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The College of Liberal and Fine Arts

John Santikos

Fifty incoming freshmen in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts received $1,000 scholarships this year, thanks to the generosity of John Santikos and the John L. Santikos Charitable Foundation. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Santikos Theatres, John chose to fund $100,000 in scholarships to students at UTSA and St. Mary’s University, his alma mater.

As an active arts supporter and community leader, John is proud of the positive impact his family’s theatres have had in San Antonio. Thousands of young people have worked their first jobs in Santikos Theatres, many pursuing their education at colleges in the community like UTSA. Because of this generous gift, fifty COLFA freshmen will receive support as they continue their education and pursue their dreams at UTSA.

From humble beginnings in 1911, the Santikos Theatres have continued to bring the latest innovations in cinema technology to San Antonio. Santikos remains the only locally-owned and operated theatre circuit in South Texas. Local Santikos Theatres include the Palladium IMAX, Silverado 16, Mayan, Northwest, Embassy, Bijou Cinema Bistro and the Rialto. The company also has a 19-screen IMAX theater in Houston.

Jim and Cathy Bodentstedt

Jim (BBA ’96) and Cathy Bodenstedt (BA ’11) are no strangers to UTSA. Both are alums and proud supporters of the university. This year the Bodenstedts became the first private donors to donate one million dollars to the UTSA football program, although football was not the only program at UTSA to benefit from the Bodenstedt’s generosity. The Department of Art and Art History received a $50,000 gift from the Bodenstedts that qualified for a matching opportunity provided by another couple who are also proud UTSA supporters, Carlos and Malu Alvarez.

The total gift of $100,000 is providing travel, research, and scholarship opportunities for graduate Art and Art History students. “Cathy’s gift is the most significant support gift our department has received in the past ten years. This gift is helping to establish our graduate programs and gain national exposure,” says Greg Elliott, Chair of the Department of Art and Art History.

The Bodenstedt’s own and operate MUY Brands LLC a 117-unit franchise restaurant company with locations in Texas and New Mexico. They met in high school in the 1980s while working at a local restaurant. Years later in 2003, they started MUY Brands and acquired 18 Taco Bell and KFC restaurants in West Texas and Corpus Christi. Today, MUY Brands also includes Pizza Hut, Wing Street, Long John Silver’s and A&W restaurants.

In Memoriam

This past May, we said a sad goodbye to longtime UTSA supporter and community leader, Louis H. Stumberg. His philanthropic legacy alongside wife, Mary Pat, can be found across the UTSA campus, but nowhere more prominently than in the Department of Music. In addition to their annual giving to the COLFA Dean’s Circle, Mary Pat and Louis made multiple endowment gifts to Music in support of piano and strings students as well as innovative endeavors such as interdisciplinary studies in music and the sciences. Their giving has had a tremendous impact on dozens of students and will continue to do so for years to come.

As co-founder of the San Antonio company Patio Frozen Foods, Louis is credited with taking frozen Tex-Mex foods nationwide. His civic involvement was extensive, including involvement and leadership in the United Way, Downtown Rotary Club, Boy Scouts Alamo Area Council, Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission. Louis also served as a Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army.

We remember Louis fondly, as so many in our community will, with a smile on his face and an endless desire to leave the world a little better than he found it. Indeed he has.

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