New Endowment Scholarship at TAMIU Honors, Serves Laredo Police Department
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Oct 24, 2015, Comments Off
Courtesy Steve Harmon,
(Laredo, Texas)-A new scholarship endowment at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) will honor a family legacy of service to the Laredo Police Department (LPD) by making higher education more accessible to the children of the LPD.
The Mary Lamar Gallagher Leyendecker Endowment Fund Honoring Thomas and David O. Gallagher was announced in ceremonies Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. at LPD headquarters, 4712 Maher Avenue. It will enable children of LPD officers meeting established criteria to receive a four-year scholarship to TAMIU.
Thomas was Police Chief Inspector of the LPD and David O. Gallagher was Chief of Police. Thomas Gallagher was father and David O. Gallagher grandfather, of Mary Lamar Gallagher Leyendecker.
Her son, Cliffe Killam, has made the $100,000 Endowment possible.
“This Scholarship recognizes our family legacy as part of the Laredo Police Department, honors the men and women in uniform that protect our city, and welcomes the bright minds of LPD children seeking higher education at a fine institution like Texas A&M International University,” Killam said.
TAMIU president Dr. Ray Keck said the generous gift speaks to both honor and respect.
“We are all deeply moved by this loving gesture by her son that underscores Mrs. Leyendecker’s honoring of her forebears and her desire to extend her respect to the children of LPD officers by providing scholarship support. It is a remarkable way to cherish the past and brighten the future,” Dr. Keck said.
Thomas Gallagher was born in 1921, served as a staff sergeant in World War II in the European Theatre and received a Bronze Star and five Campaign Stars. He was Laredo’s Police Chief Inspector, married Lamar Kahn and had four children, including Mary Lamar Gallagher Leyendecker. He passed away in 1964.
David Owen Gallagher was born in 1882, served as a Texas Ranger and later as Laredo Chief of Police. He was grandfather to Mary Lamar Gallagher Leyendecker and passed away in 1964.
To learn more about the Mary Lamar Gallagher Leyendecker Endowment Fund Honoring Thomas and David O. Gallagher, or to honor your own family, please contact Rosanne Palacios, vice president for Institutional Advancement at 956.326.2178, email Rosanne.palacios@tamiu.edu or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, Suite 260.
