R. Allan “Bud” Shivers, Jr. ’64

R. Allan “Bud” Shivers, Jr. ’64 purposely directed his bequest to unrestricted endowment because he knew that endowed funds for unrestricted use are among the hardest gifts to raise. Bud understood hard more than most of us ever will.

Life didn’t start out that way. Born into a prominent Texas family, Bud picked Lawrenceville from a choice of top prep schools—acting in Periwig, shooting with the Skeet Club, and running track. But everything changed for him in 1969, while serving in the Coast Guard. A diving accident left him paralyzed from the chest down.

Bud went on to found The Shivers Group, an investment firm, and the Seton Fund, the endowment arm of the Seton Healthcare network. He chaired the Texas Chamber of Commerce and The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and served on numerous civic commissions and charitable and educational boards. He married Robin Ratliff, who predeceased him, in 1978.

And he stayed connected to Lawrenceville. Despite his difficulties with traveling, Bud served as an alumni trustee in the 1980s and as a member of his 40th Reunion Planning Committee. In a letter to Bruce McClellan in 1981, he wrote: “Lawrenceville … is without question the main institution that shaped my life in the last 15 years.”

“Bud and I had philosophical discussions about giving and the critical importance of unrestricted endowment,” says his brother Brian ’70. “We agreed that if you trust the institution to use the money wisely, it’s the best way to make a significant difference.”