One of Texas A&M University's foundational values is giving back to the community and that’s what Lisa and Stephen Lucy ‘82 have done through their philanthropic work. The saying that charity starts at home holds true to this family and it is by this mantra that the Lisa and Stephen H. Lucy ‘82 Endowed Fellowship was established.
The Lisa and Stephen H. Lucy ‘82 Endowed Fellowship is a two-fold donation that helped to fund the Zachry Engineering Education Complex and will serve as an endowed fellowship to at least one undergraduate, full-time student with a minimum 3.0 grade point average requirement. The gift is aimed toward first-generation and historically underrepresented students to attend Texas A&M. This is the fifth scholarship the Lucys have established in partnership with the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M.
“The scholarship is to help those groups that haven’t had the same opportunities as we did growing up in a family that was already college educated,” said Stephen. “We understand the benefits that a college education can provide and Lisa and wanted to create those same opportunities for others.”
Stephen, originally from Longview, Texas, has worked extensively as a structural engineer locally and abroad. He is now the chief executive officer of a structural and civil engineering firm, JQ Engineering, and has been with the firm for 24 years. Lisa, originally from Kansas, graduated with her occupational therapy degree from Texas Woman's University in Denton, Texas, and works in children’s pediatric and fitness care.
Stephen said that his decision to be a civil engineer was not a difficult one to make as his father Dan Lucy ‘48 was a first-generation Aggie civil engineer, along with his uncle, who graduated in 1946, and his brother, who graduated in 1981.
“My dad was always involved in Texas A&M after he graduated,” said Stephen. “Because my dad was a civil engineer and I was around it all my life, I knew from the second or third grade that I was also going to be an Aggie civil engineer.”
Stephen said that a key motivator in establishing these endowments was when he was named a recipient of a President’s Endowed Scholarship while in school. His donor Robert Guyler ‘29 was the first third-generation Aggie to enroll at Texas A&M. While he only attended for a year, Guyler remained close to the university.
“(Guyler) was like a surrogate grandfather to me when I was going to Texas A&M; even years
For the Lucys, this endowed fellowship was the next step in commemorating a personal and long-lasting connection with the university. Supporting Texas A&M in one way or another has been a long-held family tradition that will serve many future students by providing them with newfound opportunities.