When Amy Bacon ’91 met with the Texas A&M Foundation’s gift planning staff for lunch, she did not foresee leaving with a potential job. She came in to discuss making a planned gift, but the newfound friendship between Bacon and Glenn Pittsford ’72, vice president for gift planning, brought a much different outcome.
“Glenn and I discussed the many connections and relationships I had made with former students over the years through my experiences, my passion for Texas A&M University and my desire to find ways to support the university,” said Bacon. “He mentioned there was an opening for a gift planning officer serving the greater Houston area and southeast Texas, plus several other states. I applied and was truly honored to receive the position.”
Amy Bacon '91 with husband, Robert '91 and daughter, Ellie '21.
Bacon received her bachelor’s degree in history from Texas A&M in 1991 and was involved with the Memorial Student Center Student Programs Office throughout her undergraduate years. Her passion for fundraising began while serving MSC Development, which solicits former students for gifts to support the 24 committees housed in the MSC.
As a former student, Bacon remains a strong supporter of the MSC and serves on the Texas A&M University Press Advancement Board, the Friends of the Sterling C. Evans Library Board and the College of Liberal Arts Development Council. She’s also published two books related to Texas A&M’s history: “Building Leaders, Living Traditions: The Memorial Student Center at Texas A&M University” and “Life in Bronze: Lawrence M. Ludtke, Sculptor.”
In 2014, Bacon and her husband Robert ’91 honored Robert’s father with a gift in his memory. Graham R. Bacon ’55 graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in chemical engineering and passed away in 2003 after battling cancer. His two sons, Robert and Graham W. Bacon ’85 followed in his footsteps, majoring in chemical engineering and establishing successful careers after graduation. The gift was created using a matching gifts program, with help from ExxonMobil and Enterprise Products.
“Robert and I, along with Graham and his wife Peggy Bacon ’85, created an endowed scholarship that will benefit Aggie students studying chemical engineering,” Amy said. “This gift commemorates the lasting legacy left by a father who instilled the Aggie core values and work ethic in his two sons and our families. It memorializes the impact he had on all of us.”
Through her dedication to Texas A&M and her continued support of its past, present and future, Bacon makes a measurable impact on the university and spreads a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion to every person she meets.
“My dream job has always been to work at the Foundation, garnering support for the university that I so deeply love,” she said. “Being a gift planning officer gives me the opportunity to serve Aggies and friends of Texas A&M, tailor planned giving options that may benefit themselves or their loved ones, and impact the university for generations to come.
“I would encourage folks to visualize the kind of impact they want their gift to have on Texas A&M—whether it be specifically for students, faculty members, a college, or student programs and activities. Every person’s circumstances are different, but whether a planned gift or a current gift, all gifts to the Texas A&M Foundation are similar in that they are life-changing for Aggies and transformational for Texas A&M.”
For questions about planned giving, or to say Howdy and welcome her to the team, contact Amy Bacon ’91, Gift Planning Officer, at abacon@txamfoundation.com or (281) 380-1050.
