THE CHAPMAN FAMILY A Legacy of Support
When James A. Chapman died in September 1966, he was described as a “millionaire
who loved to give away money but hated to get credit for it.” The legacy of this oilmanturned-rancher who bequeathed a quarter of his fortune to Trinity is even more remarkable given that Chapman wasn’t a Trinity graduate. But many of his extended family were. In fact, since the early days in Waxahachie and Tehuacana, more than 100 members of the Chapman family members have attended Trinity, establishing a legacy that has contributed to nearly every facet of the University’s success. Since 1950, the combined Chapman trusts have generated more than $455 million for Trinity’s unrestricted use and have transformed Trinity University, funding construction, maintenance, renovation, research, faculty development, scholarships, and computer systems. Many of the University’s most significant buildings and spaces—including Chapman Graduate Center, Bell Athletic Center, the Chapman Fountain, Coates Library, Cowles Hall, and the “tree house” in the Center for the Sciences and Innovation—exist because of the Chapman family’s devotion to Trinity and its educational mission. In 1924, the University received the largest single gift in its history. The will of Philip Chapman, James’ father, revealed that he had set aside $100,000 for Trinity— almost $1.5 million in today’s dollars. The funds were unrestricted and immediately used to reduce the University’s deficit and make a substantial contribution to a capital campaign to build classrooms and upgrade crowded boarding facilities. Founding and selling oil companies in Oklahoma resulted in James Chapman and his business partner (and uncle) Robert McFarlin amassing nearly $60 million by 1930. By the end of World War II, James and his wife Leta were among the wealthiest people in America. The J.A. Chapman and Leta M. Chapman Trust, established in 1949, was the first of four family endowments that 24 Trinity University
would enable Trinity to grow and prosper. The only restriction was that the Chapmans were to remain anonymous during his lifetime. “I’m doing this to help people,” he often said, “not for publicity.” In 1962, James Chapman agreed to build a $1.5 million graduate center honoring his parents, Philip and Roxana Chapman. First conceived as a building for Trinity’s emerging graduate student population, the Chapman Center has since transitioned to accommodate both undergraduate and graduate students— and will soon undergo extensive renovations as part of a comprehensive project to update Chapman and the Halsell Center next to it. Eighty-nine members of the extended Chapman family attended the Center’s dedication ceremonies on May 29, 1964, just two years before James Chapman’s death. James Chapman’s sister, Ruth Chapman Cowles, and her husband, Andrew, were also Trinity benefactors in time, talent, and resources. Ruth, a Waxahachie campus alumna, was elected to the Trinity Board of Trustees in 1950 and served as an active member until her death in 1964. In addition to redesigning and remodeling the Cowles House at 130 Oakmont Court, she was responsible for much of Trinity’s landscaping and for furnishings in the Student Center and the Chapman Center. When James Chapman died in 1966, he left 25 percent of his fortune to Trinity in the Chapman Charitable Trust, estimated in value in excess of $100 million—one of the largest ever established in the country for educational and health organizations. When his estate was probated, his wife Leta was asked whether she wanted a widow’s half share of the estate. She declined. The will had left her husband’s personal effects to her and specified that no other provisions were made for her since she had her separate estate and it was their mutual desire that his be devoted to charitable use. Leta’s estate was bequeathed to Trinity after her death in 1974. Chapman and his widow each left $1,000 “as a token of love and affection” to their son, Allen Chapman,