Ed and Janet Harte gave the Wave of the Future campaign a shot in the arm when they first gave an unrestricted gift of $1 million as announced during the Wave of the Future Capital Campaign Gala Oct. 18, 1997. Last August we announced an anonymous gift of $3.5 million through the Coastal Bend Community Foundation to go toward the Performing Arts Center. It has since been revealed that Ed Harte was the donor of this gift also. These two gifts, totaling $4.5 million, have set a new standard in generosity locally and will garner national acclaim.

With a year left in the public phase of the capital campaign, our goals for 1999 go beyond raising the remaining $5 million. During this campaign we have taken the next critical steps in building a top-notch advancement organization to build support for the Island University.

A national alumni campaign--the first major drive to use students to call all alumni--is contacting the alumni for financial and personal support. The friends campaign, which is based on the President's Council of major community donors, is now expanding to reach all citizens. New campaign leaders have been recruited and are becoming new advocates of A&M-Corpus Christi.

And best of all, the dramatic philanthropic support of Ed & Janet Harte has inspired others to consider gifts of a magnitude that will bring success to our ambitious campaign. The next issue of this magazine will bring to readers some special donor surprises...thanks to Ed and Janet Harte.