Mays Impacts

Paul D. “Pablo” Marvin ’66, a graduate of Mays Business School, has been named by the Association of Former Students at Texas A&M University as one of six distinguished alumni for 2009. Established in 1962, the Distinguished Alumnus Award is the highest honor bestowed upon a former student of Texas A&M University. Since its inception, 190 individuals have been recognized for their significant contributions to their professions, Texas A&M University and their local communities.

Marvin

Marvin received a bachelor of science in business management while working part-time and later full-time to support his young family. Upon graduation, Marvin returned to his native Mexico and built a long and prosperous career in business. Working first as a production and marketing manager for Aceros Nacioneles, S.A. in Mexico City, he later founded Plasticos Precisos, S.A., a plastics extrusions company. Marvin also worked at Deutz, CV.de C.B in Mexico City, one of Latin America’s largest holding companies at the time and later founded and operated the Los Tocayos chain of restaurants in Denver, Colorado. Today he is a real estate executive and CEO of Compania de Inversionistas de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.

Marvin has remained a committed and loyal supporter of Texas A&M, especially to initiatives focusing on international programs. He was named an Outstanding International Alumnus in 2006 for his involvement. He is a member of the Texas A&M International Board, the Texas A&M Mexico Center Advisory Board, the Bush School Development Council and is a founding member of Texas A&M’s International Programs Office. In 1993, Marvin and his wife, Barbara, provided 5,000 square feet of office space rent-free to Texas A&M University, allowing for the creation of the Texas A&M University Center in Mexico. This center serves as Texas A&M’s official representation in Mexico, enabling the university to further its research collaborations with Mexico and Latin America and strengthen linkages with academic institutions, business organizations, and governmental agencies in Mexico.

Marvin, who resides in College Station, Texas, serves as a mentor to Texas A&M’s Academy for International Leaders Program and as an external advisor to the Mexican Student Association. He was actively involved in the planning of the Central American Aggie Summit in 2006 and in the 2007 Middle East Aggie Summit.

The future is uncertain, but one thing Kathie and Scott Amann ’78 know is that they want their support of Mays Business School at Texas A&M University to continue long after they’re gone. That’s why they’ve recently included Mays in their estate with a gift of $500,000 for scholarships. They have also designated that the majority of the remainder of their estate be provided to Mays for the same purpose. When realized, this gift is expected to exceed $2 million.

“We are grateful for this gift from the Amanns as it will impact so many of our deserving students,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. “The scholarships that this gift will provide will enable us to attract the very best students, and also help those students that may not be otherwise be able to attend Mays Business School.”

In addition to their bequest to Mays, a portion of the Amanns’ estate will go to the College of Veterinary Medicine at Texas A&M University to provide scholarships for that program as well.

The Amanns have made giving back to Texas A&M a priority not only for their future but also in the present. They are members of the 12th Man Foundation and the Association of Former Students, and have previously provided a President’s Endowed Scholarship and a Dean’s Endowed Scholarship for Mays students.

“My wife and I have been very blessed over the years financially,” Amann said. “We wanted to do something with our funds that could help young people, help our school, and help programs that are near and dear to our hearts.” Amann says that though Kathie is an alumna of the University of Oklahoma, she considers A&M to be her school as well as she spent four years commuting from Houston one day a week to serve as a volunteer at the George Bush Library on campus.

“Somewhere down the road we hope to leave a meaningful amount that can be used to help the kind of student that embraces the characteristics and traits that we love about this university, both in the business school and in the veterinary medicine field,” he said.

Amann has been involved in the energy industry throughout his career. He has served in a number of leadership roles for energy firms in Texas, and is currently the vice president for investor relations at a Houston-based oilfield service company. His professional affiliations have included the National Investor Relations Institute, the Interstate Natural Gas Association and the American Gas Association.

Scott grew up in Utopia, Texas, where he graduated from high school in a class of 18. When he came to College Station, he says he struggled to adjust to the “big city.” He worked throughout college and strove to complete his education in record time. He earned both a BBA in accounting and an MBA in finance in only four-and-a-half years. Amann recalls the excellence of the business faculty he encountered while a student at A&M and their genuine interest in their students’ success.

Kathie also spent many years in the energy industry, primarily as an executive secretary. Her time is now devoted to volunteering at the Houston Zoo and training the couple’s border collies for agility and obedience competitions. Both Amanns enjoy golf and spending time at their vacation home in Park City, Utah, where they plan to retire one day. The couple resides in Cypress, Texas.

It isn’t a resume portfolio and business suit that Conor Pollock ’09, finance major at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School, is counting on to prepare for life after college. All he needs is a tennis racquet. While his classmates are visiting Northgate for the last time as students and traveling from city to city for job interviews, Pollock stays loyal to his demanding workout schedule, preparing to graduate, end the 2009 season with the Aggie tennis team and embark on a solo professional career.

Conor Pollock ’09 will be pursuing a professional tennis career after finishing his BBA in finance this spring. (Photo: Glen Johnson/Texas A&M Sports Information)

Pollock plans to base his operations out of College Station, Florida, or Phoenix, when his pro tournaments begin, and will use his business background to manage his own career. “Being my own boss is going to be interesting. Not only will I be playing tennis, but I’ll be handling my finances and getting sponsorships, so the knowledge I gained in my undergraduate education will definitely help with that,” he said.

Pollock played several sports as a child, but quickly decided that his natural talent for tennis would take him farthest. Pollock played on his high school team in San Antonio, Texas, for two years. Then he made the decision to finish high school through Texas Tech University’s distance learning program in order to speed up his entrance to college level competition. Pollock visited a few schools other than Texas A&M University during the recruiting process, but for him, nothing compared to his experience in Aggieland. He joined the tennis team, quickly developing bonds with both the coaching staff and his teammates.

Growing accustomed to the rigorous schedule of a college athlete wasn’t easy. “It was a balancing act having to take four or five classes and maintain my tennis workouts,” he explained. “Sometimes I wonder what life would have been like without all of these obligations, but in the end, I feel like I have a purpose in my life and that’s important to me.”

When it comes to entering the pro tennis circuit, Pollock is ready to take on the challenge. Though he has already won several pro-level tournaments, Pollock knows that the competition will be tough. He is the only member of his team entering the pros this year. “Tennis is such a global sport now that there are many great players from every country around the world. I have to work that much harder,” he said.

Pollock is excited to begin this new chapter in his life, but wants to enjoy what’s left of his time at Texas A&M. “The thought of graduation hasn’t hit me quite yet. I just want to enjoy these last few weeks of time with my team and coaches. We still have work to do before the season is over,” he said. Before graduation, Pollock, who is ranked 17th in the nation in singles play, is preparing to take on the nation’s top teams in the NCAA Tournament, held at Texas A&M May 14-25. Pollock will play singles and doubles events in the competition.

One of the things Pollock will miss most about his college years is the camaraderie developed among members of his team. This was a great contributor to his success as well as the support he received from the coaching staff. He advises younger teammates to stay focused, but have fun and enjoy their college years. “The studying and classes are rough sometimes, but the experience of being a student athlete makes the challenges worthwhile”

Mays Business School at Texas A&M University has received a $3 million bequest from a couple that wishes to remain anonymous. This is the second major anonymous bequest the college has announced in recent weeks. When realized, this gift will provide unrestricted funds, which will be used at the discretion of the dean to enhance the school’s academic programs.

“This most generous couple is following the biblical adage about charitable giving “to not let their left hand know what the right hand is doing,’ and I respect and admire that philosophy,” said Mays Dean Jerry Strawser. “As dean, it is truly humbling when our donors give back to the university and entrust us with the use of those funds. We are very thankful for this gift, which will have such a major impact on our faculty, students, and programs.”

See also

• MBO: Anonymous gift of $9M to provide scholarships at Mays