Texas Woman’s University Gets Record Gift for Aviation

TX – On May 17, 2023, Texas Woman’s University received a record $15 million gift from the Doswell Foundation that will enable the school to begin a new aviation program. With an industry-wide shortage of pilots, this generous gift gives TWU an opportunity to encourage and assist women who are interested in pursuing a career in aviation.

CNN recently referred to the upcoming pilot retirements as a tsunami, as it’s estimated that more than half of working pilots today will reach the mandatory age of retirement, 65, in the next 15 years. Not enough young people are on a career trajectory that will fill that void, but renewed interest and funding to promote aviation will help.

Texas Woman’s University and the Doswell Foundation have both historically supported advancing professional opportunities for women, especially in fields where they’re largely underrepresented. With the creation of the Doswell School of Aeronautical Science, they’re hoping to offer a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Sciences with a track in professional pilot training and another track in aviation management.

This gift of $15 million is the largest gift ever from a single foundation for Texas Woman’s, but it is not the only financial gift TWU has received from the Doswell Foundation. Florence and Houston J. Doswell worked side by side in life and business until his death in 1974. She continued working in oil and natural gas ventures until 2008, when she donated $3 million to Texas Woman’s University and became a philanthropist – at the time, that was one of the largest gifts the school had ever received from one person.

At roughly the same time, Mrs. Doswell established the Houston J. and Florence A. Doswell Foundation, which continues today, more than a decade after Florence’s passing.