This Couple’s Pets Will Always Have a Home, Thanks to Careful Estate Planning

At home in San Antonio, Laura ’97 and Bill Mason ’94 balance busy legal careers with the quieter rhythms of daily life, including long walks with their dogs and the occasional weekend spent traveling to an Aggie football game. The couple holds Texas A&M University close to their hearts because it’s where they first met one fall evening out with friends. Laura was a business honors major who had her sights set on law. Bill studied mechanical engineering and found his way to the profession through a summer internship. The scholarships they received made a real difference for both — Laura’s eased the financial load on her family, while Bill’s covered the full cost of his education.

Today, Laura is a corporate attorney, and Bill practices patent law. In their spare time, they enjoy discovering new corners of the world, having recently celebrated their 24th wedding anniversary in Italy. But lately, their focus has turned closer to home: how to ensure the things they care about most, especially their pets and education, are supported long after they’re gone.

To this end, the Masons have planned a bequest in their will. Their gift includes an endowment for the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Stevenson Companion Animal Life-Care Center to cover the cost of care for any pets they have at the time of their passing. It also provides for two endowed scholarships, one for students studying mechanical engineering and one for students studying accounting. We sat down with them to learn how a deep love for their dogs and a shared sense of gratitude turned into a plan to leave a legacy.

So, you’d already written your wills. What made you revisit them?

Laura: My firm often handles estate planning for business owners we work with. When I came across someone who included a bequest to the Stevenson Center in their will to care for their pets, it struck me as a unique opportunity.

Bill: Enough time had passed that it made sense to revisit our estate plans, and learning that we could include the Stevenson Center gave us direction. A lot of people reach a certain age and think, “Maybe I shouldn’t get another pet because I don’t want to leave it behind.” But we love our dogs and didn’t want that mentality. If there’s a place for our pets to go, we wanted to explore it. 
 

How did being on-site and speaking with the center’s team shape your thinking?

Laura: One of the Texas A&M Foundation’s development officers, Scott Jarvis ’00, helped arrange our first tour of the Stevenson Center. We had a great talk with its director, Dr. Sam Miller ’81 ’88 ’91, about the care the animals receive and the financial process.  

Bill: Seeing the facilities in person really solidified our decision to give. We could picture our pets in that home-like environment, cared for by veterinary students who would love them as much as we do. It felt like the right place.

How did the Foundation’s team help you navigate the rest of your gift? 

Bill: Our first meeting at the center included a development officer from the College of Engineering, which was the start of a meaningful relationship. In between emails and lunches in San Antonio, he introduced us to other giving avenues like endowing scholarships for students pursuing a specific degree.
 

Laura: When we were ready to explore this opportunity, he then connected us to the Foundation development officers who represent Mays Business School and the charitable gift planning team. We toured campus with the Foundation’s student ambassadors, the Maroon Coats, which was a unique way to reconnect with the undergraduate experience.

There was no pressure to commit to anything, and we felt like the Foundation team was ready to meet us where we were to help us move forward in our goals. It was rewarding to see how personal giving could be without being complicated. Even after our estate gift was finalized, our development officers have kept the relationship alive with updates and invitations.
 

What makes scholarships a meaningful part of your legacy?

Bill: It has been transformative to go from being on the outside and not knowing what Texas A&M was truly like to then experiencing its benefits from the inside. The university has become a central part of our lives. Since I only had the opportunity to attend because of someone else’s generosity, I want to pay that forward. 
 

How does it feel knowing your dogs and future Aggies will be cared for after your lifetimes? 

Bill: It’s a doubly gratifying feeling. On the one hand, our pets will be in a loving, comfortable environment. On the other, we’re lifting a burden from future engineers and accountants who might otherwise take on debt to pursue their degrees. 

Laura: There’s relief in knowing we’ve made a plan that reflects what matters most to us. I’ve seen how good estate planning can lead to great outcomes and how difficult things can become when planning is missing. It’s meaningful to use our assets to leave a legacy that will do some good.