Jane Fitz Blends Lifetime and Legacy Gifts to Create Endowed Scholarship

Jane Fitz (’77) created memories to last a lifetime during her years as a University of Houston Cougar Doll in the mid-1970s.

“I was in a group with so much spirit,” Fitz shares. “It was impossible to walk away.”

She never really did. Fifty years later, she still gets together with other Cougar Dolls and marching band members for fun. She even arranged her work schedule with American Airlines around UH football games and alumni gatherings, a tradition that deepened her bond with the Cougar community.

This strong connection inspired her to find ways to give back. Since 2008 she has supported UHAA Scholarships and the Cougar Pride Program, and, in 2024, she established the Jane Fitz Endowed Scholarship for Cougar Dolls with a blended gift of a cash and a planned gift.

“When I was organizing my will, I was thinking about the legacy I wanted to leave behind,” Fitz says. “I felt that creating a planned gift through my estate was a meaningful way to express my love for UH and ensure my Cougar Dolls scholarship would continue to support students for years to come.”

Fitz worked with the UHS Office of Gift and Estate Planning to bequeath her historic home in Galveston to further support her endowed scholarship. She hopes her story inspires other alumni to consider how a planned gift could create a lasting legacy for the programs and students they love.

“Stay connected to your UH contacts,” Fitz advises her fellow UH alumni. “You never know who can help you. Once you have that anchor and the desire to give back, it becomes easy to make it happen.”