Campus Life

Scholarship Recognizes Military Sacrifice

Ann and S. Ray Huffines have established a Texas A&M scholarship in appreciation for the sacrifices made by American military personnel.
By Mary Vinnedge, Texas A&M University July 9, 2009

TAMU foundationAnn and S. Ray Huffines of Plano have established a Texas A&M University scholarship in appreciation for the sacrifices made by American military personnel.

Huffines, a 1974 Texas A&M graduate, said he and his wife “were thinking about the servicemen and women who are killed or injured while serving their country. We wanted to show our gratitude for what they do.” So this summer the couple established an endowment through the Texas A&M Foundation for the Ann and S. Ray Huffines ’74 Military Appreciation Scholarship.

The Foundation is a private nonprofit organization that solicits and manages investments in academics and leadership programs to enhance Texas A&M’s capability to be among the best universities. The Foundation leads “Operation Spirit and Mind,” a multiyear, $300 million scholarship initiative for Texas A&M.

The Huffines scholarship will be awarded to incoming freshmen who are disabled veterans or to the children of military personnel killed or disabled in the line of duty. Recipients can use funds from the scholarship for up to four years.

Huffines says the scholarship rewards him and his wife because “we’re giving something that stays. It keeps giving every year.” He said he also hopes recipients will develop Aggie values of integrity and generosity. “A&M has a different culture and atmosphere from other universities,” he said.

Huffines was a member of Texas A&M’s Fish Drill Team, a freshman Corps of Cadets program whose members compete in precision military drills. In 1971, that team won the national championship for a fourth straight year. Huffines, whose Corps outfit was Squadron 2, was also a founding member of the Parsons Mounted Cavalry, a volunteer cadet unit that continues the Aggie cavalry tradition.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas A&M and is owner and CEO of Huffines Auto Dealerships in the Dallas area. He is a past chairman of the Plano Chamber of Commerce and is active in the Plano Rotary Club.

Huffines has maintained strong ties to Texas A&M, participating in the Collin County A&M Club, the 12th Man Foundation Champions Council and the 12th Man Foundation Council of Athletic Ambassadors.

He and Ann live in Plano and are the parents of four children. Mollie Huffines ’11 is a special education major at Texas A&M. Their younger children, Samuel Ray Huffines Jr., Libby and Emily also have Aggie aspirations.

To learn more about “Operation Spirit and Mind” scholarships, contact Jody Ford ’99 at the Texas A&M Foundation at (800) 392-3310, (979) 845-8161 or fund-a-scholarship@tamu.edu.

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