The West Texan: Leaving a Legacy

What began with a date at Wienerschnitzel because Bill Farnum ’69 forgot to take steaks out of the freezer resulted in his marriage to Debbie Dodson Farnum ’71, ’94 that lasted almost 50 years. Prior to Bill’s death in January 2021, he and Debbie discussed making a major gift to their alma mater.  

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The Farnums are long-time members of the West Texas A&M University Alumni Association and have supported the University in a variety of ways since their days on campus. Both have been involved with Greek life and in efforts to engage WT alumni in the Panhandle and Austin areas; Debbie currently serves as president of the Association’s board of directors. She felt it appropriate to carry through with her and Bill’s discussion by making a gift during the One West campaign, for which she sits on the steering committee.

A legacy gift from the Farnums’ estate will benefit the Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences at WT by creating a distinguished professorship in educational leadership and a scholarship fund for students pursuing degrees in that college.  

“I know Bill would be pleased with this gift,” Debbie said. “We both believe in the importance of education, and providing this legacy gift insures I am able to continue living comfortably and still have the opportunity to support something that means so much to us both.”  

Legacy gifts in the form of wills, beneficiary designations, IRA charitable rollovers, charitable trusts and other avenues are an excellent way to support WT and magnify a donor’s philanthropic investments. This type of gift is the foundation of the I Am WT Leaving a Legacy initiative.  

“Many of our most loyal supporters give annual gifts to WT but need to protect their resources to secure their future which can make a major gift seem unreachable,”said Lesly Bosch Annen, assistant vice president for development and leadership gifts. “Legacy gifts are a perfect avenue for those folks, and the WT Foundation serves as a strategic partner in fulfilling those donors’ desire to secure their legacy.”

Bill Farnum graduated from Pecos High School and completed his WT degree in commercial art with a minor in chemistry. He was a Distinguished Military Graduate and member of Alpha Tau Omega. After graduation, he served in the U.S. Army. Bill was successful in the metal building and construction industry primarily in Texas but on jobs across the world and was an active consultant in the industry until his death. 

Debbie received her degrees in education and she was active in Chi Omega. Following a successful teaching career, Debbie joined the meeting planning industry where she worked with the Texas Association of School Boards for almost 10 years, retiring in 2015.  

“We laughed about our first date at Wienerschnitzel for years,” Debbie said. “But it lasted almost eight hours as we talked a lot about Bill’s impending tour in Vietnam. He was in town for his ATO little brother’s (Larry May, who is honored with a street on the WT campus named for him) funeral, who had been killed in Vietnam on May 23, 1970, so he was understandably shaken as he was scheduled to leave for Vietnam on June 7.” 

Bill left the Panhandle the next day and did go to Vietnam within the week. He and Debbie corresponded by letter for a year while she continued with classes at WT.  

“The day before I graduated from WT—May 9, 1971—Bill proposed to me in a letter. I wrote him back two days later and said ‘yes.’ Only one date and I said ‘YES!’ We were married on July 10, 1971, four weeks after he returned from Vietnam. It was also the day he was promoted to Captain in the U.S. Army.” 

Bill and Debbie are the parents of Katharyn and Daniel and grandparents to 10. Family, commitment, service—all descriptors of the legacy the Farnums have created during their lives. Their gift continues that legacy and ensures that faculty and students will be impacted for perpetuity.   For information about leaving a legacy gift to WT, Contact Annen by calling the WTAMU Foundation office at 806-651-2070. 

Photo: Debbie Farnum, second from left, served as a judge for the 2022 Homecoming Parade. Also pictured are alums Caryn Crutchfield, J’Lynn Wheeler and Mark Wheeler.

M. Keith Brown ’91, ’19 is a major gift officer at WT and coordinator of the I Am WT Leaving a Legacy program.