COLLEGE STATION, Texas, Aug. 10, 2012 – Rudy and Susanne Dismuke of Houston have endowed a $60,000 memorial scholarship in chemical engineering at Texas A&M University.

This funds will establish The Chieko T. Dismuke Memorial Scholarship, which will be funded through the Texas A&M Foundation. The recipient of this scholarship will be a full-time chemical engineering junior or senior student.

“I am grateful for the education I received at Texas A&M," Rudy Dismuke said. "I will never be able to give back to Texas A&M what Texas A&M has given to me. I am honored to endow scholarships that allow students to have access to a great education and a launch pad into terrific careers.

“I am permanently endowing this scholarship in memory of my mother, Chieko T. Dismuke. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother teaching me math and science, the core skills of engineering. Aggie Moms and Texas A&M are an educational combination that cannot be beat. The tradition continues with my son, Christopher, who is a Class of 2013 chemical engineer.”

Dismuke is a Texas A&M Class of 1978 chemical engineering graduate. He joined ExxonMobil as a gas engineer upon graduation from Texas A&M. He currently serves as a commercial adviser for ExxonMobil’s exploration activities in North and South America.

ExxonMobil will contribute matching funds to the gift.

At Texas A&M, the Dismukes have previously endowed scholarships within the C.D. Holland Scholars Program, Kenneth Hall Teaching Excellence Award, Dr. Rayford G. Anthony Scholarship and the Dr. Ron Darby Scholarship. Dismuke is a 35-year member of the Association of Former Students and a permanent endowed member of the Century Club.

“The generous gifts that Rudy and Susanne have endowed to Texas A&M is a testament to their appreciation for the outstanding instruction Rudy received, their son Christopher is receiving, and it also signifies their desire for Texas A&M to continue to recognize and reward deserving students,” said Thadd Haggert, director of development for engineering with the Texas A&M Foundation.

The Dwight Look College of Engineering houses 12 engineering departments with more than 11,000 9,850 students and is ranked ninth in undergraduate and seventh in graduate studies among public universities in the nation according toU.S. News & World Report. The Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M is home to more than 850 undergraduate and graduate students.

The Texas A&M Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises major gifts and manages endowments for the sole benefit of Texas A&M University.