Amarillo College Announces Gift from Amarillo National Bank

Provided

Amarillo College has no benefactor more consistent than Amarillo National Bank, which on Sept. 6 – and for the 34th year in succession – announced a gift to the College. This one, though, is eminently generous and distinctly transformational.

Amarillo National Bank and its owners, the Ware family, presented Amarillo College with $1.2 million, funds that will support three specific initiatives:

• The Mary Ware Scholarship Endowment - $500,000

• Capital support for Ware Student Commons renovations - $500,000

• Establishment of the Ware Athletic Scholarship - $200,000

With this gift ANB and the Ware family, whose inaugural gift to AC was in 1963, have given a total of $3.3 million all-time to the College. That includes a contribution of $1 million in 2015 that supported major renovations to and renaming of what now is known as the Ware Student Commons.

AC Vice President of Institutional Advancement Joe Bill Sherrod said the gift from ANB will serve as “a lead gift” for the College’s Badger Bold comprehensive campaign, which will be publicly rolled out in October.

“This is a wonderful and gratifying momentum-building gift,” Sherrod said. “It puts significant wind in our sails as we prepare for the public launch of ‘Badger Bold, AC’s Campaign for Amarillo,’ and we cannot thank ANB and the Wares enough.”

ANB President William Ware said today’s three-pronged gift is intended to increase opportunities for AC students who, through their academic success, become integral to the workforce that positively impacts the regional economy.

“The scholarships allow students who cannot afford higher education to attend AC and seek better jobs and higher incomes,” Ware said. “Supporting the new athletic programs will help AC attract a broader base of students and keep AC competitive with other community colleges. The campus improvements give students more space for collaboration, teamwork, projects and studying.

“AC is a foundational pillar of our regional economy,” he said. “It provides ever-changing skills and training to keep up with the demands of local industries. Having a highly-skilled workforce is the basis for a strong economy, and this Badger Bold campaign will bring much-needed improvements to the institution.

“Through its exceptional leadership, AC is poised for a spectacular future. We’re honored to support such a wonderful organization.”

The Ware family’s affinity for Amarillo College originated with their late matriarch Mary Stack Ware, who grew up about a block from the Washington Street Campus and attended AC from 1939-1941. She served on Student Council at AC, presided over the College Players, and she was runner-up for Miss Amarillo College.

Since it was established in 2009, the Mary Ware Scholarship endowment has awarded in excess of $137,000 to female students who are either employed outside the home or active in student or community activities. Mrs. Ware’s lifelong support of AC was celebrated in 2006 when she was named AC’s Distinguished Alumna.

“We are deeply grateful to the Wares and Amarillo National Bank for their continued generosity to Amarillo College,” AC President Russell Lowery-Hart said. “Whenever I see the big red heart at that marks the entrance to bank’s offices in downtown Amarillo, I know in my own heart that ANB’s brand of philanthropy is the lifeblood of Amarillo.

“Theirs is the kind of commitment and support that is both life-changing for the students we serve and vital to the economic prosperity of the community we all hold dear. I could not be more appreciative of their love for and support of AC.”

-Amarillo College