James English Gives $50,000 for Scholarship
February 11, 2009
English graduated from Texas A&M in 1946 with a degree in economics. Immediately following graduation, he showed the true spirit of entrepreneurship by establishing a new business with just one employee, himself. English Color and Paint Supply, Inc. has evolved into a distribution company with over 36 stores and 275 employees. He was the 2007 finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award of the Southwest Area. He has served as a president of the Automotive Wholesalers of Dallas and as a chairman for various committees within the Automotive Service Industry Association.
English says he decided to give to the General Rudder Scholarship program because “the academic and social education that I received at Texas A&M has helped me build our business, English Color & Supply.” He says that “in the early 1940’s, going to college was a luxury that [he] could not afford, but with financial help I was able to complete my undergraduate degree in business economics.” He was “an average student and never forgot the extra help I received to get my education. Therefore, he “felt compelled to create this scholarship.”
English’s endowed General Rudder General Rudder Corps Scholarship will help Aggies year after year. Every four years his $50,000 endowment will provide a new cadet with a four-year scholarship. This is possible because the Texas A&M Foundation manages the endowment to pay for the current student scholarship while simultaneously providing for the long-term growth of the principal. The scholarship amount the students receive each year is based on the endowment’s market value.
English wants this contribution to give “those Aggies a chance to prove that they are the ‘diamond in the rough’ by demonstrating that inner drive to achieve success for them.”
Texas A&M Foundation
Founded in 1953, the Texas A&M Foundation matches donors and their interests with the university’s priorities. Our donors provide the resources that help faculty excel in their fields and students become confident professionals. The Foundation's wise management of these generous gifts fuels Spirit and Mind. It helps Aggies leave their mark on the world in productive and inventive ways, and ensures a bright future for Texas A&M.
