Texas Border Business
By Roberto H. Gonzalez
Robert C. Vackar, a successful automobile dealer in the Rio Grande Valley, added $900,000 to the Susan Lewis Vackar Clark Endowed Memorial Scholarship, established in tribute to Mr. Vackar’s late sister, an elementary school teacher and a 1963 graduate of then Pan American College.
The Bert Ogden Auto Group owners, Robert C. Vackar and Janet Ogden Vackar, have given generously of their financial resources to many worthy causes. The additional funding was added to $100,000 which initially had been pledged. The total endowment is now one million dollars.
The Vackars continue to inspire the Rio Grande Valley business community through their extensive philanthropic efforts. They are considered champions of higher education; this donation benefits students who pursue a degree in education.
An endowment is a fantastic tool used by philanthropists; it is where you donate the money, it stays in a Corpus, and only the interest generated by the donation is used. So, this endowment will be at UTRGV in perpetuity.
Mr. Vackar desires that his sister’s memory lives on forever in the scholarship endowment.
When people help students by using endowments is inspiring. Anybody who wants to leave a legacy and wants to make sure that students can benefit in perpetuity can do it. It can be an endowment of $10,000 and above to feel the joy of fulfillment.
Susan Lewis Vackar Clark grew up in Edinburg. She graduated from Edinburg high school in 1960 and attended Pan American College, which is now the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV).
“Susan got her degree in education and taught for 30 plus years.” Mr. Vackar said, “She also lived in Houston where she worked teaching; it was her passion.”
He pointed out that Susan was two years older than him. “She was a very special person, and when I did the Roberts C. Vackar School of Business endowment, I wanted to do something for her.”
The first installment was for about $100,000, with a promise to come back and round it up to one million. “Now is mission accomplished.”
What do you remember about your sister?
“Susan was very popular and a pleasant person to be around. She was very outgoing, a cheerleader in high school, and the Bronco Queen at Pan American University. Susan was born in 1941 and passed away in 1997,” Mr. Vackar stated.
