Former mechanical engineering student, Joe Fowler and his wife Linda Fowler. |
Image: Courtesy of Joe Fowler
Linda and Joe Fowler have established the Linda and Joe R. Fowler '68 Engineering Scholarship. Distributions from this endowment will be used to provide one or more scholarships to full-time students in good standing pursuing an undergraduate degree in the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University.
When deciding where to attend college, Joe knew of Texas A&M’s stellar reputation and, because he was good in math and science, knew he wanted to study engineering. “My two older brothers had gone to A&M to study engineering and my dad felt that A&M was the best fit for me,” he said.
Joe and Linda were married as undergraduate students after Joe’s freshman year and called Aggieland home for several years. “A&M was a great place to finish growing up together and develop a life. It is a welcoming place where all the faculty and staff showed they wanted you to succeed,” Joe said.
After graduating with his degree in mechanical engineering in 1968, Joe stayed at Texas A&M for graduate school. “While getting my master’s, I was introduced to the engineering consulting business by working for some professors and realized I really liked the work,” he said. “That convinced me to stay for a Ph.D.”
A few years after leaving Texas A&M, Joe started in the consulting business by co-founding Stress Engineering Services, Inc. Joe said that his time at Texas A&M positively impacted his career in several respects. He also highlighted that Texas A&M was as hard academically then as it is now which resulted in strong graduates with employers wanting to hire Aggies. “The Aggie traditions and Aggie spirit are great building blocks for developing character,” he said.
The Fowlers are longtime contributors to the College of Engineering and have established numerous endowments to support both students and faculty. As of 2021, 16 students have benefitted from the Fowler’s various endowments. “Our inspiration to give back stems from students’ greatest needs, and the fact that Texas A&M has remained true to its core values and is still a place where students of all incomes can succeed,” Joe said. “We wanted to do our part to grow and maintain this great legacy.”
Joe said that supporting education is their priority because of the leverage it provides to improve lives for generations. While he was an undergraduate student, Joe received a scholarship from Mr. L.A. Priester ’17 of Dallas. “Receiving this scholarship made a huge difference in our finances and our confidence that we would succeed,” he said. “We learned how important giving back to the next generation is. Mr. Priester was more than 40 years older than us and never met us but his generosity inspired us to do the same. Our hope and prayer is that it will enable more students to attend Texas A&M and inspire them to give back when they are able just as Mr. Priester did it for us.”
Although the Fowlers have been great financial contributors to Texas A&M, they have also given back through their time and involvement. “Often the university needs more than money. It needs advice, wisdom and sometimes action to help it solve a problem or continue to improve,” Joe said. “I was chair of the advisory council of the College of Engineering from 2003-20 and the council was able to provide help and support to the university.
When speaking to others who are considering establishing a gift, Joe encourages individuals to pick an area they like that’s a need of Texas A&M. “Alumni understand the needs of the university and the Aggie spirit and therefore are in the best position to give back,” he said.
“My advice to current and future Aggies is to stay involved, find your passion while on campus, and look for opportunities to help,” he said. “We have given to Texas A&M as God has blessed us and our goal is to leave it better than we found it.”
When deciding where to attend college, Joe knew of Texas A&M’s stellar reputation and, because he was good in math and science, knew he wanted to study engineering. “My two older brothers had gone to A&M to study engineering and my dad felt that A&M was the best fit for me,” he said.
Joe and Linda were married as undergraduate students after Joe’s freshman year and called Aggieland home for several years. “A&M was a great place to finish growing up together and develop a life. It is a welcoming place where all the faculty and staff showed they wanted you to succeed,” Joe said.
After graduating with his degree in mechanical engineering in 1968, Joe stayed at Texas A&M for graduate school. “While getting my master’s, I was introduced to the engineering consulting business by working for some professors and realized I really liked the work,” he said. “That convinced me to stay for a Ph.D.”
A few years after leaving Texas A&M, Joe started in the consulting business by co-founding Stress Engineering Services, Inc. Joe said that his time at Texas A&M positively impacted his career in several respects. He also highlighted that Texas A&M was as hard academically then as it is now which resulted in strong graduates with employers wanting to hire Aggies. “The Aggie traditions and Aggie spirit are great building blocks for developing character,” he said.
The Fowlers are longtime contributors to the College of Engineering and have established numerous endowments to support both students and faculty. As of 2021, 16 students have benefitted from the Fowler’s various endowments. “Our inspiration to give back stems from students’ greatest needs, and the fact that Texas A&M has remained true to its core values and is still a place where students of all incomes can succeed,” Joe said. “We wanted to do our part to grow and maintain this great legacy.”
Joe said that supporting education is their priority because of the leverage it provides to improve lives for generations. While he was an undergraduate student, Joe received a scholarship from Mr. L.A. Priester ’17 of Dallas. “Receiving this scholarship made a huge difference in our finances and our confidence that we would succeed,” he said. “We learned how important giving back to the next generation is. Mr. Priester was more than 40 years older than us and never met us but his generosity inspired us to do the same. Our hope and prayer is that it will enable more students to attend Texas A&M and inspire them to give back when they are able just as Mr. Priester did it for us.”
Although the Fowlers have been great financial contributors to Texas A&M, they have also given back through their time and involvement. “Often the university needs more than money. It needs advice, wisdom and sometimes action to help it solve a problem or continue to improve,” Joe said. “I was chair of the advisory council of the College of Engineering from 2003-20 and the council was able to provide help and support to the university.
When speaking to others who are considering establishing a gift, Joe encourages individuals to pick an area they like that’s a need of Texas A&M. “Alumni understand the needs of the university and the Aggie spirit and therefore are in the best position to give back,” he said.
“My advice to current and future Aggies is to stay involved, find your passion while on campus, and look for opportunities to help,” he said. “We have given to Texas A&M as God has blessed us and our goal is to leave it better than we found it.”
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. 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 Jay Roberts, assistant vice president of development.