Douglass Foundation Establishes New Endowment at TLU

A new endowment has been established at Texas Lutheran University, thanks to a generous gift from the Douglass Foundation.

The Douglass Foundation, established in 1982, was created exclusively for the benefit of education, entrepreneurship, science, and art. Donald Douglass, its founder, was an entrepreneur with a love for art and poetry, and a belief in the value of education. He founded Alamo Group in Seguin in 1969-an internationally successful company that engages in the design and manufacture of agricultural equipment as well as infrastructure maintenance equipment for governmental and industrial use.

Although Mr. Douglass passed away in 2017, the foundation continues to support the things in which he believed. To that end, TLU has received a $1 million grant which, in the short term, is being used to purchase STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) equipment. Eventually, the award will fund an endowed chair in physics-a study that aligns most closely with Douglass's field of engineering.

"The generosity of the Douglass Foundation to further science education at TLU aligns perfectly with our current efforts to focus on best ways to meet the science and health needs of the South Central Texas region," said TLU President Dr. Debbie Cottrell. "The significant ties of the Douglass family to the Seguin area make this gift even more meaningful, and we are eager to be good stewards of their support and ensure that its impact is widely felt."

"We want to give back to the community in which the company is involved," said Laurel Douglass, daughter of Donald Douglass and president of the Douglass Foundation. "TLU was a natural place for us to consider." The endowment at TLU will actually be the second that has been established by the foundation. "We thought it was an appropriate place-and that Dad would have agreed. There was a need there. So, we're grateful to have found a place."

Douglass herself had met with Cottrell and visited campus to tour the science building, where she met with now-retired physics professor Dr. Toni Sauncy.

"TLU wants to recognize the gift the Douglass Foundation has given," said Delia Saucedo, Director of Corporate and Foundations Relations at the university. "A million-dollar award is transformational for us."