Couple Honors 4-H and Texas A&M University with Scholarship
SAN MARCOS – Garland and Mildred Powers of San Marcos wanted to do something special to honor the 100th anniversary of the Texas 4-H program.
“4-H is truly a magical thing for young people, and I’m constantly amazed at what 4-H can do,” Mildred said. “So Garland and I wanted to honor the organization through a scholarship.”
The Powers committed $50,000 toward this scholarship and asked Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture Development Council to join them by providing a one-to-one funding match. Together, they created the $100,000 COADC Mildred H. and Garland A. Powers, Jr. ‘45 Texas 4-H Council Scholarship.
"The Texas 4-H Council is our premier 4-H leadership group," said Dr. Martha Couch, associate director - 4-H and youth development. "It is so gratifying that Mr. and Mrs. Powers have honored our program and our outstanding youth with this gift."
Mildred was the 4-H specialist who began the Texas 4-H Council in 1954, Couch added.
"I was one of four State 4-H Club leaders hired to combine the boys and girls 4-H clubs,” Mildred said. “It was a remarkable experience, and it’s one of my best memories."
The Powers established their scholarship at A&M due to the university’s strong connection with the Texas 4-H program and Garland’s long family history with the institution.
"I was in the A&M class of ‘45," Garland said. "My grandfather was in the class of 1881 and was one of the first to attend A&M. And my father was class of ‘17 and was captain of the baseball team."
Garland graduated from A&M with a degree in animal husbandry in 1948, after delaying his schooling to join the Marines during World War II.
The Texas 4-H scholarship was not the first the Powers had established at A&M. In 2000, as a unique way to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary, the Powers made gifts to the Texas A&M Foundation which created a President’s Endowed Scholarship and four Earl Rudder Scholarships.
“If it wasn’t for A&M, Mildred and I would have probably never gotten together,” Garland said.
The Powers originally knew one another from their work in the late 1940s with Texas Agricultural Extension Service, now known as Texas AgriLife Extension Service, part of the Texas A&M System. Garland served as an assistant county agent in Matagorda County, while Mildred was a home demonstration assistant in Ft. Bend County.
In 1950, Garland was called for active service in Korea. The couple corresponded during the war and reconnected on his return to the U.S. They later married, then in 1958 moved to Guadalupe County.
Over the subsequent years, they raised a son and began a non-profit business to bring water to rural communities in South Central Texas. They also founded the G.A. Powers Company, a successful piping and plumbing business, became involved in their church and developed a passion for ballroom dancing.
I still stay involved in the business," Garland said, "but our son, Garland III, who we call ‘G3,’ manages it now. Mildred and I love to dance, so we go to a lot of dances and belong to several dance clubs. And we still do a lot with Texas A&M."
But the Powers agree that 4-H is among one of the couple’s great shared experiences over the years.
"We’re glad we’ve had the opportunity to help young people through our scholarships," Garland said. “And we’ve enjoyed getting to know the students who have received them.”
"This Texas 4-H Council Scholarship is special because 4-H has truly been a blessing in my life," Mildred said. "It was a good way to show how Garland and I feel about the great things the organization does for young people."
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