Historic Gift to TAMIU Comforts with Art, History
A special gift to Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) offers comfort and Texas-sized history insight for visitors to the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts.
“Brush Country, 1978,” a wall-sized, painstakingly handmade quilt by the late Dr. Ruby South Lowry (1898-1996) has been donated to the University by Lowry’s grandson, Albert T. Lowry.
Lowry said the gift is fitting as his grandmother’s commitment was long woven into area history.
“She was a much-loved, trailblazing physician who delivered over 20,000 Laredo children throughout her lifetime of medical practice. Her commitment to the health of Laredo and Webb County continued to her retirement at age 88. Despite a demanding schedule, she found time to create hand-braided rugs and quilts that were treasures to us.
“We always thought they were a lasting metaphor for the life she had woven for herself here and the comfort she provided to so many. We want to share this monumental quilt in the hopes that others can appreciate the comfort and insight woven into it,” Lowry said.
Rosanne Palacios, TAMIU vice president for Institutional Advancement, said the priceless gift is inspirational on many levels.
“The detail and story woven into the quilt is inspirational. When you factor in the handwork and labor in its creation, and how it encourages its viewer to explore and reflect on a brush country rarely seen, it’s very special,” Palacios observed.
But it’s not the only reason the Lowry gift is special, she added.
“Albert and his wife Diana Lowry continue to honor the memory of his beloved grandmother through the creation at TAMIU of the Ruby South Lowry Scholarship Fund for Medical School which helps disadvantaged students planning a career in the medical, dental, pharmaceutical, veterinary sciences, or psychology fields. It’s a full circle moment as Dr. Lowry was one of the first women admitted to Rice University, doing so with a scholarship provided by the John McKnitt Alexander Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution,” Palacios said.
Dr. Lowry’s Brush Country, 1978 can be viewed in the first-floor lobby of TAMIU’s Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. The area is also anchored by a large, hand-hooked rug that Lowry pieced together from wool materials found in downtown Laredo. Both are the latest additions to the campus’ Art Walk celebrating art present throughout campus buildings and grounds.
Ruby Belle South Lowry was born in 1898 in San Marcos, TX. She graduated from Rice in 1919 with a bachelor’s degree and received her medical degree in 1928 from the University of Texas at Galveston. She married Willis Edward Lowry, and the couple had five children. When her husband died unexpectedly when the oldest child was 11, she moved to Laredo and set up a medical practice.
She also served as school doctor for the Laredo Independent School District. She proudly maintained a file with the names of every baby she delivered, but it was not unusual for Lowry to respond to a call for help with an animal delivery, illness, or injury -- throughout Laredo and Webb County.
Active in several organizations, the Washington’s Birthday Celebration Association named her a Parade Marshall. In 1995, The Laredo Morning Times recognized her as one of five “Women of the Year.”
Before her death in April 1996, she returned to the Rice campus in 1995 to attend a meeting of the John McKnitt Alexander Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Then, at 97, she proudly stood and thanked the DAR for the scholarship she said changed her life in 1919.
Current TAMIU recipients of the Dr. Ruby South Lowry Endowed Scholarship must meet federal guidelines for financially disadvantaged student status, maintain a minimum of a 3.5 cumulative average while at TAMIU, and plan a career in the medical, dental, pharmaceutical, and veterinary sciences or psychology fields.
If pursuing medicine, the applicant must be accepted into one of TAMIU’s Cooperative Programs for early acceptance. Applications from TAMIU students for the renewable scholarship are currently being accepted at https://go.tamiu.edu/lowry
Registration for Fall 2024 at TAMIU is now underway. The first day of classes is Monday, Aug. 26, 2024.
Explore Fall at TAMIU on the dedicated 2024 Fall TAMIU Preview website at https://go.tamiu.edu/fallpreview
View the registration schedule here: https://www.tamiu.edu/registrar/registration
To transfer to TAMIU, contact the Office of Recruitment and School Relations at enroll@tamiu.edu, phone 956.326.2270, or click on https://www.tamiu.edu/prospect/transfer.shtml
Visit the Registration Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/registration.
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A Gift of Comfort and History
A special gift of a wall-sized handmade quilt by the late Dr. Ruby South Lowry was recently presented to Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) by her grandson, Albert T. Lowry. The monumental quilt, “Brush Country, 1978,” now hangs in TAMIU’s Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. Left to right are Henry Miller, TAMIU director of Athletic Compliance and longtime Lowry family friend; Dr. Pablo Arenaz, TAMIU president; Rosanne Palacios, TAMIU vice president for Institutional Advancement, and Albert T. Lowry and his wife Diana Lowry. The hand-hooked rug on the floor was also created by Dr. Lowry and also gifted to the University by the Lowry family.
