Left to right: Dr. Harry Coyle with son Mike Coyle |
Image: Contributed by Beth Coyle
Beth Gibson Coyle '82 has established the Harry M. Coyle, Sr. & Harry M. "Michael" Coyle, Jr. '82 Endowed Scholarship. Distributions from this generous endowment will be used to provide one or more scholarships to full-time students in good standing pursuing an undergraduate degree in civil engineering at Texas A&M University.
Coyle grew up in Bryan and started attending Texas A&M sports events when she was very young. She says she was firmly set on attending Texas A&M upon graduating from Bryan High School. “I majored in journalism, focused on photography and was able to work with The Battalion not only as a photographer, but as a writer and editor during my years at A&M,” she said. “I also worked at the Media Production Center in the photography lab.”
“I love Texas A&M, having grown up here in the atmosphere of a college town and having my degree from A&M,” Coyle said. “The education provided at A&M is second to none, not only with academics but with character and integrity. The six core values of this university sets it apart.”
Since graduating, Coyle has had great success throughout her professional life. “I have taught journalism and photography at the high school level, acted as CEO and handled marketing for mine and my late husband's civil engineering firm for 20 years, and I am now working as a commercial photographer, working with companies to assist with marketing and portfolio images.”
Coyle established this endowment in memory of both her late husband Mike, and his father, Dr. Harry M. Coyle. Both men were award-winning engineers, in practice or in teaching and research. Mike passed away at age 52 in 2013 in an accident, and Harry passed away a few years later at 90. “The world lost two amazing men and talented engineers,” she said. “Each sought to mentor young engineers to love the profession and to use it for the betterment of this world like they did.”
Mike and Beth founded their civil engineering firm, Coyle Engineering, in 1995. Mike was one of only nine engineers in the state of Texas to have been selected Young Engineer of the Year and Engineer of the Year after spending four months in the field helping underfunded counties rebuild following Hurricane Ike.
Harry Coyle was head of the geotechnical group at Texas A&M and taught upper-level courses in soil mechanics. He performed valuable research for the University. Dr. Coyle was a West Point graduate and served in Korea with the Corps of Engineers. He received his master’s from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin.
“Both men loved what the Lord made them to do, and I picture them continuing to engineer in Heaven. I miss them both terribly.”
Coyle hopes that this gift will grow and that Mike's siblings will also have the chance to add to the endowment to honor the memory of their dad and brother. “It is my hope that this gift will not only help a young engineering student to continue in his or her studies with a degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M, but also will encourage him or her to know more about the two men the scholarship honors and seek to be like them in life and in the civil engineering profession,” she said. “An engineering degree from Texas A&M is quite meaningful in the design industry,” Coyle said.
Coyle grew up in Bryan and started attending Texas A&M sports events when she was very young. She says she was firmly set on attending Texas A&M upon graduating from Bryan High School. “I majored in journalism, focused on photography and was able to work with The Battalion not only as a photographer, but as a writer and editor during my years at A&M,” she said. “I also worked at the Media Production Center in the photography lab.”
“I love Texas A&M, having grown up here in the atmosphere of a college town and having my degree from A&M,” Coyle said. “The education provided at A&M is second to none, not only with academics but with character and integrity. The six core values of this university sets it apart.”
Since graduating, Coyle has had great success throughout her professional life. “I have taught journalism and photography at the high school level, acted as CEO and handled marketing for mine and my late husband's civil engineering firm for 20 years, and I am now working as a commercial photographer, working with companies to assist with marketing and portfolio images.”
Coyle established this endowment in memory of both her late husband Mike, and his father, Dr. Harry M. Coyle. Both men were award-winning engineers, in practice or in teaching and research. Mike passed away at age 52 in 2013 in an accident, and Harry passed away a few years later at 90. “The world lost two amazing men and talented engineers,” she said. “Each sought to mentor young engineers to love the profession and to use it for the betterment of this world like they did.”
Mike and Beth founded their civil engineering firm, Coyle Engineering, in 1995. Mike was one of only nine engineers in the state of Texas to have been selected Young Engineer of the Year and Engineer of the Year after spending four months in the field helping underfunded counties rebuild following Hurricane Ike.
Harry Coyle was head of the geotechnical group at Texas A&M and taught upper-level courses in soil mechanics. He performed valuable research for the University. Dr. Coyle was a West Point graduate and served in Korea with the Corps of Engineers. He received his master’s from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin.
“Both men loved what the Lord made them to do, and I picture them continuing to engineer in Heaven. I miss them both terribly.”
Coyle hopes that this gift will grow and that Mike's siblings will also have the chance to add to the endowment to honor the memory of their dad and brother. “It is my hope that this gift will not only help a young engineering student to continue in his or her studies with a degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M, but also will encourage him or her to know more about the two men the scholarship honors and seek to be like them in life and in the civil engineering profession,” she said. “An engineering degree from Texas A&M is quite meaningful in the design industry,” Coyle said.
Giving with a purpose
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. Endowments supporting the students in the college have an immeasurable impact on their education. If you are interested in supporting the College of Engineering and its departments or would like more information on how you can give, please contact True Brown, director of development.