The University of Texas at Tyler Advancement
CEFCO Creates Endowed Scholarship at UT Tyler
May 24, 2012
James Fikes wanted to do something important to become a part of the East Texas community, so he recently presented a check for $50,000.00 to UT Tyler Director of Gift Planning, Larry Wickham. The gift established the C. E. Fikes Endowed Scholarship at The University of Texas at Tyler.
Clarence E. Fikes, James' father, probably never envisioned that his establishment of a single Texaco service station would grow so dramatically. At his passing, the company owned four stores in central Texas. Today the company, headed by son James Fikes, has grown to more than 252 stores in seven states. The most recent acquisition was the Taylor Food Mart stores based in Amarillo, Tx, which was finalized on January 9th, 2012. The largest acquisition came when CEFCO purchased the Tyler-based 69-store Food Fast chain on August 15, 2011.
"We really want to be a part of the communities we serve," James said. "Giving this scholarship connects us to the people of East Texas and to the university."
Funds for the scholarship came from the company's annual "Hackers-R-US Charity Golf Tournament" which was held in Temple, Texas on May 15, 2012. In addition to the scholarship created at UT Tyler, CEFCO also presented a check for $50,000.00 to West Texas A&M, $5,000 to Central Texas College, and a donation of $370,000 to Children's Miracle Network.
The students, staff and faculty at The University of Texas at Tyler are overwhelmed by and very grateful for the generosity of James Fikes and the CEFCO family of employees.
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University Advancement
The University of Texas at Tyler
3900 University Blvd.
Tyler, TX 75799
903.566.7110
advancement@uttyler.edu