Spring Break
Texas A&M scholarship honors alumni
Class of 1975 establishes scholarship for classmate
By: Beck, Chrisen
Issue date: 6/23/09 Section: News
Members of the Class of 1975 have established a petroleum engineering undergraduate scholarship in memory of their classmate Charles A. Rohan, retired Chevron engineer.
Discussions about establishing the Charles A. Rohan Memorial Scholarship started in 2006, said Brady Bullard, petroleum engineering director of development.
Soon after discussions began Rohan passed away in Richmond,Texas, Bullard said.
Rohan was devoted to Texas A&M, Bullard said.
"He was a true, bleed-maroon Aggie. [He] wanted his kids to go to A&M, and loved the school."
After graduation, Rohan interned at Getty Oil in Conroe, Texas. He later became area engineer for Getty Oil Onshore in Lafayette, La. He spent his 29-year career with Getty Oil, through its merger with Texaco and then Texaco's merger with Chevron, until his retirement in 2002. In addition, Rohan served as a Getty Oil recruiter at Texas A&M job fairs and as a member of Texaco's first response team for the U.S.
Though Rohan began his college career at Mississippi State University, he considered Aggieland his home, said Toni Rohan, his wife.
"Charles was an avid Aggie," Toni said.
Rohan would have been excited and pleased about the honorary scholarship, Toni said.
The endowment of $275,000 given to the Texas A&M Foundation and raised by the Class of 1975 alumni will be distributed among four students each year, once fully funded.
Scholarship applicants must show leadership, good academic standing, a financial need and have a grade point ratio of 3.5 in their department coursework and an overall minimum 3.0 GPR.
Class of 1975 members Terry Rathert, Ted Smith and class representative Trent Latshaw were instrumental in collecting the endowment, Bullard said. Latshaw, Rathert, Smith and other class members traveled to College Station last spring to attend the Dallas Baptist baseball game and celebrate the endowment's success.
"That right there shows how important A&M is to them and remains in their lives," Bullard said. "That says a ton about what these guys think of the University."
The donors were excited to honor their friend and classmate, said John Gillespie, Class of 1975 and Rohan's former Getty Oil co-worker.
Rohan was a leader, a man dedicated to his family and his work as a petroleum engineer, Gillespie said.
"Everyone rallied around the chance to do something for Charlie," Gillespie said. "All of who came together as part of the schools were very excited about the scholarship, and hoped this will build a new generation of leaders for petroleum engineering."
A class of alumni privately developing a scholarship in petroleum engineering is highly unusual, Rathert said.
"[The Charles A. Rohan Memorial Scholarship] is the first of its kind in that context," he said.
Class members may increase the endowment, making the scholarship a potentially significant fund for future petroleum engineering students, Rathert said.
Discussions about establishing the Charles A. Rohan Memorial Scholarship started in 2006, said Brady Bullard, petroleum engineering director of development.
Soon after discussions began Rohan passed away in Richmond,Texas, Bullard said.
Rohan was devoted to Texas A&M, Bullard said.
"He was a true, bleed-maroon Aggie. [He] wanted his kids to go to A&M, and loved the school."
After graduation, Rohan interned at Getty Oil in Conroe, Texas. He later became area engineer for Getty Oil Onshore in Lafayette, La. He spent his 29-year career with Getty Oil, through its merger with Texaco and then Texaco's merger with Chevron, until his retirement in 2002. In addition, Rohan served as a Getty Oil recruiter at Texas A&M job fairs and as a member of Texaco's first response team for the U.S.
Though Rohan began his college career at Mississippi State University, he considered Aggieland his home, said Toni Rohan, his wife.
"Charles was an avid Aggie," Toni said.
Rohan would have been excited and pleased about the honorary scholarship, Toni said.
The endowment of $275,000 given to the Texas A&M Foundation and raised by the Class of 1975 alumni will be distributed among four students each year, once fully funded.
Scholarship applicants must show leadership, good academic standing, a financial need and have a grade point ratio of 3.5 in their department coursework and an overall minimum 3.0 GPR.
Class of 1975 members Terry Rathert, Ted Smith and class representative Trent Latshaw were instrumental in collecting the endowment, Bullard said. Latshaw, Rathert, Smith and other class members traveled to College Station last spring to attend the Dallas Baptist baseball game and celebrate the endowment's success.
"That right there shows how important A&M is to them and remains in their lives," Bullard said. "That says a ton about what these guys think of the University."
The donors were excited to honor their friend and classmate, said John Gillespie, Class of 1975 and Rohan's former Getty Oil co-worker.
Rohan was a leader, a man dedicated to his family and his work as a petroleum engineer, Gillespie said.
"Everyone rallied around the chance to do something for Charlie," Gillespie said. "All of who came together as part of the schools were very excited about the scholarship, and hoped this will build a new generation of leaders for petroleum engineering."
A class of alumni privately developing a scholarship in petroleum engineering is highly unusual, Rathert said.
"[The Charles A. Rohan Memorial Scholarship] is the first of its kind in that context," he said.
Class members may increase the endowment, making the scholarship a potentially significant fund for future petroleum engineering students, Rathert said.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com