George Washington Brackenridge was born in Warwick County, Indiana on January 14, 1832. He was the second of eight children born to John Adams and Isabella (McCullough) Brackenridge. Mr. Brackenridge attended Hanover College, Indiana University Bloomington, and Harvard University.
Mr. Brackenridge's handprints are all over San Antonio. He played a key role in the development of the San Antonio Water Works, helped organize and was the president of both the San Antonio National Bank and the San Antonio Land and Trust, and donated the initial acreage for what became Brackenridge Park.
Mr. Brackenridge gave away the bulk of his personal wealth during his lifetime to support educational opportunities for all, including women and African Americans, unpopular stances at the time. He backed this up with philanthropic support, including multiple gifts to the University of Texas at Austin (where he was a regent from 1886 to 1911) to provide loans for female students pursuing degrees in architecture, law, and medicine. He even provided funds for the construction of a female dorm after being offered a lack of living quarters as a reason for the small number of female students attending the University of Texas Medical School at Galveston.
In 1899, Mr. Brackenridge was elected the first president of the San Antonio school board. He later funded the construction of a new high school, as well as its library, in San Antonio. Though he never stipulated that a building or a gift bear his name, the city honored his gift by naming the new school G.W. Brackenridge High School.
Mr. Brackenridge was never married and died in San Antonio on December 28, 1920. His former home, which he lived in from 1869 to 1887, was purchased by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and remains part of the University of the Incarnate Word campus. He left the bulk of his estate to a trust, the first of its kind in Texas and one of the first in the United States, to be used for educational purposes.
Today, the George W. Brackenridge Foundation is proud to continue Mr. Brackenridge's efforts through its support of education in the greater San Antonio area.
Team
Randy J. Boatright
Randy J. Boatright
Randy J. Boatright
Randall J. Boatright has served as a trustee for the George W. Brackenridge Foundation since 2010. Mr. Boatright was raised in West Texas and is the owner and founder of Boatright Oil & Gas Properties, LLC, a firm that specializes in all phases of management of surface lands and mineral rights in multiple states. He holds a B.A. in Psychology from Texas State University and has served on numerous local and national oil and gas industry association boards and committees. Mr. Boatright lives in San Antonio with his wife Linda. Together they have five grown children and ten grandchildren.
Victoria B. Rico
Randy J. Boatright
Randy J. Boatright
Victoria Branton Rico is a native of San Antonio and the current chairwoman of the George W. Brackenridge Foundation. In 2009, she became a trustee for the Foundation and has been heavily involved in San Antonio’s education quality ever since. In 2011, she wrote “A Proposed Strategy for San Antonio: High-Quality Charter Replication” which was the foundation for Choose to Succeed and its efforts. Victoria serves on the board of Choose to Succeed. She holds a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University. She and her husband, Martin Rico, live in San Antonio with their two children.
David H.O. Roth
David H.O. Roth
David H.O. Roth
David Harold Obledo Roth serves as a trustee of the George W. Brackenridge Foundation. Mr. Roth is a shareholder with Elder Bray & Bankler PC where he is board certified in Oil, Gas and Mineral Law by the Texas State Board of Legal Specialization. He holds a B.A in economics from UTSA, and went on to serve as a Field Artillery Officer with the US Army. After service, he earned a J.D. with honors from UT Law. A lifelong resident of San Antonio (of which he is proud isn’t anything like Austin), David and his wife Rachelle have two grown children. Outside of his role as a trustee for the Foundation, David advises clients on the full range of legal issues related to natural resource development and use, including oil, gas, water, renewables, energy and environmental matters.
Nora J. Walsh
David H.O. Roth
David H.O. Roth
Nora J. Walsh, Executive Director, joined the Brackenridge Foundation in 2013 and is continuously inspired by the positive impact the Foundation has on the San Antonio educational landscape. Prior to joining Brackenridge, Nora's professional life in education spanned preschool through college, including past positions in Major Giving at Trinity University and as the Enrollment & Marketing Director at Providence Catholic School. Nora lives in San Antonio with her husband, a dedicated employee of USAA for over thirty years. They have three grown daughters who work in education and one granddaughter who loves school.