Upon her death in 1989, the Board of Regents accepted a gift of $10,000 from the estate of Betty Thompson to establish an endowment to provide program enhancements for the Division of Recreational Sports.



History of Betty Ann Thompson: 1928-1989

Betty Ann Thompson served The University of Texas at Austin and generations of its students through her lifelong dedication and commitment to physical activity and fitness and to the value of sport. Under her leadership, the Division of Recreational Sports succeeded in adding an outdoor adventures program, aerobic classes, a formal open recreation program and more than doubled the participation in the men’s, women’s and coed intramural programs.

Betty Thompson came to The University of Texas in 1954, after receiving degrees at The University of Wisconsin (B.S.) and The Ohio State University (M.A.). During her 34-year association with this institution, she rose through the faculty ranks and became Professor of Kinesiology and Health Education.  Professor Thompson served as Chair of the Department of Required Physical Training for Women in 1968 and the same year was appointed Director of Women’s Intramurals.  In 1972 she was named Director of Recreational Sports for both men and women – the first woman to be appointed at a major American university – a position which she held until her retirement in 1988. At the inception of UT’s women’s intercollegiate athletics program in 1974, she was interim Director in its critical first year and remained a close advisor and a loyal Lady Longhorn fan.

Betty Thompson had a special talent for building a team of students, faculty, administrators and staff and, through collaborative efforts, achieving mutual objectives for the overall betterment of The University. She was a quiet crusader whose warm humor, whose counsel, steady guidance, and perseverance advanced the program of recreational sports at The University of Texas at Austin.

Associate Vice President and Director Tom Dison credits Ms. Thompson for achieving two of the most important watershed moments in RecSports history: the formation and creation of the Division of Recreational Sports in the early 1970s, and the passage of a 1985 student referendum in which students voted for the first time to build a new recreational center and pay for it with student fees. ”It was the right place and the right time for Betty’s influence to guide others to do great things,” noted Mr. Dison.

“The dream of Betty Thompson was to provide the opportunity for each of us to experience the joy of sport,” remembers Mr. Dison. “Whether on an intramural team or in a sport club, whether backpacking in the wilderness or exercising in a class, today’s students are a continuation of her dream. Betty Thompson was in the right place at the right time and we are all the better for it.”

Growing a Legacy

Thanks to those listed below for their generous gifts.

Carl W. Abendroth
Lexa M. Acker
Amarillo National Bank Ware Foundation
Mark Baletka
Patricia L. Birch
Barbara H. Bowman
William C. Boyce
Mac Brannen, M.D.
Barbara A. Brimi
June Burke
Cynthia M. Cain
Robert G. Childress
Margie Coleman
William H. Cunningham, Ph.D.
Thomas W. Dison
Mrs. Carolyn B. Durbin
Lynne T. Edgerton
Brian D. Ernest
F&S Partners Incorporated
Ray Farabee
Randall A. Ford
Alice H. Furrh
Jayson S. Galler
Rene A. Garza
N.O. Gerald
Gibson & Younger Properties
Donald Goerner
Jeff Gossett
Norman Hackerman, Ph.D.
Michael L. Haley
Billy D. Head
Robert P. Higley
Shirley M. Hord
W.K. Horwitz, D.D.S.
Jack E. Hurley
Robert C. Jeffrey
Henry M. Jungman
Reta Kays
Lynn Kercheval
Karl K. Klein
Stephen B. Knight
Weir Labbat, III
Donna A. Lopiano, Ph. D.
Bailey M. Marshall, Ph. D.
Rueben R. McDaniel, Ph. D.
Ronald E. McGinnis
Amelia M. Menchetti
Matthew W. Meyers
Brown Distributing Company
Jim D. Miller
Margaretnel R. Miller
Robert V. Miller
N.A.H. Inc.
NationsBank
Shirley H. Quincy
Eliza L. Randall
Al Reese
L.E. Rhoades, Jr.
Riata Development L.L.C.
Betty Risley, Ph.D.
Darrell K. Royal
Rodney L. Schlosser
Weller M. Seiders
Mike G. Sheridan
Fred Shin
Mary L. St. Clair
Diane Gail Stewart
Helen A. Tackett
William J. Taylor
Kenneth W. Tyson
United States Tennis Association (USTA)
Gustavo Vega
Patricia A. Weis
Custis Wright

Make an Endowment Contribution

Your tax-deductible contributions to the endowment in honor of Mrs. Thompson are welcomed. Online contributions can be made through UT Online Giving. Checks should be made payable to The University of Texas at Austin and mailed to:

Friends of RecSports
Attn: Development Coordinator
1 University Station D7500
Austin, Texas  78712-0395