Tommy L. Stuchell '99
Tommy Stuchell ’99 earned his J.D. degree from South Texas College of Law Houston as a part-time student, studying and attending classes while working full time in midstream oil and gas. After graduating and passing the bar exam, Stuchell was open to the new opportunities his law degree might provide, but oil and gas remained his career path after law school.
At the time, making a planned gift commitment to the law school was not on Stuchell’s radar. He added a master of business administration degree from The University of Texas San Antonio (UTSA) to his post-graduate accomplishments.
In 2018, the alumnus opened Stuchell Law PLLC, leveraging 30 years’ experience in business to focus on estate planning and small-business advice and counsel.
“I began working as an attorney at age 50-something, and I realized it was time to make a commitment to South Texas and create an endowment,” he said.
Stuchell had previously funded an endowment at his undergraduate alma mater, West Virginia University, in memory of his late father, and at UTSA, in memory of another person who touched his life. He wanted to do the same at South Texas, to honor his mother.
“The law school has been in my estate plan, but I decided to make my gift more specific, creating an endowment to fund scholarships for part-time students from underserved communities,” he said.
Stuchell’s biggest takeaway from his experience of giving is that it takes less than you think to make a difference and can be a great way to honor those who have influenced our own lives.
“Learning you don’t have to be a millionaire to give back and have an impact was big for me,” he said.
Tommy Stuchell is a private business consultant and attorney in San Antonio. Learn more about him on his website: www.stuchelllaw.com.
As Tommy mentioned, it takes less than you think to make a difference. We would be honored to help you find the right gift to achieve your philanthropic goals. Contact Office of Planned Giving at 713-646-1878 or giftplanning@stcl.edu to learn more.