Two new gifts move School closer to $30 million fundraising goal

Two new gifts received by the LBJ School--one for a million dollars and another for a quarter million--have moved the School closer to its $30 million fundraising goal. The drive, which is part of a UT Austin capital campaign that began in 1997 and concludes in 2004, has now raised almost $25 million.

According to Joe Youngblood, who heads the School's Development and External Affairs Office, much of the private support received during this drive is tied to such initiatives as the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service and the Center for Ethical Leadership. Youngblood attributed the fund drive's success to the LBJ School's public service mission and credited Dean Ed Dorn's leadership. He also praised "the quality of our faculty and the programs they are building" and "the commitment of our volunteers and advisors."

The two gifts that were received this fall will allow the School to establish the Loyd Hackler Chair in Ethical Leadership and establish an endowment to promote human resource policy studies.

Hackler Chair
Loyd Hackler was a former assistant press secretary to Lyndon Johnson and chief aide to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen. The million-dollar gift was made by his wife, Norma Jean Hackler, and will be used to create a chair in ethical leadership.

"Loyd Hackler's high standard for ethical leadership makes Norma's gift especially appropriate as a tribute to his life and distinguished career," said former presidential Press Secretary George Christian, who served in the Johnson White House with Hackler. Former Johnson aide and current LBJ Foundation President Larry Temple described Hackler as "a key player in the Johnson presidency and an extraordinary individual who represented the best of public service."

David Endowment
A $250,000 endowment has been established in honor of the late Henry and Bryna David and reflects the Davids' interests in government, labor, and social policy. The fund will support a public affairs graduate student for up to two years, during which he or she will conduct applied research at the Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources.

An expert on development of labor resources, Henry David served on the faculties of the New School in Manhattan, Columbia University, and the LBJ School. Bryna David served on the faculty of the New School and worked as a representative and conference consultant to the Institute for the Future, a California-based think tank. In the 1950s and 1960s, both Henry and Bryna David held high-ranking posts at the National Manpower Council at Columbia University, which--similar to the Ray Marshall Center--published studies on government and labor.

"Henry and Bryna David were an amazingly talented couple who devoted their lifetime to conducting policy research designed to improve education, training, and labor market experiences of U.S. workers," said Chris King, director of the Ray Marshall Center.

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December 7, 2001

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