and which will strengthen McDonald Observatory’s Education and Outreach program.
You can find a downloadable pledge form for the endowment at:
Pledge form: Mary Ann Rankin Educational Endowment for McDonald Observatory
[Randy Henry]
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