When William T. Anderson made his contribution to the University of Houston’s Faculty and Staff Campaign, he never thought he’d have the chance to enjoy a Texas-style backyard barbecue feast.

As one of the campaign’s early bird prize winners, Anderson, chief engineer for KUHT-TV, received an invitation for himself and a guest to attend a barbecue dinner prepared by Spencer Yantis, associate vice president for the Division of University Advancement.

“When I made a donation, I didn’t count on winning a prize,” Anderson said. “It was, however, a nice surprise when I heard that I won an invitation to a home cooked dinner. I’m looking forward to it.”

Anderson and others who made donations before May 14 were eligible to receive early bird gifts. Aside from the barbecue dinner at Yantis’ home, incentive prizes included homemade pastries; a weekend RV trip with Lynn Simpson, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy and her husband, Bill; an afternoon at a Cougar baseball game hosted by Angie Shortt, Cullen College of Engineering’s director of communications; and a Cajun dinner party hosted by Lori Wilems, the College of Education’s director of development.

Because of the prizes’ personalized touches, this year’s early bird gifts encouraged camaraderie among UH faculty and staff members. Regardless of the various items that were up for grabs, many prize recipients agree that simply giving back to the university was the main incentive in contributing to the campaign.

“I take great pride in supporting this campaign, as well as the others that impact this campus,” said Eugene L. Chiapetta, professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education and one of the winners selected to attend Wilems’ dinner party. “Giving to the Faculty and Staff Campaign is a way of giving back to the university, which in turn rewards the community.”

While the early bird prizes have been handed out, it’s not too late to make a donation to the campaign. For more information on the campaign or details on how to make a gift to the Faculty and Staff Campaign, call the Office of Annual Giving at (713) 743-8865 or visit www.uh.edu/annualgiving/employees.

For a complete list of early bird winners visit http://www.uh.edu/uhtoday/2004/06jun/060304fsrlybird.html.

Mike Emery
memery@central.uh.edu