Mike and Judy Tyson are proud members of:
To Mike Tyson, it’s simple. If you’ve succeeded in life because of your
education, then you owe more than gratitude to your alma mater.
"First, I have the ability to give," he says, "and second, I’m very
proud of the University of Texas at Austin. It’s a world-class institution,
and I want to make sure it remains that way."
As a member of the Chancellor’s Council, Mr. Tyson also strongly supports
the UT System. "The resources that go to the Chancellor’s fund," he says,
"give the Chancellor the discretion and ability to get topnotch people — and
to keep them."
Mr. Tyson and his wife Judy attend as many of the three annual Chancellor’s Council
Executive Committee meetings as they can. Besides being members of the Chancellor’s
Council, the two are Ashbel Smith associates and 1881 Society fellows. Judy
Tyson graduated from Texas Christian University, but her husband’s UT ties run
deep: His mother was the first sweetheart of UT Austin and his father played
on the university’s baseball team. Mr. Tyson earned a BBA from UT Austin before
he graduated from the Stonier Graduate School of Banking at Rutgers.
After a long and successful career with Chase Bank of Texas, Mr. Tyson is
retired, but devotes much of his time to civic and charitable activities. The
Tysons are the parents of an adult son and daughter and the proud grandparents
of five.
For all of this, they realize how fortunate they have been. When their
daughter was 16, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and treated
successfully at UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
"She’s now 42 and she teaches in Brazoria," Mrs. Tyson says.
"Cancer is such an insidious disease," Mr. Tyson says. "That’s why we’ve
tried to be supportive of M.D. Anderson, too."
— Ruth Pennebaker
Perspectives on Giving homepage
