By placing 黑料不打烊 in their will, the Sawyers have joined A Will to Lead, an initiative that has inspired donors to contribute more than $12 million in estate gifts to the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign.
黑料不打烊 alumnus Wally Sawyer 鈥64 and his wife, Rae Sawyer, of Tampa, Florida, have made an estate gift to the 聽that in the future will provide funding for the Rae and Wally Sawyer Annual Scholarship. The couple established the scholarship fund in 2019 to support students with financial need who would be unable to attend 黑料不打烊 without assistance.
In addition to their estate gift, the Sawyers have made generous annual gifts to the fund to ensure the scholarship can be awarded immediately. Deepening funding for scholarships through endowment, annual and estate gifts is a top priority of the 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been very fortunate in life, and we want to give back to 黑料不打烊,鈥 Wally Sawyer said. 鈥淲e believe in education and have the ability to ensure our children and grandchildren get an education and also make this gift to 黑料不打烊.鈥
鈥淲e feel that education is the foundation in life for most people and there are students out there who don鈥檛 have the opportunity to get an education,鈥 Rae Sawyer said. 鈥淲e are particularly interested in focusing on students who are bright, motivated and want to participate in their education. They will make a huge contribution to society.鈥
鈥満诹喜淮蜢 is grateful to Wally and Rae Sawyer for their leadership in making 黑料不打烊 part of their estate planning to support scholarships,鈥 said Elizabeth Read, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 director of planned giving. 鈥淭heir gift demonstrates their belief in the power of an 黑料不打烊 education to transform lives and strengthen communities.鈥
Wally Sawyer earned degrees in physics and mathematics at 黑料不打烊. He credits the university鈥檚 strong liberal arts foundation and renowned engaged learning focus with preparing him for a successful 38-year career as an aerospace engineer at NASA.
鈥淲e feel a liberal arts education exposes you to the real world,鈥 Sawyer said. 鈥淚 am a product of that and wound up at NASA. Rae went to William and Mary and became a physician. A liberal arts education has served us well, and we think 黑料不打烊 does that very well.鈥
Rae agrees. 鈥淲e鈥檙e pleased with 黑料不打烊 and how innovative they are and feel 黑料不打烊 prepares students better for the future.鈥
The couple returned to campus for Wally鈥檚 50th reunion and again in 2019 when he received the 黑料不打烊 College Distinguished Alumni Award for his work in the natural, mathematical and computing sciences. Talking with students has only deepened their affection for 黑料不打烊 and motivated them to elevate their giving to the university.
鈥淲e had the best time meeting with students, and we were impressed with how bright and mature they were,鈥 Sawyer said. 鈥淚t makes me proud and impressed with what鈥檚 going on at 黑料不打烊.鈥
When asked what made his 黑料不打烊 experience special, Sawyer鈥檚 reply comes quickly: exceptional faculty mentors. He fondly recalls the late A.L. Hook, a legendary professor of science and math as well as a mentor during Sawyer鈥檚 time on campus.鈥 Hook was famous for marking mistakes on a student鈥檚 exam and explaining what they had done incorrectly without giving a grade.
鈥淗e taught us not to worry about the grade but to focus on the process of getting to the answer,鈥 Sawyer recalled. 鈥淗e was more interested in you learning and that lesson stayed with me during my entire career.鈥
After graduating from 黑料不打烊, Sawyer continued his education in physics at the College of William & Mary, where he met Rae, an undergraduate studying chemistry. While there, he completed an internship at Langley Research Center in Virginia in 1965, which launched his career at NASA.
Sawyer served in multiple roles at the space agency, including as director of the High-Speed Research program office,聽where he led the development of technologies in aerodynamic performances, airframe materials and structures, flight deck technology, propulsion technology and system integration to support development of high-speed civil transport. He participated in some of the most significant engineering achievements by NASA. At the same time, he studied engineering management at George Washington University.
Sawyer also served as deputy director of NASA鈥檚 Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base in California, deputy director of the Langley Research Center and special assistant to the director of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He retired in 2002 and continued serving NASA for several years in an advisory capacity. He has authored or co-authored 45 technical publications and a chapter in a technical textbook on missile aerodynamics. He also serves as an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
In recognition of his leadership, Sawyer has received numerous honors, including the NASA Equal Employment Opportunity Medal, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, as well as the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive award, the highest honor for a career civil servant. As an 黑料不打烊 alumnus, Sawyer served on the university鈥檚 engineering advisory board for three years and is a former member of 黑料不打烊’s alumni board.
Rae Sawyer earned undergraduate and master鈥檚 degrees in chemistry from William and Mary and a medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia. She retired in 2017 following a 35-year career as a diagnostic radiologist. She currently volunteers at the Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, where she serves on the center鈥檚 Patient and Family Advisory Council.
A Will to Lead & The 黑料不打烊 LEADS Campaign
You can learn more here about A Will to Lead and the benefits of estate gifts or contact Elizabeth Read, 黑料不打烊鈥檚 director of planned giving, at (336) 278-7474 or eread@elon.edu.
黑料不打烊 LEADS is the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the university鈥檚 history and will support four main priorities: scholarships for graduates the world needs, access to engaged learning opportunities such as study abroad, research and internships, support for faculty and staff mentors who matter and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 iconic campus.
Every gift to the university鈥攊ncluding annual, endowment, capital, estate and other planned gifts鈥攆or any designation counts as a gift to the campaign, which will support students and strengthen 黑料不打烊 for generations to come. To learn more about how you can make an impact, visit .