Dr. Maria-Luisa Urdaneta
Education has been an important theme throughout the life of Dr. Maria-Luisa Urdaneta. From a very young age, her mother, Doña Agripina de Urdaneta, who had only about six months of formal schooling, stressed the importance of education to her five children. Each of them would go on to become collegeeducated professionals, including Dr. Urdaneta, UTSA Professor Emerita in the Department of Anthropology. In 2002, Dr. Urdaneta established an endowed scholarship in memory of her mother, and she has recently solidified her mother’s legacy at UTSA as well as her own by including the Department of Anthropology in her estate plans. Dr. Urdaneta’s future gift will add to her mother’s scholarship as well as provide faculty and departmental support in perpetuity. Her generosity will encourage countless students to strive for their educational goals and greater opportunities in life, following in the same vein as the matriarchs of the Urdaneta family.
Jack and Laura Richmond
Jack Richmond, loyal supporter of COLFA, has long been a devotee of the works of writer Jack London. So, because of their great friendship with faculty member Jeanne Reesman, Jack and Laura Richmond decided to establish a faculty fellowship in the Department of English “in recognition of Dr. Jeanne Reesman’s outstanding success in bringing Jack London’s literary and personal story to greater prominence and perpetuating awareness of his major literary contribution to America and the world.” Mr. and Mrs. Richmond have a long legacy of philanthropy in San Antonio through their personal giving and through their annual Pizza Hut Challenge, which has supported dozens of local organizations. Their goal in supporting UTSA is not only to provide additional resources for UTSA’s worldclass faculty, but also to bring awareness to the Campaign for UTSA and the great need for student support. The university indeed has lifelong friends in the Richmonds.
Our profound gratitude goes to Dr. Urdaneta and Mr. and Mrs. Richmond. We are immensely grateful for their leadership, advocacy and continued support.
In Memoriam
UTSA supporter and treasured friend,
Stewart R. Reuter, M.D., J.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Radiology, The University of Texas Health Science Center (UTHSCSA), died peacefully at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico on July 8, 2012.
For more than 25 years, Stewart and Marianne Reuter have supported the UTSA College of Liberal and Fine Arts across a variety of disciplines. Their gifts have benefited the departments of English, Modern Languages and Literatures, and most recently Art & Art History and Music, where they have established endowed scholarships. The Stewart R. and Marianne C. Reuter Endowed Scholarship in Vocal Performance provides support for undergraduate music majors with a concentration in vocal performance, which is a direct reflection of Dr. Reuter’s great love for opera.
In retirement, Dr. Reuter worked as an artist and traveled extensively to museums around the world. His work has been shown at the Gallery Nord in San Antonio and the MADI Museum of Art in Dallas. Dr. Reuter once said that his artistic inspiration was his long marriage to Marianne, who has a degree in museum management. The Stewart R. and Marianne C. Reuter Endowed Scholarship in Art provides support for graduate students pursing MFA degrees in fine arts studio disciplines including ceramics, new media, painting and drawing, photography, printmaking, or sculpture.
“Their gifts have set many students on the path to success and fulfillment,” said COLFA Dean Daniel Gelo. The tremendous donation of the endowed scholarships ensures that Dr. Reuter’s generosity will live into perpetuity.