Your Gifts at Work

The couple is proud of their Italian heritage, it is very clear. “The chef here at the restaurant is actually from Amalfi!” says John Zaccaria, his voice booming. Elena speaks of being named for the queen of Italy, Elena Margaretta, and of the Italian dialect that was spoken in her house as she grew up. While ordering, John pronounces “gnocchi” with a certain flair. “Salute!” he toasts as the food is served.

John has a lot to be happy about these days. His portfolio is doing well and a recent federal law creating a permanent tax break gave him the ability to plan a very special gift for the University of Houston (UH). His advice for those just starting their careers? “Invest wisely during your 40- year working career, and you, too, can establish scholarship foundations to assist young students in their chosen path of study.” For those who have been saving for retirement and are ready to give back, John advises, “Educate your broker about the IRA Charitable Rollover as a way to give.” This unique opportunity gives an IRA owner who is age 70 ½ or older the right to transfer up to $100,000 yearly, free of tax, to the charitable 501(c)(3) organization of their choice. This transfer also counts toward their yearly Required Minimum Distribution.

Since 2006, it has been a painstaking ordeal for John and other donors to watch and wait to see if Congress would approve the IRA Charitable Rollover each year. In December 2015, just before the end-of-year tax documents were due, the permanent IRA Charitable Rollover was signed into law. “You’ve followed the IRA Charitable Rollover law and its progress since the beginning,” says an appreciative Robert E. King, J.D., Director of Gift Planning at the University of Houston. “This is a wonderful way to give a non-taxable amount to the causes you want to support the most.”

“Why take out the IRA money and be taxed at a higher rate, when I can transfer the full amount to the University of Houston?” Zaccaria asks. UH is the Zaccarias’ “university-away-from-home.” Tending to see UH as the cultural center of Houston, they both love to take in theater, dance and opera at the University. They give generously to Houston Public Media and the Moores School of Music, but their deferred gift to a permanent endowment is the one they are the most excited about. “Managed properly, the University will get more out of this gift in years to come,” John says. In his view, the possibilities are endless.

The Zaccarias grew up across the street from each other as children and went to the University of Pittsburgh together. They began their family and began careers: he, as a marketing and salesperson for engineering and construction services, although his degree was in Chemical Engineering, and she, as a Microbiologist. In fact, Elena worked as the Director of Infection Control for a Houston-area private hospital when she identified three cholera specimens back in the eighties. She reported her findings to the local health department and saved Houston from a cholera outbreak — caused, it turns out, by tainted oysters. The result was that she ultimately changed the oyster industry’s method of harvesting and handling oysters, thereby delivering a safer product to the dining public.

Houston has been their home for such a long time. “What I love about Houston and Texas is the can-do attitude of its people!” says Elena enthusiastically. “And the arts in the city really fit our needs,” adds John. Their love of opera was a natural lead-off to their love of puppetry. They fell in love with the art while traveling in Europe, where they witnessed a portrayal of “The Magic Flute” with marionettes. “Pittsburgh also had some of the best puppetry. It had The Lovelace Marionette Theatre,” he reminisces. “The children watch in the store fronts and there’s not a sound, they are hypnotized,” says Elena. The Zaccarias are delighted whenever Houston hosts a puppetry show that they can attend.

They have spent a considerable amount of time traveling the world, too. Their days are filled with many hobbies. Elena enjoys crafting, painting, pottery and making stained glass — and, she says, she has the smartest cat in the world. Singha, which means “lion” in Thai, fetches and carries objects for her!

Despite being retired, John is happiest when he is working on brokerage projects for friends and family. He is confident that his stock portfolio is working for him, whether he follows it closely or not. “People who watch things tend not to act!” he warns. And John is a man of action.

This new way of giving excites them both, but what really motivates them to give, as well, is the University of Houston’s Chancellor and President, Renu Khator. “She is wonderful!” says John. Elena agrees: “It doesn’t take someone being in the field, like I was for many years, to understand that our medical system needs a lot of help. Renu Khator is moving forward with a medical school, and that is just fantastic,” she shares.

Grateful that John did watch for the federal law that made the IRA Charitable Rollover a possibility, the University can thank the Zaccarias for acting immediately and making their charitable gift without losing any time. Neither one of them are alumni, yet their charitable giving to the University of Houston, the university of their city, is compelling in every way. A toast of “Salute!” is in order for the Zaccarias, for their generous natures and dedication to excellence in the city of Houston.

-Sarah F. Hill

It’s not just the University of Houston birdhouse hanging in their front yard tree, or the Cougar Red Betty sports as she opens the door. It’s a pervasive attitude that includes calling Coach Yeoman a “hero” and President Renu Khator “remarkable.” It’s a love of UH that Frank and Betty Lemmon have that can hardly be equaled.

“I wouldn’t have a college degree without UH and the night classes it offered back in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s,” says Frank. “Hugh Roy Cullen envisioned the University as a ‘working man’s college’, and it was that. I worked fulltime during my bachelor’s degree and for years while I earned my master’s degree in education,” he reflects. “University of Houston is such a different school now. There have been so many positive achievements and the number of kids living on campus now is so high—it’s great to see!” He was not surprised to hear that UH is among one of the most residential campuses in Texas, with the second most beds in the state.

Frank’s gratefulness for his degree is palpable. He went on to become a teacher, then a respected administrator in the Klein school district. “The first week of the semester at night school, the parking lot would be so full,” he remembers. “In two weeks, you wouldn’t have that problem because students were missing class. It was tough, sticking it out and going to school at night after working all day as a draftsman at Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corporation.” Frank looked longingly at the students playing cards in the Cougar Den on his way to evening classes, and knew he didn’t have time to join them. But that didn’t stop him. Besides, he had Betty getting his dinner ready before class, and she was helping him type essays, as Frank’s typing skills were less than stellar.

He got engaged to Betty at their high school senior prom, and they were married the following year. They’ve been together ever since. One of the things they have in common is that both are Life Members of the University of Houston Alumni Association, even though Betty didn’t attend school at UH. They are also members of the In Tempore Legacy Society (formerly known as the 1927 Society). “I’m glad they always made me feel like I was a part of the University,” smiles Betty.

The Lemmons have donated many gifts over the years. They have given to the College of Education, The Spirit of Houston Cougar Marching Band, the UH Alumni Association, The Honors College, the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) and are even season ticketholders for Cougar football. “We park right across the street from the new TDECU Stadium and tailgate!” says Betty. They donated a tree, in honor of both of their respective parents, to the esplanade on Cullen Boulevard and received a brick with their names on it from the old stadium before it was torn down. But the IRA Charitable Rollover is what is driving their giving right now.

Director of Gift Planning, Robert E. King, J.D., says, “The best part of the IRA Charitable Rollover is that it’s now a permanent option for donors. It takes the guesswork out of using your IRA for making gifts each year — that puts a lot of power in your hands as a donor.” He goes on to explain, “Many people who are coming up on their 50th UH reunion also are coming up on the 70 ½ year old minimum age requirement when the charitable rollover is allowed. This is a wonderful time for Golden Cougars, those who have been graduated for 50 years, to make a gift in commemoration of their milestone. What better way to show your support for the newly graduating class than to help other Cougars attain their dreams, or to honor a special professor or program?”

The fact that he is not taxed on his charitable donation to the University is a big selling point for Frank, who also gives this way to his church and other community organizations.

They are parents to two children and grandparents to three young people. Additionally, Frank enjoys reading and walking around his beautiful neighborhood in Spring, Texas. Betty loves to cook and to attend neighborhood block parties and functions. And amazingly, Frank still works! He retired in 2000 after forty years as a teacher and administrator, but still acts as a substitute administrator in Klein ISD.

The Lemmons certainly make a great team and are always rooting for UH. The permanent IRA Charitable Rollover is allowing them to give to the causes that matter to them most — and UH couldn’t be happier to have this couple among its Golden Cougars.

-Sarah F. Hill

Paul Likhari has a key piece of advice for UH students: “Take every challenge that comes your way.” That is certainly what he has done in his own life. He is inspired by trajectory and it is the momentum — of the students, the faculty and the capital campaigns — at the University of Houston that encourages Likhari to give of his resources, time and again. With the help of Paul and his wife, Manmeet, UH just is poised to clear the myriad health care hurdles that our nation faces with stealth and grace.

After earning his B.S.in Pharmacy and M.S. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Punjab University in India and immigrating to the United States, Likhari began his own pharmaceutical contract research laboratory in 1990. This company helped pharmaceutical companies get approval for their drugs from the FDA more expediently. His life work has been to help consumers get the medicine they need in a more efficient and inexpensive way. Soon after realizing the potential of his expertise, he lent it to the University of Houston by joining the UH College of Pharmacy’s Dean’s Advisory Council. His main goal: to help UH make money by doing clinical research.

When you ask him what the greatest problem facing health care today is, he will answer you: “Today’s health care comes piecemeal. Some get it from employers, some get it from Obamacare — but there is really no guarantee that everyone is getting it.” But he has some solutions: affordable prescription drugs, more community — based care centers, and primary health care for all under a universal health care system.

He began inviting Ph.D. students from UH to do drug discovery research and other clinical research in his specialized facilities in the 1990s using Mass Spectrometers. He always felt that the UHCOP needed a well-equipped laboratory to conduct cutting edge research.

The Likharis are supporting the new Health and Biomedical Sciences Building 2, the future home of the UH College of Pharmacy, with a $1 million leadership gift to create the Likhari Pharmaceutical Building Research Core Laboratory. Here, students will participate in discovering cutting-edge drugs that will treat HIV, cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as conduct clinical research and partner with the Texas Medical Center.

It was important for Likhari and his wife to give philanthropically to the University, despite the fact that neither are alumni. On the Dean’s Advisory Council, he was able to introduce Dean Pritchard to state legislators who were concerned with the disparity in funding for the UHCOP. He is delighted by the high scores of UH pharmacy school students, as well as how they excel in giving personal care to patients — some of whom are homebound, under-insured or not insured at all.

But the initiative to discover new medications and get them to those who need them most needs to expand, in their opinion. The best way to produce these medications cheaply and quickly, the Likharis believe, is by investing in the facilities that will allow UH students to access their true potential. Paul Likhari also speaks excitedly about the need for UH to have a medical school. He is passionate about the expansion of any program at UH that he sees growth potential in, and a medical school is one of those initiatives that will take UH to new heights.

Right around the same time as the groundbreaking ceremony for the HBSB 2, the Likharis embarked on a new adventure in their lives, as they became first-time grandparents. Their joy and generosity is palpable, as they discuss the future of UH, the health care field and the nation.

By Sarah F. Hill

What if crops could self-fertilize? What if gene therapy could cure some of our deadliest diseases? What if data from our hard drives could be stored in DNA? These are some of the questions asked by Dr. Emily Leproust (’01), named one of Foreign Policy magazines Top 100 Global Thinkers and Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People of 2015. With her illustrious work and growing company, Dr. Leproust is one of the top female executives in the world. She is the CEO and founder of Twist Bioscience, a company that manufactures DNA more quickly and cheaply than ever before. Despite the complicated, and sometimes controversial, nature of her work, she maintains a humble attitude, claiming that it is while on walks with her dog at the beach, near her home in San Francisco, that she gets her inspiration.

Leproust specialized in DNA chemistry as a student at the University of Houston (UH); now, she is a loyal donor who helps students to study at UH with their own chemistry fellowships. During her time at UH, under the professorship of Dr. Xiaolian Gao, she helped to create microarray technology that enabled thousands of small oligos (short pieces of DNA) to be synthesized in parallel. This was eventually patented. Born in France, her major epiphany while at UH was, “I’m not going back to France — I’m staying here!” The reason? She discovered just how receptive America was to the idea of one starting a company, as long as one worked hard enough. It was a spark she already had, as her parents had started their very own company when she was young. It seemed like the natural thing to do once she identified the need for DNA to be created more quickly and at a lesser cost than it was being manufactured. Soon, Twist Bioscience was born, and began manufacturing synthetic DNA using silicon instead of plastic.

Twist Bioscience has four major types of customers. The first group is made up of academics who need DNA to conduct research; the second group are medical researchers who use DNA at the beginning of experiments and use it to develop vaccines and drugs; the third group are those who make industrial chemicals; and the fourth are agricultural biologists who need DNA to increase crop yield.

The most important contributions to society that Twist Bioscience makes, in Leproust’s estimation, are threefold. First, she maintains that products, like plastics, can be manufactured in a sustainable way — without using oil — since her company’s customers use a yeast fermentation process which pulls carbon from the air. The second contribution is that Twist Bioscience contributes to human health through the development of new gene therapies that will cure many diseases. Thirdly, since these years are the golden era of biology by many scientists’ standards, Twist Bioscience is adding to the economic growth of the country. Genes are big business and as outlined earlier, there are many different uses and customers for this type of material.

So where does Leproust see her company in ten years? “I foresee a future where data is stored in DNA, as one of the market applications of our DNA synthesis.” Since data is a series of numbers, 0s and 1s, they can be sequenced in such a way that a building block of DNA corresponds with each number. That way, you would never have to be worried about your hard drive crashing. DNA stored data would always be accessible and could never be lost. “I also expect that we will integrate vertically within multiple market segments including industrial chemicals, pharmaceuticals and antibodies, among others.” she says. Leproust counts herself lucky to be able to make the world a better place. “DNA has a great potential to have a positive impact on humanity,” she says. She also believes in giving back, and has contributed to chemistry fellowship graduate students in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at UH. “You help your family,” she explains graciously. “I received a fellowship while at UH and I want to encourage others to be their best.”

Her advice for current UH students is: “Try to be your best every day. Strive to be the best at whatever it is you do.” Leproust certainly takes this sentiment to heart as she attempts to better the living conditions of the planet with her work in synthetic DNA.

To keep up with the exciting work of Dr. Leproust and Twist Bioscience, please feel free to follow them at @emilyleproust or @twistbioscience. Or you can visit www.twistbioscience.com.

By Sarah F. Hill

Being of service to others was of the utmost importance to Dr. Mary Ruth Lewis, Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW) professor emerita and champion for social work, children and families. Since 1980, when she was hired away from the University of Alabama to develop the Children and Family concentration in the GCSW’s Master of Social Work (MSW) curriculum, Dr. Lewis accomplished much in the way of providing legal rights for children.

Oftentimes working within complex political processes, she championed social policy changes that addressed the involvement of youth directly in political mechanisms, recognizing children as citizens of the state, not just recipients of services. In her own words “The concept of family policy that propelled European countries into offering a wide array of benefits and services that support parents in their parenting roles was not taken up in the U.S.” This frustrated Dr. Lewis, but spurred her on to action—writing many articles that appeared in peer-reviewed, international journals. She single-handedly developed curriculum for the GCSW’s Children and Family concentration. She also organized the first ever trip abroad for the GCSW students, which is today a unique feature of the opportunities afforded MSW students. “Mary recognized the importance of global understanding having studied in the United Kingdom,” remembers former Dean Ira Colby. “Through her passion for this form of international engagement, Mary lead the College’s first international study abroad course and, because of her vision and commitment to global studies, today the GCSW is recognized as one of the leading international social work education programs.”

An undergraduate history major, Lewis received her M.A. in Public Administration from the University of Alabama, in 1952 and went on to receive her M.S.W. in Social Work from the University of Denver in 1961. In 1973, she graduated with her Ph.D. in Social Work and Social Research from Bryn Mawr College. She worked at many different universities before putting down roots at the University of Houston in 1980. “Her voice was loud and clear on issues she felt strongly about,” remembers Interim Dean Dr. Paul Raffoul.

A 2009 Inductee to the University of Alabama’s School of Social Work Hall of Fame, Lewis intended to leave behind a legacy at the GCSW, where she pursued her career for over twenty years. She even notified the University of a proposed, planned gift in her estate. Her generous intention was to create the Mary R. Lewis College Professorship Endowment in Children and Youth in the Graduate College of Social Work, which would support either a full-time tenured faculty member or a visiting professor in the area to which she dedicated her scholarly and professional life.

Dr. Mary Lewis has contributed broadly to the success of the GCSW, and to its internal governance, as well. In 2002 and 2003, the GCSW created a Faculty Association with a faculty member elected to run the Association’s monthly meetings. “Mary was unanimously elected the Association’s first chair,” says Colby. The very first gavel for this Association was made and named after Mary. He remembers the woman as not just a colleague—but as a friend, as well. “Following her retirement Mary was a constant presence in the College returning for graduations and participating in special events such as holiday parties or scholarship galas. She always had a smile and a warm hug,” said Colby.
It is a sad day when one who gave so much of herself is lost, but her legacy at UH will live on through the many students who were influenced by her teaching, through her planned gift and through her many contributions to the field of Social Work. A fellow social worker at the University of Houston, Sandra Lopez, is amazed by the fact that Dr. Lewis worked in so many capacities for justice. When Dr. Lewis was honored with a National Association of Social Workers Lifetime Achievement award, Lopez said: “It is both remarkable and impressive to note that Dr. Lewis has played a multitude of social work roles such as practitioner, grant-writer, program developer, researcher, consultant, educator, author, advocate, collaborator and mentor.” She will be greatly remembered by the wide array of people she taught, helped and inspired.

Alan Davis (MSACCY ’76), also known as Dad, Uncle Al or Grampa by his own admission, is involved in a lot of activities, which manifests in his motto: “Life is fun if you let it be!” His to-do list is a mile long. “I could clone myself three times and still not get everything I want done,” he jokes. “Maybe that’s an exaggeration. Maybe I could clone myself twice and not get everything I want done!”

by Sarah F. Hill

For one, he works in his impressive garden and waits for between 30,000 and 40,000 daffodils, jonquils and narcissus to bloom in his yard each year. He practices glass etching, and has been featured in an article in A&E magazine — the magazine for Awards and Engraving Professionals. He is inspired by nature; his featured and most often replicated etching is of a cluster of five maple leaves he picked in his yard. Then there’s the book the dean of the C.T. Bauer School of Business is encouraging him to write about pivot tables, a feature of Microsoft Excel. When they met for a dinner in Ohio recently, Dean Latha Ramchand was so impressed with his knowledge of the complicated feature, she suggested he write a book about his extensive and unique use of the element of such tables. He admits it is slow- going, but it has definitely piqued his interest.
He is involved with politics and monetary policy and anxiously awaits the President’s unveiling of the United States budget each year, surrounded by piles of papers and file cabinets full of data. He reflects on budget-related matters in his political blog. Add to that the fact he is not entirely retired from his job in operational accounting and that he has children and grandchildren to spend time with, and you can see how Davis keeps himself so busy.

Having just announced a planned gift to the University that has given him such a successful career, he relates, “My wife and I had a plan for what to do with our surplus: a percentage to our children, of course, and then to local charities. We both went to college and graduate school and we feel we owe something back to maintain the legacies of those institutions.” His future giving is secured and it allows him to live fully in the present, making the most of every opportunity for artistic and other pursuits that he finds lend flavor to his life.

Davis received his B.A. in anthropology and geography from the University of Kansas. His parents made sure he was serious about college by requiring him to pay for his freshman year by himself. (He wound up paying for all but one semester.) They also were great role models in other ways. His mother got her degree in home economics and in the 1970s received her master’s degree in education. “My mother was a dynamic woman,” he remembers.

After relocating to Houston, he realized that working in warehouses in the heat of summer was not for him and he remembered what his parents had stressed about the importance of a job with benefits. He liked numbers, word problems and doing statistics, so he took the graduate entrance exam and began UH’s Master of Science in Accountancy program, while continuing to work 50 hours a week.

When he graduated in 1976, he made his way to the “placement center,” now, Career Services, and noticed a job that required one year of accounting and one year of hospital experience. He didn’t think he’d qualify, so he applied for other openings instead. It was then that a UH alum called him up and asked him to interview for the job— the one he felt unqualified for. The interview went amazingly well and he was soon the assistant controller in healthcare finance at Doctors Hospital in Conroe.
He humbly acknowledges that without the help of another UH alumnus, he would not have the career he’s had. The leap of faith that man took when he hired Davis was largely based on the fact that an education from UH is well-regarded.

When he moved his family to Ohio, he didn’t realize he’d be starting a sibling rivalry. One of his daughters attended and graduated from UH, and his two sons graduated from the University of Cincinnati. So the Coogs versus the Cincinnati Bearcats is a real source of tension in his family. “Plus I’m a Kansas Jayhawk, too!” he laughs. “UH was important to me in my life and career, and now it’s important to my daughter,” he says, which is a good feeling.

His wife, Jennifer Allen, a pediatrician for 28 years, is also a heart-transplant survivor and together they sit on the board of Hope Clinic in Chillicothe. In addition to writing donor letters and performing quality control checks on all the charts, she succeeded in recruiting Davis, with his excessive knowledge of accounting, to be the CFO of the clinic. “It’s been an awesome experience, putting our faith into action,” he says of helping the less fortunate with medical treatment. Hope Clinic is just one more example of how Davis puts his accounting background and knowledge of financial workings to good use.

Supporting the C.T. Bauer College of Business regularly for more than 10 years came naturally to Davis, as did the addition of his planned gift. “It’s a great way to make an impact even if you’re not wealthy!” he says as he encourages others to give to their alma maters. And making an impact is what Davis does every day—just ask the people who will drive by his yard and witness the gorgeous display of brightly colored flowers this Spring.