Lift - 2012 Annual Report on Philanthropy - (Page 4)

Throttling David and Andrea Robertson commit to a $1 million gi to the university on the heels of racing success BY SARA W ITH ROW T Up and support projects that both excite them and stand to bene t generations to come. At Embry-Riddle, their support has taken a myriad of forms, from the EcoCar/EcoCar2, the SAE Hybrid Race Car and the 2011 EcoEagle/Green Flight Challenge, to the women’s SAE Mini-Baja car project, safety science program, campus capital and library funds, and the David and Andrea Robertson Endowed Scholarship. “It’s really a balance,” Dave says of their philanthropy. “It’s partly about trying to help and also about trying to be involved in something that’s really interesting.” A member of the Embry-Riddle Board of Trustees since 2009, Dave’s support of Embry-Riddle follows in the footsteps of his father, Trustee Emeritus S. Harry Robertson (HonDoc ‘72, DB). Known as the “Father of the Crashworthy Fuel System,” Harry served as an active member of the Embry-Riddle Board of Trustees from 1997 to 2010, before stepping down to become an emeritus. A longtime supporter of the university and integral to the development of the Safety Science degree program, three buildings on the Prescott Campus bear Harry’s name. In addition to establishing the Robertson Aviation Safety Center I and II, he and Dave joined forces in spearheading and funding the creation of the David L. and S. Harry Robertson Simulation Training Center, which was dedicated in 2002. David and Andrea Robertson display their ALMS race cars and Cessna Citation in Sebring, Fla. Below, the couple celebrate their third-place ﬁnish at Le Mans, France in 2011 with driver/teammate Dave Murry. raveling at speeds of 200 mph for several hours at a time is the norm for David and Andrea Robertson. In 2011, they became the rst husband and wife driver team to place in any class in the world’s oldest sports car endurance race, the 24 hours of Le Mans, France. As newcomers to the sport, their accomplishment may have shocked the motorsports industry, but it’s no surprise to those who know them. The couple have a track record of giving 110 percent to whatever they undertake and of turning their interests into successes. Despite their fast-paced lifestyle, Dave, as he prefers to be called, and Andrea make time to get involved with “In some ways I’m second generation, when it comes to my support of Embry-Riddle,” Dave says. “But in other ways, I would be involved regardless of the rst generation.” Marrying into this heritage of giving eight years ago, Andrea quickly became a part of the extended EmbryRiddle family. She recently joined her husband in committing a $1 million planned gift from their estate to the university. Not one to wait for the inevitable, Dave says they will likely convert the planned gift to a cash contribution in the next several years. GOING PRO The couple dabbled in racing in their teens and early 20s. Dave drove a Lotus Europa in the 1970s with the hope of running in a few Sports Car Club of America races, but realized quickly that school, work and his involvement with sailplanes left him low on time and money, so the hobby was short lived. Andrea did some drag racing in high 4 P H I L A NTH R O PY R E P O RT G I V I N GTO.E R A U.E D U Photos by Kristyna Smith http://www.GIVINGTO.ERAU.EDU

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Lift - 2012 Annual Report on Philanthropy

Lift - 2012 Annual Report on Philanthropy
Contents
Letter From the President
Letter From the Associate Vice President
Fiscal Year 2012 Financial Report
Throttling up
Lifetime and Legacy Donors
Toward an entrepreneurial university
Corporations and foundations
Student projects take off with Rockwell Collins
Daytona Beach alumni
Part of the Embry-Riddle fabric
Embry-Riddle’s first cadet gives back
Students help create a culture of philanthropy
Prescott alumni
Worldwide alumni
Military support
Friends
Board members, faculty and staff
Perpetuating dreams
Scholarship Donors
In Memoriam Donors
Endowed Funds

Lift - 2012 Annual Report on Philanthropy