Hamon Charitable Foundation Commits $2 Million Gift To Bush School

A $2 million endowed gift from the Hamon Charitable Foundation to the Texas A&M Foundation will benefit students and faculty practitioners at the Bush School of Government and Public Service.

Distributions from the Hamon Scholarship Fund will provide one or more scholarships to full-time students in good standing pursuing a graduate degree at Texas A&M University’s Bush School.

“Future scholarships provided by the Hamon gift will play an important part in allowing our students to go into the public and nonprofit sectors and continue to make a difference at the international, national, state and local levels of our society,” said Andrew Card, acting dean for the Bush School.

The Distinguished Professor of Practice in Residence Fellowship will be awarded to an individual of exceptional merit who has had an illustrious career in public or international affairs at the local, state, national or international level. This individual will serve on the faculty at the Bush School and will provide students with a practitioner’s perspectives, insights and firsthand experiences in public service and policy.

“The Bush School employs a unique mix of faculty consisting of traditional distinguished academicians and practitioners who have spent a career in the public sector and can teach our students about the realities of being a public servant,” said Jerome Rektorik, director of development for the Bush School. “The Hamon gift will help assure that the Bush School always has practitioners on hand to share relevant knowledge in the classroom and guide students in finding employment after graduation.”

The Hamon Foundation was created by Nancy Hamon in memory of her husband who died in 1985. Jake Hamon was a prominent oil and gas executive and the first such private operator to serve as president of the American Petroleum Institute. Nancy Hamon enjoyed a brief career in Hollywood during the 1940s, but later married and became involved in philanthropic projects until her death in July 2011.

The Dallas-based Hamon Foundation supports the arts, education and medicine. Its gift to Texas A&M honors the friendship between the Hamons, President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara.

“The gift is given in recognition of the respect held for President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush and their service to our country as well as the friendship they enjoyed with Jake and Nancy Hamon,” said Jack Roach, attorney for the Hamon Foundation.

The Bush School offers two master’s degree programs, one in public service and administration and one in international affairs. Ranked 21st among public universities for public affairs programs, the mission of the Bush School is to educate principled leaders in public and international affairs, conduct research and perform service.

The endowments will be managed by the Texas A&M Foundation, a private, nonprofit organization that solicits and administers investments in academic and leadership programs at Texas A&M.