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Giving Back
This department contains multiple stories. Please make a selection:
› Building an Endowment is a Family Affair
› Aggie Family Loses Long-time Supporters
› New Giving Club Honors Gerald Thomas
› Endowments Run in this Family
› President's Associates Scholarships Popular
› Building a Family Legacy
Endowments Run in this Family By Ann Palormo
Damon and Marie Bond established an endowment in their sons' names.
Often the positive feedback that donors receive when they create an endowment prompts them to repeat the process or motivates other family members to take similar steps. Such is the case for Bobby and Margie Rankin and her parents, Damon and Marie Bond.

With help from close friends and relatives, Margie and Bobby began the Bobby Rankin Judging Teams Endowment while Bobby was head of the Animal and Range Sciences Department at New Mexico State University. The goal of the fund is to strengthen the department's competitive judging teams for livestock, horses, dairy, wool and range plants.

The Rankin Judging Team Endowment helps with travel and also may provide modest scholarships. Rankin, who was a member of the Livestock Team, the Meats team, and the Rodeo Team at Texas A&M College says, "My best friends at A&M developed from my experiences with these extracurricular activities. The competition spurred interest and the opportunity to travel and meet industry leaders was invaluable. I wanted to help NMSU students have similar experiences."

Two years ago, Margie's parents, Damon and Marie Bond, set up the Michael and Paul Bond endowment in memory of their two sons. Damon Michael, who was afflicted with cerebral palsy, died at the age of 39 in 1988. Their other son, Paul Wayne, who ranched on the family ranch in Eddy County until his death from a heart attack in 1989, left a son, Mark and a daughter, Karla.

Although financial hardships within their families kept Marie and Damon from finishing high school or attending college, they believe strongly in the value of education, both to the individual and to society. They have a strong affinity for NMSU in part because their daughter and three granddaughters have received degrees from the university. The Bond endowment supports students from Carlsbad and Eddy County attending New Mexico State.

Last year, the Rankins, along with Margie's parents, began the Margie Rankin Endowed Fund "Art for Kids." Believing that education is indeed the key to success and realizing that the public schools could benefit from an increased focus on art, Margie's vision is "that 'Art for Kids' would be developed especially for elementary children, for whom visual-spatial is their preferred learning style and others, who, although not their learning style, can grow by gaining an appreciation of art."

"Art for Kids" learning experiences are to take place in the NMSU Art Gallery with an NMSU art student, preferably a graduate student, serving as the teacher. This student would benefit financially, as well as growing in teaching knowledge and learning to relate with the community. Others are encouraged to contribute to this endowment or to create their own in support of the "Art for Kids" program.
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