http://www.theeagle.com/aandmnews/090602lookdies.htm
quote:
Dwight Look, the namesake of the Texas A&M University’s engineering college, died Thursday at age 80.
Look, an A&M graduate who made his fortune in construction and real estate, was remembered as a man who gave quietly.
“Dwight didn’t give a lot of advice,” said Texas A&M Foundation President Ed Davis. “Mostly he just gave what he’d accumulated over his lifetime.”
Look passed away at his home in Brenham and will be buried in Somerville, his birthplace.
The College of Engineering and Sterling C. Evans Library at Texas A&M were Look’s major beneficiaries. The Charles Benjamin Look Science and Engineering Reference Center in the Evans Annex is named for his father.
“Dwight Look endeared himself to the library staff immediately,” said Fred Heath, dean of university library. “His plainspoken style, his modesty and his sense of humor were much appreciated by all.”
Look graduated from A&M in 1943 with a civil engineering degree and served in the World War II. He later founded a construction company on Guam, where he lived for 40 years.
In the early ’90s, Look pledged to A&M a tract of Guam land valued at $52 million. It was the largest single gift ever received by the university, which later named its engineering college for Look.
By the time A&M got full ownership of the land in 1999, an economic downturn had severely deflated its value. Davis said the most recent appraisal is between $7.5 million and $10 million.
The foundation, which manages gifts for the university, intends to keep the land until its value improves, Davis said.
Jerry Gaston, deputy chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, described Look as a man of integrity and vision.
“He rose to great heights in the business world, but never forgot his modest roots,” Gaston said. “He gave freely of his time, talents and financial resources to Texas A&M University. Generations of our students will benefit from his generosity.”
Services are scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Somerville. Burial will follow in Oaklawn Cemetery in Somerville.
Visitation is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Strickland Funeral Home in Somerville.
Memorials may be made to the Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University.