Texas A&M Engineering News

Fletcher family establishes teaching and philanthropic legacy

Chelsea O'Neal — Mon, 22 May 2017 00:00:00 CST

Since he was a boy, Leroy S. “Skip” Fletcher ’58 remembers looking up to his father, Robert H. “Bob” Fletcher. A hardworking family man, Bob shared his passion for mechanical engineering with his son and thousands of Aggie students over the years.

He couldn’t know it as a youngster, but Fletcher would become a household name in the mechanical engineering department at Texas A&M University as both Skip and his father amassed a combined 70 years of teaching experience.

In 1988, Skip and other former students endowed a fellowship to honor his father and the academic foundation he set for the mechanical engineering department. Twenty-eight years later, their legacy is evolving again through a recent gift by Skip and his wife Nancy to grow the fellowship into the Robert H. Fletcher Professorship in Mechanical Engineering.

The professorship will be awarded for the first time this fall, and funds will support the teaching and research activities of its faculty holder. The gift is intended to help the department attract high-quality faculty, improve retention, and enhance creativity and productivity.

Following Footsteps

After graduating from Pennsylvania State University in 1928 with a degree in mechanical engineering, Bob Fletcher held several jobs that led him to the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, where he was hired as an instructor in the mechanical engineering department in 1946.

“My father was a very devoted teacher,” said Skip, who now owns an avocado farm in Southern California. “He established personal relationships with almost all of his students—he truly went above and beyond.”

His devotion led to his promotion in 1949 to assistant professor and in 1958 to associate professor, and ultimately, professor emeritus. His background as an engine foreman and mechanic made him the perfect candidate to teach the automotive engineering class and serve as the faculty advisor to the Society of Automotive Engineers.

“I would walk out to our garage on weekends, and my dad would be fixing up an old car with students,” Skip said. “It was more than just teaching for him; it was his life.”

Education was a high priority for the Fletcher family, who resided in the Bryan-College Station area. Bob and his wife Jennie relocated Skip and his sister Martha to another high school simply because it provided a wider array of classes for students.

“One of my father’s main motivations for taking the job at Texas A&M was because he wanted to ensure that my sister and I could pursue a college education,” he said.

Skip followed his father’s path and was admitted to the then Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas in 1954. Though he and Bob were on campus at the same time, he never had his dad as a teacher. “One semester I really wanted to take his automotive engineering class for an easy ‘A’,” he said. “So I asked my dad if it was ok, but of course he said no.”

Bob continued teaching at Texas A&M in either a full-time or part-time capacity until 1980, when he retired after 34 years of service to the mechanical engineering department.

Lessons of a Lifetime

Upon graduating from Texas A&M with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1958, Skip served as a 2nd Lieutenant at the NASA Ames at Moffett Naval Air Station in California before taking leave to obtain a Master of Science and Engineering degree at Stanford University.

While there, Skip met his wife Nancy, and the two were married in 1966. He later received a Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 1968 and began his career teaching aerospace engineering at Rutgers University. Eventually, after a brief stay at the University of Virginia, the family—which now included daughter Laura and son Daniel—made their way back to Texas A&M, where Skip was hired as associate dean of engineering in 1980.

In 1998, he found himself in a very familiar place. “I became a professor, just like my father many years ago,” Skip said. “My teaching style was a little different from my dad’s in that I was a little tougher, but we both focused on real-world applications of the material, which is extremely valuable for students.”

Skip spent 36 years with the mechanical engineering department, teaching classes such as heat transfer, and serving as a faculty advisor for several engineering organizations. “There is a good chance that most mechanical engineering graduates in the last 50 years were either taught by me or my dad,” he joked.

With the help of university matching funds, Skip and others honored his father’s legacy by establishing the fellowship in mechanical engineering in 1988, with the hopes that one day he could add funds to turn it into a professorship. “I was putting two children through college at the time, so it just wasn’t possible (at the time),” he said. “But it was always on my mind.”

As a former teacher, Skip knew that investing in faculty attracts not only other superb professors, but also superb students. Because state funds cover only basic faculty requirements, private support is crucial. In 2016, he made his dream a reality by adding funds to his endowment to establish Robert H. Fletcher Professorship in Mechanical Engineering.

“Professorships help recruit and retain the best talent,” Skip said. “They inspire and encourage professors to make outstanding contributions to their department, just like my father did.”

To support the Department of Mechanical Engineering, contact:

Jonathan Pozzi ’07
Assistant Director of Development
Texas A&M Foundation
(800) 392-3310 or (979) 862-1876
jpozzi@txamfoundation.com

Baldas contribute to excellence and establish scholarship in Department of Civil Engineering

Thu, 13 Oct 2016 00:00:00 CST

Cynthia ’82 and Fred ’82 Balda have contributed $25,000 to the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering Endowed Excellence Fund and also have established the Cynthia ’82 and Fred ’82 Endowed Scholarship.

Distributions from the existing endowed excellence fund will be used to advance the civil engineering department at Texas A&M University. Distributions from the scholarship will be used to provide one or more scholarships to full-time students pursuing an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University.

The Baldas have given to Texas A&M for the past nine years with contributions to the 12^th Man Foundation, The Association of Former Students, and the civil engineering department.

Fred received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering while Cynthia received a bachelor’s degree in business administration. They currently reside in Dallas where Fred is the president of Hillwood Residential. They have three children, Brad, Blake, and Brett.

Foster contributes to developmental professorship in petroleum engineering

Thu, 13 Oct 2016 00:00:00 CST

With a long history of contributing to Texas A&M University, Joe B. Foster’s most recent contribution is to the Newfield DVG Developmental Professorship in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering. The professorship supports the teaching, research, service and professional development activities of petroleum engineering faculty.

Foster earned two bachelor’s degrees from Texas A&M, the first, in 1956 in general business and the second in petroleum engineering the following year. He has been awarded and honored multiple times during his affiliation with Texas A&M including the Corps Hall of Honor, College Business Award, Association of Former Students Distinguished Alumni, Engineering Outstanding Alumni, and several business recognition awards in Texas.

Foster is the owner of Sugarberry Partners Ltd. He and his wife Harriet currently reside in Houston and have seven children.

Faculty enrichment fund receives another gift from former students

Thu, 13 Oct 2016 00:00:00 CST

Angie B. ’84 and William R. “Billy” ’83 Lemmons, Jr. have contributed to the William “Doug” Von Gonten ’56 Excellence Fund for Faculty Enrichment. This fund benefits professors in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University.

The Lemmonses have supported Texas A&M for many years with contributions to the Bush Foundation, the 12^th Man Foundation, Mays Business School, and the petroleum engineering department. Billy is a managing partner in EnCap Flatrock Midstream based in San Antonio.

The couple currently resides in Boerne, Texas and has three children, Hayley Lemmons ’15, Kelsey Lemmons, and Avery Lemmons.

Faculty endowments of $1 million given to mechanical engineering by former student

Thu, 13 Oct 2016 00:00:00 CST

Sallie and Don Davis ’61 have contributed $1 million to support the teaching, research, service and professional development activities of faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University.

Their gift created three faculty endowments: the Sallie and Don Davis ’61 Career Development Professorship in Mechanical Engineering, the Sallie and Don Davis ’61 Faculty Fellowship in Mechanical Engineering I, and the Sallie and Don Davis ’61 Faculty Fellowship in Mechanical Engineering II.

The Davises have contributed to Texas A&M for more than 30 years with gifts to the 12^th Man Foundation, the Association of Former Students (AFS), Mays Business School, Class Gift Funds, and the mechanical engineering department. Don received the Engineering Outstanding Alumni award in 1990 and the AFS Distinguished Alumnus award in 2010.

Faculty fellowship in mechanical engineering established by former student

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 00:00:00 CST

Jana and Quentin A. Baker ’78 have established the Jana and Quentin A. Baker ’78 Faculty Fellowship in Mechanical Engineering. Distributions from this endowment will be used to support the teaching, research, service and professional development activities of mechanical engineering professors at Texas A&M University.

The Bakers have been generous supporters of Texas A&M for more than 20 years with contributions to the Association of Former Students, Mays Business School, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Quentin Baker was awarded the Aggie 100 Entrepreneur Award – Civic Honors in 2009 and 2010. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

Quentin is the president of Baker Engineering & Risk Consultant, Inc. He and his wife, Jana, currently reside in San Antonio.

Former students establish engineering technology scholarship

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 00:00:00 CST

Rebecca L. ’03 and Robert J. “Bobby” Jee Jr. ’02 have established the Rebecca L. ’03 and Robert J. “Bobby” Jee Jr. ’02 Scholarship in Engineering Technology. Distributions from this endowment will be used to provide one or more scholarships to full-time students pursuing an undergraduate degree in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University.

The Jees have given to Texas A&M over the past several years with contributions to the engineering technology and industrial distribution department and the 12^th Man Foundation. Bobby graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology and his wife Rebecca graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering industrial distribution.

Both Rebecca and Bobby work at Shell Oil Products U.S. and currently reside in Houston.

Petro-King pledges gift to Department of Petroleum Engineering faculty

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 00:00:00 CST

Petro-King International Co., Ltd. has contributed $100,000 to the PETE Faculty Gifts – Valko Fund. Expenditures from this fund will be used to support doctoral research in the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University.

Petro-King is a leading independent China-based provider of high-end oilfield services specializing in well drilling and completion.

Former civil engineering student establishes scholarship fund

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 00:00:00 CST

Scott C. Saenger ’83 has been an active supporter of Texas A&M University for more than 20 years, including contributions to the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering and the Association of Former Students. His most recent gift has established the Saenger Family Endowed Scholarship to benefit students pursuing an undergraduate degree in civil engineering at Texas A&M University.

Saenger is an honorary licensed professional engineer and works as a project engineer at Jones & Carter Inc. Saenger and his wife Andrea currently live in Houston. They have two children, Kayla and Christina.

Family creates scholarship for industrial distribution undergraduate students

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 00:00:00 CST

Cynthia D.C. and David J. Whiteside ’80 and Nicholas C. Whiteside ’13 have established The Whiteside Family Scholarship in Industrial Distribution. This endowment will be used to provide one or more scholarships to full-time students pursuing an undergraduate degree in industrial distribution in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University.

Chevron and Williams Companies have agreed to match funds through their respective companies' matching funds programs. The Whiteside family are generous supporters of Texas A&M with contributions to the Dwight Look College of Engineering, the Association of Former Students, and to class gift funds.

David and his son Nicholas both earned bachelor’s degrees from Texas A&M in industrial distribution.