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Ron Skaggs ’65 ’67 and his wife, Sondra, use their game day home in Aggieland to support future students while honoring their passions.
By Jade Williams '25 '27
Current photo by Jason Kindig
October 24, 2025
Sondra and Ron Skaggs ’65 ’67 believe the best Aggie legacies are like great symphonies—carefully composed, rich in harmony and meant to transcend generations.
After being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army, Ron fulfilled his military commitment by working on the health care facility design for the U.S. Army Surgeon General at the Pentagon in Washinton, D.C. Later, he served as the chairman and CEO of HKS Architects in Dallas, where he played a major role in the designs of MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Scottish Rite for Children campuses. His firm also made their mark on Texas A&M’s campus, designing several buildings including the architecture and petroleum engineering buildings; the large animal hospital and research facility; and the Jon L. Hagler Building. While his name will always be connected to these physical structures, some of his greatest “builds” will be the lives that he and Sondra have changed through their generosity.
Their latest movement? A retained life estate gift that will create future scholarships for students pursuing undergraduate degrees in architecture and music performance.
“We wanted to use our game day home in College Station to keep attending football games and stay involved with university boards, so the opportunity to deed our property now but use it until we pass away rang a bell with us,” Ron shared, adding that the charitable income tax deduction was also beneficial. “The Foundation took us through each step and made it so easy.”
Scholarships enabled Ron to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architectural design from Texas A&M University, leading to his rewarding 45-year career as a trailblazer in the industry in which he served as president of the American Institute of Architects and earned the honor of Outstanding Alumnus of Texas A&M Architecture. He is also a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas A&M and a member of the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets Hall of Honor. “I benefited from the generosity of former Aggies who believed in giving back,” Ron said. “Texas A&M prepared me for the real world and gave me lifelong relationships that inspired me to do the same.”
While in Aggieland, Ron was a proud member of Company G-1 in the Corps and played lead alto saxophone in the Aggieland Orchestra. Throughout his and Sondra’s 60 years of marriage, they’ve shared a heartbeat for music, so they worked with the Texas A&M Foundation to plan this gift and others that encompass all their passions. “It was delightful working with the Foundation,” Sondra shared. “Their team does a great job aligning your priorities with the university’s needs,” Ron concurred.
Holding hands—and in perfect harmony—the couple shared their views on generosity. “Giving isn’t just financial,” Sondra said. “It’s about giving of yourself.” Ron agreed and encouraged others to think outside the box: “If you think you can’t afford to give, consider a retained life estate. Don’t let your resources go to waste—use them to give back to the place that helped make you who you are.”
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