All In

Engaged on Wednesday and married the following Saturday--that was Pat (BA '69) and Amy (BSED '75) Gotcher's story 35 years ago. From the beginning, it was clear: when the Gotchers put their minds to something, they are all in.

As a young, married couple, Pat and Amy were each determined to make a difference in the world around them. While Amy captured the hearts and attention of kindergarten and preschool students, Pat worked to realize the vision conceived during his college and graduate school years. He desired to provide socially redeeming services to people with behavioral health issues, beyond what he could accomplish alone, through the creation of a private sector company.

By 1989, the Gotchers had three children, and Amy had shifted her energy to being a full-time mom. Life and family were taking shape. Also that year, Corphealth, Inc. was born. Pat, as CEO and founder of the company, worked to successfully realize the vision that has since positively impacted millions of individuals.

From Humble Beginnings to Generous Giving

Though now a successful entrepreneur, this was not always the case for Pat Gotcher. As a self-supporting student, Pat had worked tirelessly to afford a Baylor education and understood firsthand the necessity of financial aid.

Later in life, as each child enrolled at Baylor, the Gotchers became increasingly grateful for scholarship support. The Judge and Mrs. Joe E. Briscoe Scholarship Fund, in particular, benefitted each of their children and truly eased the growing costs of higher education. But for Amy and Pat, this gift always was seen as a loan.

"After our kids finished, we said, 'we're going to repay the Briscoe fund,'" Pat recalled. "We thanked the donors for their support, and decided that giving back also would be a way to keep the fund alive."

The Gotchers had supported Baylor in a number of ways, but seeing the impact of the Briscoe fund on their family planted a new seed of philanthropy in their hearts. Before long, that seed grew into a desire to do even more for current and future Baylor students--Pat and Amy wanted to establish a scholarship of their own.

A Worthwhile Investment

"I like the idea of planting that seed with students," Pat said. "They are the receiver of the gift now, and hopefully will take something out of the Baylor experience to pass on--a vision of their own to do good things."

Pat and Amy know a worthwhile investment when they see it. They've seen the empowerment of grants and scholarships in their own lives, in the lives of their children and now through the lens of generations of students who will be touched through their generosity.

"Sometimes you get a picture that at Baylor there are a lot of students from families with substantial resources, and there are," Pat reflected, "but I also know there are a lot of students who don't have those resources. You don't have to endow a scholarship. You can give to an existing scholarship fund if you don't have the ability to endow a scholarship," he continued. "Just participate in some way."

The Gotcher's generosity is paving the way for future students to benefit from a Baylor education and setting an example for fellow alumni to make their own mark on the future of Baylor University.

Extraordinary Stories are unfolding at Baylor.

Set in motion before students ever set foot on our campus, their stories continue wherever their feet carry them. Just like Pat and Amy Gotcher, you can write your own chapter in the lives of the remarkable students. Baylor graduates are changing the world. And every gift, no matter the size, helps them get there.