Dr Thomas S Loftus
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The Tom and Margaret Loftus Academic Leadership Rugby Scholarship has been established.
Distributions from this endowment will be used to provide one or more scholarships to full-time students with at least one semester of playing time on the men's rugby team as a first-side player and maintenance of a GPA of at least 3.25, pursuing a degree at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Dr Loftus played rugby as a student at Texas A&M and continued to play long after graduation. It was the extracurricular activity that contributed greatly to his Aggie experience.
“Rugby in general mirrors in many ways the values that make Texas A&M so special,” Loftus said.
“It promotes brotherhood, humility, respect, and sacrifice. Because these qualities are so important to me and have impacted each and every day of my life, I felt it important to simultaneously give back to the two organizations that I feel truly value and promote them: Texas A&M and the sport of rugby.”
Loftus says it was an easy and natural decision; “to name it after my Mom and Dad is simply my way of recognizing the two people who first instilled these values in me.”
A native of Marble Falls, Texas, Loftus earned a B.S. in Zoology from Texas A&M and a Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1997. He completed his residency training in Neurological Surgery at the University of Missouri and has made significant contributions in his field.
He has invented and submitted patent applications for a minimally-invasive spine retractor system and a minimally-invasive spine surgery technique, as well as founding the Austin Neurosurgical Institute (2003) and the Minimally-Invasive Spine Surgery Center of Austin (2007).
Active in his discipline, he is a member of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, American Academy of Physicians and Surgeons, and the North American Spine Society.
Dr Loftus hopes his gift will not only ease the financial burden of deserving students, but in a symbolic manner shows that an Aggie’s support of the university doesn’t end upon graduation.
He describes the chance to give back to Texas A&M as an incredible blessing and extremely gratifying. “Giving in any form is rewarding in and of itself,” Loftus continues. “We all have people and organizations in our life that have provided an enduring and meaningful impact. If life affords an opportunity to give back to those people or organizations, that opportunity should be seized.”
Donors may direct their gifts, large or small, to an existing fund or, like Dr Loftus, design and name their own endowment, which is designed to provide funds in perpetuity.
For more information on establishing scholarships or contributing to Student Affairs, please contact the Student Affairs Development Office at 979-458-1689.
