New TAMIU science complex honoring
Lamar Bruni Vergara receives $1 million gift

By Paul de la Peña-Franceschi

A glass pyramid housing an 85-seat planetarium will be the highlight of the new Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Complex at Texas A&M International University. The Lamar Bruni Vergara Trust recently donated $1 million to the $22 million project, now under construction.
University officials said that the building will be home to TAMIU's growing science program. University president Dr. Ray Keck noted the Trust's impact on the community and campus. "Here you have a Trust that, in keeping with the wishes of its benefactor, has redefined our community and our university," said Keck. "It is a legacy of giving. Through the visionary leadership of the Lamar Bruni Vergara trustees, lives have been bettered, futures brightened, and dreams realized. The Trust's impact on our campus is absolutely without parallel."
Trustees Judge Solomon Casseb, Jr., and J. C. Martin III said they feel naming the science complex for Bruni Vergara attests to her interest in improving the lives of the people of Laredo. "I think it's a fitting testament to her lasting affection for this community," said Casseb.
"Science and its study will change the lives of students and the communities they call home," said Martin. "The Trust has extended Lamar Bruni Vergara's legacy in many ways. This science complex is a place where future doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals will begin their academic lives. Their lives and studies will do much to improve those of others in the future. This would have pleased her greatly."
The new science building is part of the university's Phase IV expansion and will house its science program, labs and classrooms, and faculty offices. A special exhibit area is also envisioned, which will honor Lamar Bruni Vergara and her legacy of giving.
Architects for the building are Kell Muñoz of San Antonio. Project contractors are Constructors and Associates, Inc., also of San Antonio. The architectural highlight of the 77,920-gross square foot building is a planetarium housed within a glass pyramid with seating for 85. Among the building's 30 labs are dedicated facilities for sedimentology, environmental science, advanced physics and engineering, geophysics and geochemistry, genetics, and other fields. Additionally, a lecture hall will offer seating for 122.