Remembering the Contributions of Professor and Philanthropist Dr. Allan Saxe
The City of Arlington pauses to remember the life and contributions of Dr. Allan Saxe, a beloved professor, political scientist, author, volunteer and philanthropist.
Dr. Saxe taught thousands of students during his 54 years at The University of Texas at Arlington. In addition to being a founding member of the Arlington Life Shelter, Dr. Saxe is known as a generous supporter of organizations such as Mission Arlington, the River Legacy Foundation, Theatre Arlington, Levitt Pavilion Arlington, the Humane Society of North Texas, the Fort Worth Zoo, as well as area hospitals, churches and universities.
Born in Oklahoma, Dr. Saxe earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in political science from the University of Oklahoma. He began his career as a political science lecturer at Arlington State College, which later became UT Arlington, in 1965.
“For nearly six decades, Allan Saxe has been a Maverick institution—one of our best known and most beloved professors. He was engaging, smart, funny, and opinionated, and his classes were considered can’t miss by generations of UT Arlington students. He was so popular that when our university magazine asked Mavericks a few years ago to share their favorite Allan Saxe memories, hundreds of alumni submitted entries. His legacy of overwhelming generosity and kindness is visible across our campus and our region—with parks, gardens, softball fields, patios, and traffic circles bearing his name. My condolences go out to his family and friends—of which he had many. We at UT Arlington are forever grateful that he made our campus his professional home for 54 years," Jennifer Cowley, President of The University of Texas at Arlington, said in a statement.
Dr. Saxe, a supporter of the Tarrant County College Foundation, also served as an adjunct at the Tarrant County College Southeast Campus.
An accomplished author and lecturer, Dr. Saxe was published in several political journals and magazines, published a book titled Politics in Arlington, Texas: An Era of Continuity and Growth and co-authored another book titled American Government: A Core Approach.
Dr. Saxe received numerous awards and honors for his teaching and community service over the years, including a UT System Regents Teaching Award, Hero to the Homeless Award, the Greater Fort Worth Philanthropy Award, State of Texas Humanitarian Award and Meals on Wheels Volunteer of the Year. His public service included roles as board member for the Arlington Life Shelter and the Humane Society of North Texas, Chairman of the Arlington United Way, and numerous guest speaking engagements for Arlington and North Texas organizations.
Dr. Saxe, who contracted polio as a child, is perhaps best known for his generosity, from donating valuable works of art to supporting college scholarships, including the Allan Saxe Disabled Student Scholarship at UTA.
"Donating money is a wonderful deal," Dr. Saxe said in an interview with MyArlingtonTV in 2017. "I love it. Arlington has been a wonderful place to me. I think it has a great future ahead and it has been a dream city for me."
Landmarks throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington region are named after Saxe and his wife Ruthie Brock in honor of their generous giving. These include Allan Saxe Park, the Allan Saxe Dental Clinic at Mission Arlington, UTA’s Allan Saxe Field, Allan Saxe Parkway, the Allan Saxe Garden at The Salvation Army, the Brock-Saxe Great Lawn at Levitt Pavilion Arlington, the Ruthie Brock & Allan Saxe Lobby at Arlington’s George W. Hawkes Downtown Library and a garden at the UNT Health Science Center.
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