Although he majored in petroleum engineering, George Mitchell ’40 has been passionate about physics since high school. His and his wife, Cynthia’s, tremendous support of the university’s physics and astronomy initiatives have catapulted the department into international prominence.

One of their gifts to the department resulted in the inclusion of Texas A&M in the Giant Magellan Telescope project (GMT). Helping fund the world’s largest telescope was clearly close to Mitchell’s heart. His gift aligned A&M with seven exceptional partners—including Harvard, MIT, the University of Arizona, and UT-Austin.

Mitchell has stated, “I’m interested in helping Texas A&M become one of the world’s leading institutions in scientific research, in areas ranging from the very near halls of higher learning to the far reaches of deep space.” Mission accomplished.