one of their greatest responsibilities is the role they play as a corporate citizen to the community. In 1992, Bert and Dorothy Ogden were killed in an automobile accident when a high-speed police chase crossed the path and the driver being pursued lost control of the vehicle, resulting in five fatalities including the Ogdens. The highway patrol gave Bob and Janet the news at 1 a.m. on a Sunday, and the devastated family held the funeral the following Thursday. They are grateful for their faith and the family and friends who helped them after the tragedy. Bob became the dealer principal and operator of the dealerships. It wasn’t automatic, however. The franchise contract between a manufacturer and a dealer principal ends, by law, with a death. The simultaneous passing of the Ogdens made this particularly complicated given the fact that Mrs. Ogden was the named successor. Bob and Janet negotiated a 90-day grace period, and by then, Bob was able to put a new contract in place, securing the dealerships for his family and sister-in-law, Kathy. Bob, Janet and Kathy sat down and wrote a business plan to keep the company going. (At some point, Bob also set up a succession plan and holding company to ensure the next transition will go more smoothly.) The business strengthened and grew, and Bob and Janet became so involved in the community that they were named the 2016 Border Texans of the Year. They have supported many charities and received countless honors through the years. Bob has proven to be an extraordinary businessman, dedicating a good portion of his life to developing 23 dealerships and a host of other silent business ventures, but his passion is providing educational opportunities to future generations. Bob is deeply invested in the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). He is a major donor to the University, having donated $2 million for two scholarship endowments in January 2016. The first scholarship is named after him and set aside for aspiring entrepreneurs. It is given annually to a student from the College of Business and Entrepreneurship. The second scholarship, named after his wife, Janet, is given annually to a student in the College of Liberal Arts mass communications program. At the time, the $2 million scholarship donation was the largest the university had ever received and has spurred a host of major donations to UTRGV. The university already had a scholarship named after Bob’s late sister, Susan Lewis Vackar Clark, who dedicated her life to educating young people in the Rio Grande Valley. The original pledge was for $100,000 in 2016 and he recently fulfilled a personal commitment to honor his sister with another $900,000 in October 2021. The total endowment is now $1 million and will benefit students in perpetuity. Before her death, Susan graduated in 1964 from what was then Pan American College, now UTRGV. In May 2016, Bob gave the university $15 million to benefit the College of Business and Entrepreneurship. ROBERT C. VACKAR — CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 14
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