The University of Texas at Tyler

The late UT System Regent A.W. "Dub" Riter Jr. and his wife, B.J. donated a gift of $1.35 million to the University for the creation of The Dub and B.J. Riter Millennium Carillon Tower and Plaza, which will be a primary symbol for UT Tyler throughout the generations. Jaymie Poeschl says the Presidential Scholarship she received to attend The University of Texas at Tyler

Mr. and Mrs. White

(UT Tyler) was a "godsend." After graduating from junior college in the spring of 1994, she hoped to continue her journalism studies at UT Tyler. However, she and her husband lacked the financial resources for her to attend full-time. "My fear was that it was going to take a long time for me to graduate from UT Tyler," she said. "I couldn't afford to take a full course load because I was also paying for daycare for my preschooler."

A Presidential Scholarship from UT Tyler benefactors Jack White and his wife, the late Dorothy Fay White, enabled Poeschl to attend full-time. She completed her bachelor of science degree in three semesters. "I owe a lot of gratitude to the people who made the scholarship possible," said Poeschl, a 1995 graduate who works as a communications specialist and freelance journalist.

Honored as UT Tyler Patriots of the Year in 1990, the Whites have been dedicated to the academic and cultural life of the university for many years. Among their numerous contributions, they established a total of 12 endowed Presidential Scholarships at UT Tyler, a number unequaled by any one contributor. "Dorothy Fay and I have always been interested in young people and in higher education," White said. "We enjoyed being part of a system that prepared our youth to excel in a competitive world. Supporting the scholarships at The University of Texas at Tyler was one of the great joys of Dorothy Fay's life and it has been my great honor to be able to continue this tradition in her memory. We have gained much more than we have given."

White also was instrumental in a gift of approximately $1.4 million from the estate of his brother. The gift from the estate of the late Judge Mastin G. White established the Marjorie Perry White Scholarship Fund and the Mastin Gentry White Scholarship Fund. These funds and the 12 endowed Presidential Scholarships are invested in the Long Term Fund and have a value as of August 31, 2003 of over $3.3 million.

Finance major Sonja Cummings is able to devote more time to her studies during her final semester before graduation, thanks to the Mastin Gentry White Scholarship she received.

"I have worked full-time and attended school full-time throughout my college career,'' she said. "I plan to work part-time this fall in order to maintain a high grade point average while taking 15 hours."

Cummings thanked the White family for helping her to reach her goals. "I am grateful for your consideration of me and many other students who are trying to achieve a higher education and are in need of financial assistance," she wrote in a letter of appreciation. "I plan to return the favor to a student in need of assistance when I am financially able."

Philanthropy is a longtime tradition in the White family, UT Tyler President Rodney Mabry said. "Jack and Dorothy Fay really do love young people and simply followed a pattern with which they were familiar � a way of life."