{"id":48210,"date":"2023-02-28T09:25:22","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/?p=48210"},"modified":"2023-03-01T09:25:58","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T15:25:58","slug":"tarleton-celebrates-largest-ever-gift-15-million-from-lifetime-educators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/tarleton-celebrates-largest-ever-gift-15-million-from-lifetime-educators\/","title":{"rendered":"Tarleton Celebrates Record $15 Million in Lifetime Giving from Career Educators"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"TSU
Drs. Lamar and Marilynn T. Johanson with Tarleton President Dr. James Hurley and First Lady Kindall Hurley<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 In 2012 Drs. Lamar and Marilynn T. Johanson conveyed their ranch \u2014 about 1,700 acres and all mineral rights in San Saba and Mills counties, then valued at some $5 million \u2014 to The Texas A&M University System for the benefit of Tarleton State University. They retained the right to live on the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today the couple joined university leaders to celebrate a $9 million increase in their life estate gift, bringing their total philanthropic support to almost $15 million \u2014 a record for Tarleton. The two spent more than six decades in education, Lamar at Tarleton for 40 years and Marilynn at Texas public schools in 1961-1995.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Two of Tarleton\u2019s most generous donors, Lamar and Marilynn have poured their heart and soul into transformational learning,\u201d said university President James Hurley. \u201cThere\u2019s no way to count the lives that have been changed by their leadership and amazing generosity, or the thousands yet to benefit. We are profoundly grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021 the Johansons decided to execute their life estate gift early and allow the university to sell the San Sabra property, as originally planned, to expedite endowed scholarships for Tarleton students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roughly 800 acres along the Colorado River in Mills County will remain home to Tarleton\u2019s Timberlake Biological Field Station, established in 2015, to advance environmental research, engage students in scientific discovery and promote stewardship of the natural world. A $2.5 million endowment will ensure care and oversight of the property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTarleton and education have been integral parts of our lives, providing us with many eventful and unique opportunities,\u201d Lamar said. \u201cWe are blessed to be able to give back to the university that is so dear to our hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamar served 18 years as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and was the inaugural Executive Director of Tarleton University System Center-Central Texas in Killeen (now Texas A&M University-Central Texas) before he retired in 2001. The Texas A&M University System recognized his leadership that year by confirming him as Dean Emeritus, College of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Biological Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He spearheaded efforts to establish associate and baccalaureate degree programs in nursing and the medical laboratory sciences program in the core of downtown Fort Worth\u2019s Medical District, and he advocated for constructing and helped design Tarleton\u2019s science building, which now bears his name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to teaching in Hico, Marilynn\u2019s career included a stint at Stephenville High School. A Tarleton Distinguished Tarleton Alumna (2015), she served as an education specialist with the Texas Education Agency and as an elementary school and high school principal in the Strawn and Goldthwaite independent school districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She served as President of the Texas Vocational Homemaking Teachers Association and Texas Vocational Teachers Association, and Vice President of the Region IV American Vocational Association, which named her Outstanding Classroom Teacher of the Year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Johansons continue their association with Tarleton, attending and volunteering at athletic and academic events. Both received the All-Purple Award, recognizing those who go above and beyond in supporting Tarleton athletics. Lamar has been on the Texan Club board of directors since its inception in 1994 and continues to chair the Tarleton Athletics Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The couple received Tarleton\u2019s 2020 Legacy Award for Leadership and honorary doctorates of humane letters in 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 In 2012 Drs. Lamar and Marilynn T. Johanson conveyed their ranch \u2014 about 1,700 acres and all mineral rights in San Saba and Mills counties, then valued …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":48214,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[423,425],"tags":[431,449],"class_list":["post-48210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics-research","category-campus-community","tag-administration","tag-institutional-advancement"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"keegan","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/keegan-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2023\/02\/TSU_9507-300x196.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["Academics & Research<\/a>","Campus & Community<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Academics & Research<\/span>","Campus & Community<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Administration<\/a>","Institutional Advancement<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Administration<\/span>","Institutional Advancement<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 years ago","modified":"Updated 3 years ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on February 28, 2023","modified":"Updated on March 1, 2023"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on February 28, 2023 9:25 am","modified":"Updated on March 1, 2023 9:25 am"},"featured_img_caption":"Four people pose indoors, two seated and two standing, with a floral arrangement on a table.","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48210","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48210"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48210\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48210"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48210"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48210"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}