b"It Takes a TeamAggies know this as much as any- TexasA&Mwhogavewhatthey one else. Part of what makes Texascouldthroughplannedgiftsto A&MUniversityspecialisitsestablishscholarships,support unique emphasis on being a parttransformationalprogramsand of something bigger than oneself.ultimately create a brighter future Ourfootballprogramsdefiningfor generations of Aggies.hero,whosestatuetowershigh-estoverfanswalkingintoKyleThis special issue of Spirit of Shar-Field, is not one of Texas A&Msingfeaturesstoriesofplanned two Heisman winners. It is not angiftsthatwillimpacteverycol-athletewhobrokestatsheetsorlegewithintheuniversity.By hoistedchampionshiptrophies;themselves, these stories speak to instead, it is the player who stooddonorsuniquebackgroundsand readytodohispartshouldheinspirations to give; together, they havebeencalledupon.The12thtell the story of a university that We all love stars. Whether they beManlegendrepresentsthedutyhas united people from all walks of iconoclastic artists, brilliant scien- we have to each other not only aslife to produce incalculable good tists or inspiring leaders, there isAggies but also as Texans, Amer- forthestate,nationandworld. something that draws us to indi- icans and people created equal inAsmorestudentsdiscoverthis vidualswhotakerisks,beattheGods image. place we call Aggieland and real-oddsandriseaboveallexpecta- ize the tangible meaning behind its tions.TextbookstellthestoryofAs we reflect on and celebrate theintangible spirit, I cannot help but human history as a succession ofsuccessoftheLeadbyExamplewonder what world they will cre-great men and women who seemcampaign, in which the universityate nor can I thank you enough for to push and pull the world aroundsurpassedits$1billionplannedgiving them the tools to create it. them at whim. But while we havegivinggoalandoverallgoalof muchtolearnfromthesegreat$4 billion, we see the Aggie com- Thanks for all you do.outliers,especiallythosewhomunitys potential to create posi-excelledincharacterasmuchastive change clearer than ever. We theydidinrenown,wecannotsee landmark gifts that singularly forget that life is a team sport. Allshiftedtheuniversitystrajec-of us can and often do accomplishtoryforthebetter,butwealsoTyson Voelkel 96more together than any one of ussee thousands upon thousands ofPresident & CEO could by ourselves. formerstudentsandpartnersofTexas A&M Foundationtxamfoundation.com/plan CONTRIBUTORSVisit our planned giving website to learn how you can make a gift to Texas A&M and to read the most recent planned giving news. EditorsTorie NoellschDunae Reader '15give.am/newsletter Art Direction & DesignSign up to receive updates from the Texas A&M Foundation directly inBrooke Perry '17your email inbox. Photography/IllustrationOwen Davey (p. 4 - 23)Josh Huskin (p. 9; 21)Leighton Jack '14 (p. 13; 19)TexasAMFoundation Ryan Price '07 (p. 22)Like us on Facebook to read and share stories featuring the latestCushing Memorial Library and Archives (p. 26)programs and initiatives at Texas A&M. Texas A&M University (p. 1; 6; 17)"