b'COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTUREINVESTING IN AGGIE ARCHITECTSBY MICHELE SCHEVIKHOVEN 21 byLadyBird.Hispatiencewas rewarded three years later in 2000 when he received the autographed I n 1997, Thomas Tom Merrittstudy. 71 74 found his original copy of a long-forgotten feasibility studyWhen Merritt passed away in earlyDID YOU KNOW?he and his fellow Aggie landscape2018,hissisterandbrother-in-architecture classmates conductedlaw,DiandBillHoney,donated upon the request of President Lyn- the autographed study and docu- President Johnson and Lady don B. Johnson and his wife, Ladyments to the Texas A&M CollegeBirds efforts to spruce up the Bird, in their efforts to spruce upof Architecture archives during the the state of Texas. Department of Landscape Architec- state of Texas were part of a ture & Urban Plannings fall recep- much bigger initiative known Looking to determine the optimumtion. They immediately fell in love land use on both sides of the Guada- with the Aggie Spirit and wantedas the Highway Beautification lupe River from Canyon Dam, Texas,to further honor Merritts love forAct, driven by Lady Bird. The to New Braunfels, Texas, PresidentAggieland in their own special way.Johnson and Lady Bird sought theformer first lady believed in the help of Professor Robert White TheHoneysupdatedtheirestatepower of nature to unite others, then the head of the Departmentplansbycommittingaplanned ofLandscapeArchitectureandgift in Di and Bills living trusts towhich proved important during his senior design class in 1970. Theestablish two endowed scholarshipsJohnsons presidency when first half of the class presented theirfortheCollegeofArchitecture. initial findings to the president andMy brother was passionate aboutthe country was divided by the first lady on a special visit to theirurban and regional planning, so weVietnam War and civil rights ranch, while the second half, whichwanted to provide a memorial in included Merritt, anxiously awaitedhis name, Di said. I also created amovement.to present the conclusion. second scholarship in honor of my husband to acknowledge his legacy. Followingweeksofdedicated work, Merritts team was deflatedThe couple couldnt make the impact when they learned that White hadthey wanted with a cash charitable received a professors dream: a six- gift but knew a planned gift would monthpaidsabbaticaltostudyallow them to grow their assets and European architecture. The presen- financiallysupportfutureAggie tation was canceled, and the dis- landscape architects. We find per-appointed seniors moved on withsonal reward in investing in stu-other academic endeavors.dents, Di added. Young people are our future, and providing for them Decadeslater,Merrittstumbledmay be some of the most important upon the study with a new missionwork of our lives.inmind:tohaveitautographed SPIRIT OF SHARING|LEAD BY EXAMPLE EDITION|7'