A Legacy of Giving

When Kay and Charlie Pence purchased their ranch in Comfort, Texas, they made a list of projects that they wanted to complete to improve it and restore it to its original glory. One key project was dredging the lake and refining its appearance. Unfortunately, that project didn’t get completed before Charlie passed on March 10, 2023. 

Six years earlier in 2018, Charlie and Kay had decided to give the ranch to the Texas A&M Foundation. By gifting the ranch through a retained life estate, the ranch belongs to Texas A&M Foundation with the provision that the Pences are able to live the rest of their lives on the property. After their passing, the foundation will sell the ranch and proceeds will go directly to the causes that they designated and cared about most. This gift was just one of the many donations to Texas A&M in a long history of giving.  Prior to gifting their ranch in a retained life estate, the Pences had already contributed over $2 million in scholarships supporting students and programs at the university.

The earnings specifically from Pence Ranch will go toward several programs and scholarship funds. The Corps 21 Scholarships are granted to cadets who display academic excellence and leadership.

“The Corps has seen so much improvement and growth in the past few years, and we want the organization to keep thriving,” Charlie told the Texas A&M Foundation Magazine in 2018. “Today’s cadets have an incredible academic record. And with the Corps’ growing numbers, there’s an increased need for financial assistance.” Charlie, a long-standing member of the Corps of Cadets, served in the U.S. Army right after graduating.

Their gift also creates a scholarship fund for veterinary students, as well as offering support for programs in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science. Just as the support for the Corps reflects Charlie’s appreciation, the funding of these programs is a reflection of Kay’s love for animals.

Lastly, the revenue from Pence Ranch will support the Singing Cadets, Texas A&M’s men’s chorus.

“There are thousands of students that struggle to pay for their education, and if proceeds from the ranch can help with that then that is the best use of our ranch,” Kay wrote to ENVIROdredge. “Charlie always said ‘Money is chaff; it’s what you do with it that matters.’ We chose to have a life estate in the ranch, which allows us to live here until the last to pass. So this is A&M’s ranch and we just want to be good stewards of (it).”

Almost two years after Charlie’s passing, ENVIROdredge is working to restore the lake to its full beauty. During the process, the team discovered a spring that had stopped flowing due to silt build-up, making it a functional spring once more. The dredging project has made a major impact on the size and depth of the lake.

“I was so blessed to be married to Charlie. He was an amazing man, and we shared the vision for the ranch and A&M’s gift. I know Charlie is looking down and smiling,” Kay wrote. “Thanks (to) all of you with ENVIROdredge for making our project come to fruition, and doing it with such professionalism and dedication.”

Hydraulic dredge removing sediment buildup and pumping to a sediment containment bag for dewatering.