The Gift of Opportunity

Whether designing roadways or cooking barbeque for large groups, Rick Mobley ’81 uses his passions to serve others. “Growing up, my parents constantly reminded me to look for ways to help others in need,” Mobley said. “They gave me ample opportunities to discover my talents and learn how to use them for the greater good. Now, I am blessed to be able to extend those same kinds of opportunities to people outside of my immediate family.” 

While outlining their wills, Mobley and his wife, Stacy, knew they wanted to focus their philanthropy on education. “From our own experiences of raising four children, we understand the financial needs that arise in pursuit of an education,” Mobley said. 

After ensuring that their children would be cared for, the Mobleys used their remaining assets to create a planned gift to support academics at Texas A&M University while still seeing to their own immediate financial needs. When realized, the Mobleys’ gift will fund both a professorship and a scholarship endowment in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. 

“We wanted to support every aspect of education that we could,” Mobley added. “Professors are the heart of the classroom, and students need support to ensure they have the necessary tools to learn.”

With time, the Mobleys hope their gift will grow to provide even more opportunities for future students. “We know our gift will not be realized until after we’re gone, but we are so hopeful for the impact it will have,” Mobley said. “I was provided with so many opportunities during my time at Texas A&M, and I hope this gift will do the same for future Aggies.”

Since studying urban planning and transportation at Texas A&M, Mobley has worked for multiple firms on transportation design projects, from parking garage design to the conceptual design for the high occupancy vehicle system in Houston. In his free time, he uses his custom barbeque pit to cook for charity events and continues to seek ways to give others the gift of opportunity.

To learn more about making a planned gift, contact Angela Throne ’03 at athrone@txamfoundation.com or (979) 845-5638. For more information on how you can support the College of Architecture, contact Larry Zuber at (979) 845-0939 or lzuber@txamfoundation.com.