Your contribution, our future

• Support a cause that's important to you with a planned gift
• Put your assets to work with our tax-efficient charitable strategies
• Take advantage of the many benefits of making a gift

Thibodeaux legacy gift awards more than $6 million in scholarships through decades

Photo: Scholarship recipients and President E. Joseph Savoie gathered in 2013 with Margaret Rucks, the niece of Clare Roy Thibodeaux, and W.W. Rucks III (now deceased), an emeritus member of the UL Lafayette Foundation Board of Trustees and former executor of Clare Thibodeaux's estate.

Dr. Ben and Clare Roy Thibodeaux lived and worked across the globe, but their Acadiana roots shine through their generous gift and namesake scholarship at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Legacy giving has perpetual benefits, and the Dr. Ben and Clare Roy Thibodeaux Scholarship is a prime example of the difference a planned gift can make.

The endowed scholarship was established through a bequest and has provided more than $6 million to more than 1,300 students since 2004. The scholarship is offered to incoming freshmen from Lafayette and St. Martin parishes who have an ACT score of 28 or better and at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

The Thibodeaux's $8 million bequest, the largest-ever private gift to the University at the time it was received nearly two decades ago, is now valued at more than $14 million, a testament to the continuous impact of endowments.

Jasmin Honegger, who graduated from UL Lafayette with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 2015, a master's from Colorado School of Mines in 2017, and a PhD from Colorado School of Mines in 2020 spoke about the impact the generous scholarship had on her studies. "Having financial support while at UL allowed me to focus on my studies and achieve my career goal of becoming a biomechanical engineer. This drove me to pursue bigger goals such as obtaining my PhD and working overseas as well. Even years later, I realize how helpful that assistance was and am grateful for their generosity."

Dr. Benjamin Thibodeaux, a native of Breaux Bridge, La., worked in economic research for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He conducted economic studies for the government in South America, the Middle East, and North Africa. After serving the U.S. Army during World War II as a colonel in the General Staff Corps, he entered the U.S. Foreign Service. His postings included Paris, Vienna, Ottawa, and Washington, D.C. His last assignment was as minister for economic affairs of the Consul General and director of the U.S. Operations Mission in Japan. He retired in 1962 and died in 1996.

Clare Roy Thibodeaux received a bachelor's degree in education from UL Lafayette and attended the Sorbonne in Paris. She taught in the Lafayette Parish School System for three years. Clare Thibodeaux accompanied her husband abroad for many years. While in Japan, she pursued her interest in flower arranging, attending the Sogetsu School. She was a member of Ikebana International. Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. She passed away in 2001.

The Thibodeauxs heartily believed in helping students achieve their dream of receiving a college education. Their bequest is allowing many students' dreams to come true.