New Gifts: Recent Gifts to Texas A&M

Endowment Fuels Training Cruises

Capt. Augusta Roth ’96, department head of maritime transportation at Texas A&M Galveston, recently endowed a $25,000 fund to help offset training vessel fuel costs for cadets who spend time training at sea.

Roth, a 1996 graduate of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, knows firsthand that maritime cadets are required to spend many months at sea to enrich their learning with hands-on experience in seamanship, engineering and navigation. The fuel costs factored into each student’s sea time expenses are costly. By offsetting these expenses, Roth is easing the financial burden for all cadets aboard the training ship during their required time at sea.

“Maritime academy students will become leaders in the global workforce, and they all deserve to see the world,” Roth said. “These training cruises build marketable professional and social skills that are unparalleled. Everyone that has participated will tell you that they are unique, life-changing experiences.”

As one of only six such institutions in the nation, the Texas A&M Maritime Academy trains officers in both marine transportation and marine engineering to serve on oceangoing and inland waterway vessels. “I hope my fuel endowment will grow over the years to keep cruise costs low,” Roth said. “I want to show maritime academy students that Texas A&M and its former students care about their quality of education.” To contribute to the Sea-Term Fuel Endowment, visit give.am/TAMUSeaTermFuelEnd.

Honoring A Hometown Hero

Holmes Gwin ’93 recently established a General Rudder Corps Scholarship in honor of his mentor, Jimmie P. Cokinos ’40. Mr. Jimmie, as he was known to many, was a close family friend throughout Gwin’s childhood and remained an influential figure in Gwin’s life—even inspiring him to become a Fightin’ Texas Aggie.

As Gwin entered adulthood, he began to piece together the story of Cokinos’ life. Cokinos’ parents were Greek immigrants and Jimmie Cokinos, along with his three brothers, were first-generation college students. They all served in World War II and returned to their hometown of Beaumont along with their sister, Helen, where they became civic leaders and successful businessmen.

“I realized that Mr. Jimmie’s life illustrated the greatest themes of the American experience,” Gwin said. “He served as the mayor of Beaumont and desegregated Lamar University. Mr. Jimmie and people like him built this country through tireless public and private service.”

Gwin, who currently serves as the risk officer for Concord Energy, established his scholarship for cadets studying finance or engineering in hopes that Mr. Jimmie’s legacy of hard work and service will continue. “My goal is that this scholarship will enable students to contribute to their communities and maybe follow my footsteps by honoring their own heroes with an endowed scholarship one day,” added Gwin.

A Best-Selling Education

A recent gift to the Mays Business School Sales Leadership Institute (SLI), recently named one of the top professional sales programs of 2018 in North America by the Sales Education Foundation, will enhance the education of students pursuing careers in sales. After retiring from his career as a commercial oil and gas insurance producer, and ultimately agency partner, Jerry Crider ’65 realized he wanted to give back to the university in a manner that would immediately benefit students upon graduation.

“When I became a salesman 48 years ago, I received specific field training by my new insurance company employer,” said Crider, “but many companies no longer offer training. I wanted to support the SLI because students will benefit from sales training throughout their lives, regardless of whether they become a sales professional, a school board member or a politician.”

Statistics show that one quarter of CEOs have a sales or marketing background, so it’s no surprise that more students are pursuing a strong, versatile foundation in sales. As part of the SLI program, participate in high-impact learning experiences outside the classroom and develop a better understanding of the sales field through role-play exercises and state-of-the-art technology. By partnering with industry experts, the SLI creates well-rounded, ethical and talented professionals in a competitive field.

Doctor Honors Late Wife’s Legacy

As a tribute to his late wife, Dr. James Carrie established the Luise Elise Carrie Memorial Scholarship to support women in the College of Science. “Luise recognized that women have been chronically underrepresented in the sciences,” James said. “Her preference would have been that this scholarship be awarded to female students who demonstrate a high level of performance and perseverance in pursuing their goals.”

Having spent years battling cold, hunger and filthy living conditions as a war refugee, Luise understood what it meant to persevere. In 1945, at 10 years old, she found herself fleeing across Germany with her family in a horse-drawn covered wagon to escape the invading Russian Army. They found safety upon reaching an area occupied by the U.S. Army, but still faced many difficulties as they tried to stabilize their lives and plan for a brighter future.

After finishing high school, Luise moved to the United Kingdom and worked for a German family until she was awarded a scholarship at a nursing school near London. As a senior, she assisted in the emergency treatment of a patient with acute cardiac symptoms, during which she met James. Luise later received her registered nurse qualification, and after spending a decade in London, the couple moved to the United States with their three sons, two of whom graduated from Texas A&M.

James hopes that Luise’s story inspires recipients of this scholarship to more fully appreciate the value of education and persistence. “I hope they know that graduation is not the end of the learning process,” he said. “One should strive to use the special skills and knowledge acquired at university to make the world a better place, whether or not there is an immediate reward.”