Commissioned and Committed

As an undergraduate, Clay Huber ’12 was passionate about Texas A&M’s out-of-classroom experiences and participated in Maroon Coats, Ol’ Ags, Howdy Camp, T-Camp, Parents’ Weekend Committee and Conference on Student Government Associations.

A planned gift to the Texas A&M Foundation that will be funded by a life insurance policy from Clayton E. Huber ’12 of Allen, Texas, will support scholarships and excellence funds for the College of Liberal Arts’ Department of Communication and the Old Army Gentlemen’s Society (Ol' Ags) at Texas A&M University.

Huber enlisted in the U. S. Navy in January 2004 during his senior year of high school. He served four years in the Navy before being selected for the Seaman to Admiral-21 (STA-21) Program, a select program for active-duty sailors who show potential to do well in college and as officers. Sailors chosen for STA-21 attend a college of their choice for three years, and they return to the Navy as an officer after they receive a bachelor’s degree.

Trading Whites for Maroon
Which college to attend to complete STA-21 was easy for Huber, he knew he wanted to get a degree from Texas A&M since attending Parents’ Weekend with family friends when he was 16 years old. “I fell in love with Texas A&M after that one weekend,” Huber said.

In May, Huber graduated from Texas A&M with a Bachelor of Arts in communication and was commissioned as an officer in the Navy. He has been selected to go through flight school to train as a pilot, and he plans to continue his service in the Navy. He hopes to one day earn a master’s degree and continue a career in public service.

Huber’s best friend and Navy buddy, MM1 (SW) Ryan S. Purdy (left), gives Huber his first salute after commissioning as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

Planned Gift, Natural Fit
As a member of the Texas A&M Foundation’s student ambassador program, Maroon Coats, Huber quickly learned the power of giving back. “As an undergraduate I had the opportunity to meet the donors that are shaping the future of our university, and they inspired me,” he said. “I knew I wanted to do my part to support Texas A&M as soon as I was able.”

A planned gift from a life insurance policy was a natural fit for Huber, and he was able to make the commitment to give back sooner than he ever expected. “Making the gift couldn’t have been simpler,” Huber said.

By noting the Texas A&M Foundation as a beneficiary of his life insurance policy, Huber was able to document his planned gift with the Foundation just days after graduation and his commissioning.

Hopes for His Legacy

In May, Huber (second from the right) poses with the his fellow officers at the Ol’ Ags officer retreat at the Huber family farm.

Huber’s goal for his gifts is to help improve the Department of Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and encourage students to pursue a degree in communication from Texas A&M.

“I really want to give people the opportunity to be a part of the department and help them to be able to make a career in communications or attend graduate school,” Huber said.

He is equally passionate about the out-of-classroom experiences at the university. While at Texas A&M, Huber was actively involved in many student service and leadership organizations, such as Maroon Coats, Ol’ Ags, Howdy Camp, T-Camp, Parents’ Weekend Committee and Conference on Student Government Associations.

“I decided to give scholarships to Ol’ Ags because I wanted to enable someone who had already proven themselves in leadership and service to A&M to serve without having to worry about getting a part time job or how they were going to pay their next installment for tuition,” he said.

Huber has high expectations for future Ags benefitting from his scholarships. “I hope that whoever receives my scholarship is academically proven— that they know what they are doing and they know how to get there,” he said. “But more important to me is what they do to serve others, A&M and their community. I want my scholarships to go to people who really go above and beyond and extend themselves to serve others.”

By Oz Cantu ’11

You can support your favorite college, department or programs at Texas A&M with a planned gift to the Texas A&M Foundation.