Howard and Nancy Terry of Houston have made a $1 million donation to support renovations and upgrades to student and visitor facilities at the Winedale Historical Complex, a division of the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History at The University of Texas at Austin. In honor of the gift, the facilities will be named the Nancy M. and Howard L. Terry Student Center.
The Terry Student Center will comprise Winedale’s existing educational conference center, dormitory and adjacent grounds. The gift will fund repairs and renovations to every aspect of these structures and grounds, including structural upgrades, enhanced accessibility, and environmental and technological improvements.
“We are deeply grateful to Howard and Nancy Terry for this magnificent gift, which is the largest ever made in support of Winedale,” said Dr. Don Carleton, executive director of the Briscoe Center. “Their generosity enables us to greatly improve the student and visitor experience at Winedale. The Terrys’ gift will have a transformative impact, helping us realize Winedale’s environmental, historic and educational potential.”
“Winedale and the people who work there have long held a special place in our hearts, and we have wanted for some time to make a special gift to recognize their mission and importance to us,” said Howard Terry, co-founder of The Terry Foundation. “Since the very early days of our scholarship program, we have gathered all the Terry Scholars at Winedale for an annual picnic that has become our signature event. It is not just the beauty and history of Winedale that brings us back each year, but also the people who run Winedale, who are some of the nicest and most diligent people we have ever met.”
Since its inception, the Terry Scholarship Program has assisted more than 2,400 Texas college students to achieve their goals in higher education. Established in 1986 by Houstonians Howard and Nancy Terry, The Foundation’s goal is to strengthen the State of Texas by identifying Texas high school graduates who have promise of future leadership distinction and assisting them in developing their future and the future of those around them. To achieve this goal, The Terry Foundation selects an outstanding group of Terry Scholars each year who are awarded collegiate scholarships for attendance at The University of Texas at Austin and seven other state universities.
The Winedale Historical Complex, one of five divisions of the Briscoe Center, comprises 19th-century structures and modern facilities on 225 acres near Round Top, Texas. Winedale’s mission is to foster an understanding of Texas history and culture through research, teaching and public service. Each year, Winedale hosts an average of 2,500 students and members of nonprofit groups, including the Terry Foundation annual student picnic, Shakespeare at Winedale and student seminars from a variety of colleges, schools and departments, including The University of Texas at Austin, Texas AandM University, the University of Houston, Texas State University-San Marcos, University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of North Texas and Texas Tech University.
