Left to right: Frank Raymond, Jean Raymond and Craig Brown |
Image: Contributed by Frank Raymond
The Frank and Jean Raymond Foundation Inc. have established the Frank and Jean Raymond Foundation Inc. Endowed Professorship. The endowed professorship will support the teaching, research, service and professional development activities of the Director of the Craig and Galen Brown Engineering Honors program in the College of Engineering. This fund will support a professor of practice, professor of instruction, or a tenured track faculty member.
The Raymonds, while not former students, have been longtime supporters of the university in multiple facets. Frank attributes their involvement with the university to his business partner of 42 years and friend, Craig Brown.
“Craig who received his undergraduate degree from the college of engineering and master’s degree from may’s business school, supports the college of engineering in many ways and he talked to me about opportunities to use my business experience to support Mays,” Raymond said. “The relationship grew from there to where we are today.”
Aside from the encouragement of Brown, Raymond said there is an emotional connection to Texas A&M that encourages them to be apart of the university on a larger scale.
“It started with going early to football games and walking beside the corps as they marched into Kyle Field, Raymond said. “As a former athlete it got me emotionally committed and perked my interest in learning more about A&M.”
As they continued to learn about both the university and Brown’s involvement, Raymond jumped at the opportunity to get involved, starting with the Mays School of Business. The Frank and Jean Raymond Foundation, Inc. currently supports five to seven students in the Mays School of Business each year.
“Every year we come to College Station and interview students for our scholarships,” Raymond said. “It is one of the highlights of the year for us and we enjoy getting to know the students who will one day change the world with the ideas sparked by what they’re learning in the classroom.”
The Raymonds realize that college students are often on the forefront of the next great product, service of solution and worked with Texas A&M University to create The Raymond Ideas Challenge, a campus-wide competition that challenges undergraduate and graduate students to submit their ideas through a 45-second video pitch. If chosen as a finalist, the student will present a three-minute pitch to a panel of eight to 10 judges. The top three pitches will be awarded their share of $10,000 to take their idea to the next level.
“The Ideas Challenge really makes you feel good about the next generation and the positive impact they’ll have on our world,” Raymond said.
After years of supporting the Mays Business School, the Raymonds decided to expand their reach to students in the College of Engineering through the establishment of a professorship within the Craig and Galen Brown Engineering Honors Program.
The Raymond’s commitment to Texas A&M is admirable, gifting five to seven scholarships a year to students at the university to aid in the funding of their education. Additionally, the Raymond family establishes two gifts a year at California State University Fullerton for international students.
Frank attended the machine design school at Rhode Island School of Design, is the emeritus, chairman and co-founder of Houston-based Bray International, Inc. He has been the founder of two other companies, has numerous patents to his credit and over 50 years of experience in the process industry. He also serves as an advisory council member for Mays Business School, a board member of the Fayetteville Chamber Music Festival and is a director of Brown Raymond Brown (BRB) Investments.
The Raymonds, while not former students, have been longtime supporters of the university in multiple facets. Frank attributes their involvement with the university to his business partner of 42 years and friend, Craig Brown.
“Craig who received his undergraduate degree from the college of engineering and master’s degree from may’s business school, supports the college of engineering in many ways and he talked to me about opportunities to use my business experience to support Mays,” Raymond said. “The relationship grew from there to where we are today.”
Aside from the encouragement of Brown, Raymond said there is an emotional connection to Texas A&M that encourages them to be apart of the university on a larger scale.
“It started with going early to football games and walking beside the corps as they marched into Kyle Field, Raymond said. “As a former athlete it got me emotionally committed and perked my interest in learning more about A&M.”
As they continued to learn about both the university and Brown’s involvement, Raymond jumped at the opportunity to get involved, starting with the Mays School of Business. The Frank and Jean Raymond Foundation, Inc. currently supports five to seven students in the Mays School of Business each year.
“Every year we come to College Station and interview students for our scholarships,” Raymond said. “It is one of the highlights of the year for us and we enjoy getting to know the students who will one day change the world with the ideas sparked by what they’re learning in the classroom.”
The Raymonds realize that college students are often on the forefront of the next great product, service of solution and worked with Texas A&M University to create The Raymond Ideas Challenge, a campus-wide competition that challenges undergraduate and graduate students to submit their ideas through a 45-second video pitch. If chosen as a finalist, the student will present a three-minute pitch to a panel of eight to 10 judges. The top three pitches will be awarded their share of $10,000 to take their idea to the next level.
“The Ideas Challenge really makes you feel good about the next generation and the positive impact they’ll have on our world,” Raymond said.
After years of supporting the Mays Business School, the Raymonds decided to expand their reach to students in the College of Engineering through the establishment of a professorship within the Craig and Galen Brown Engineering Honors Program.
The Raymond’s commitment to Texas A&M is admirable, gifting five to seven scholarships a year to students at the university to aid in the funding of their education. Additionally, the Raymond family establishes two gifts a year at California State University Fullerton for international students.
Frank attended the machine design school at Rhode Island School of Design, is the emeritus, chairman and co-founder of Houston-based Bray International, Inc. He has been the founder of two other companies, has numerous patents to his credit and over 50 years of experience in the process industry. He also serves as an advisory council member for Mays Business School, a board member of the Fayetteville Chamber Music Festival and is a director of Brown Raymond Brown (BRB) Investments.
How to Give
The College of Engineering is one of the leading engineering programs in the United States, ranking first in undergraduate enrollment and ninth in graduate enrollment. Faculty endowments encourage and reward faculty members who embody the passion for, and commitment to the education of engineering students. They bring years of rich experiences from the field and add tremendous value to the College of Engineering. If you are interested in supporting faculty or would like more information on how you can give, please contact Jay Roberts, assistant vice president for development.