A legacy honoring special professors

Sr. Claude Marie Faust (from left), Gayle Sette '73, daughter Megan, and Sr. Theresa McGrath enjoy one another’s company in 1993.

Gayle Biehunko Sette graduated summa cum laude from Incarnate Word College in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics. She went on to earn a master’s in computing science from Texas A&M University. After a successful career, she recently retired after 30 years with IBM.

A native of Shiner, Texas, Sette was able to attend Incarnate Word with the help of scholarships. Through the gifts of others, Sette was able to achieve her goals and dreams, so she wanted to give other students the same opportunities.

With the help of UIW Planned Giving Director Diane Echavarria, Sette established a scholarship endowment through her estate plan. To honor two of her favorite teachers, she created the Sr. Theresa McGrath and Sr. Claude Marie Faust Endowed Scholarship.

“Sr. Theresa was the most cheery, caring and enthusiastic instructor ever encountered at 8 o’clock in the morning,” Sette recalled. “Her office door was always open to discuss a puzzling math problem.” The alumna also remembered the late Sr. Claude Marie’s twinkling blue eyes, patient smile, and ability to explain the complexities of linear algebra or number theory.

The endowed scholarship is funded through a retirement account simply created by adding UIW as a beneficiary on the retirement account. After the lifetimes of Gayle and her husband, Tom, the funds will create this scholarship. UIW welcomes the Settes as members of the Verbum Society and another legacy in the making!

If you would like information on making gifts such as these, contact Diane Echavarria in the Planned Giving Office at [email protected] or 210-829-6071.