D. D. Hachar Trust Provides $300,000
for TAMIU Student Scholarship Gifts

The members of the D. D. Hachar Trust have provided Texas A&M International University students with a $300,000 gift that will fund student scholarships.

D.D. Hachar Trust Boosts TAMIU Scholarships Recent gifts by the D. D. Hachar Trust have expanded student scholarship opportunities at Texas A&M International University. The gifts provide $250,000 in General Scholarships and $50,000 in matching scholarship funding for the Sames Scholars Program. Pictured left to right are Norma Machado, BBVA Compass Trust Officer; Alejandro Cabezut, D. D. Hachar Trust Advisory Committee Member; George Beckylhymer, Hachar Trust Advisory Committee Member; Giampaolo Consigliere, BBVA Compass Bank City President and Sr. Marketing Manager; Joaquin Romero, BBVA Compass Bank Senior Vice President and Senior Trust Officer; TAMIU President Dr. Ray Keck; Elizabeth Sames, Sames Scholar Donor, and James Moore, BBVA Compass Loan Administrator. The University is home to the D. D. Hachar Honors Program and the Sames Scholars Program.

The gift presentation was made recently by Trust members and BBVA Compass Bank officers who oversee the Trust. The gift provides $250,000 in General Scholarship support and $50,000 in matching fund support for the Sames Scholars Program.

The D. D. Hachar Trust has been a longtime partner with TAMIU, establishing the D. D. Hachar Honors Program in Fall of 2000 as the University’s first undergraduate honors experience for gifted students. To date, hundreds of students have benefited from the competitive program, which awards qualified students a four-year scholarship including tuition, books, and fees. It is administered by Dr. Carlos E. Cuéllar, TAMIU associate professor of history.

Demetrio David (D.D.) Hachar was a Lebanese immigrant to Laredo whose dedicated worth ethic helped him to overcame early financial disadvantages and attain multiple business successes. To further his generosity and affection for Laredo, he created a trust to provide financial support to educational institutions in the Laredo area.

Since his death in 1978, the Hachar Trust has emerged as one of the largest philanthropic efforts devoted to health and educational opportunities in South Texas.

For more information, contact the University’s Office for Institutional Advancement at 326.GIVE (4483), e-mail candy.hein@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in the Sue and Radcliffe Kilam Library, room 260.

For additional information on the D. D. Hachar Honors program, contact Program coordinator Gerri Laurel at 326.2133, visit offices in Killam Library, room 418, e-mail glaurel@tamiu.edu or click on tamiu.edu/coas/honors

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu