Truchard, who is co-founder and CEO of National Instruments, one of the country’s most successful tech companies, has been a longtime supporter of the Cockrell School of Engineering. In January 2013, he contributed $10 million to help develop the Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC), which is set to open in fall 2017.
His personal gift will help support the National Instruments Student Project Center in the EERC, which will provide undergraduate students with 23,000 square feet of new space in which to design and build everything from solar cars and satellites to robots and biomedical sensors.
Truchard is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, and he has been recognized with the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship for his community involvement. He earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Texas at Austin’s College of Natural Sciences in 1964 and 1967 respectively.
During his acceptance speech, Dr. T, as he is affectionately called, read a poem he wrote from his book "Memories from a Hill Country Garden." He has given us permission to re-publish it here:
The Sunset
The memories linger,
the thousand sunsets have passed.
Some splendid, some simple,
each one seems like the last.
The sun paints the sky with
its final ray
The clouds a burnt orange
any longhorn would say.
An infinite array of colors, perhaps
a gaze on heaven's gates of gold
This one's just for you, one like it,
never again I'm told.
A tranquility like a life well-lived
as the sun goes down.
The light fades, orange and gold
turn to violet, then a violent crown.
The sky darkens, dark clouds appear,
for there's more to do.
The flowers are thirsty, the earth parched;
rain falls as if commanded to.
A parting gift perhaps, before
the clouds are swept away.
Now flowers appear, thank you
they seem to say.
The sun burns hot for summers here
now the sunset a simple orange sphere.
Created in 1958, Texas Exes’ Distinguished Alumnus Awards are granted annually to alumni who have distinguished themselves professionally and through service to UT Austin.
Learn more about the 2013 Distinguished Alumni.
