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Letter to the editor: AGN Man of the Year |
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Paul Engler
Published January 14th 2020
By John Freivalds
Amarillo Globe-News Amarillo, TX
I met Paul Engler in 1971 in the Iranian desert as he was exploring business opportunities. I have known him since, and we who know Paul each have a Paul Engler story. This one belies his true nature in spite of what he has done in his business career. Paul told me this one.
Paul and a business partner in Cactus Feeders went to New York to visit some money guys on Wall Street. They arrived a day before the meeting and spent the night at the Pierre Hotel, one of the most expensive anywhere. Paul was to meet his partner at the offices of the money guys in the morning. The meeting started and Paul wasn’t there. So his partner called Paul still in his room at the Pierre.
“Paul you’re supposed to be here. What’s up?”
Paul responded, “I never have spent so much for a hotel room before, so I thought I’d sit and enjoy it a spell.”
Thank You.
John Freivalds/Wayzata, MN
| Amarillo Globe-News Man of the Year 2019: Engler’s philanthropy, compassion hailed | |
Paul Engler
Published December 31st, 2019
By Amarillo Globe-News
While some of the nomination letters extolling the virtues of Paul Engler as 2019 Amarillo Globe-News Man of the Year hailed entrepreneurial success, the vast majority focused upon philanthropic impact.
In an endeavor Engler launched with partner Tom Dittmer in 1975, Cactus Feeders was founded with the vision of feeding cattle on a large scale in the Texas Panhandle, officials said, noting the initiative reversed the trend of shipping raw materials, namely grain and homegrown beef, out of the state. Since its inception, the company has been a leader in operational efficiency, research and safety standards, officials said.
But beyond the scope of Engler’s business acumen, nominators noted, rests his quests to help others reach their desired destinations.
“I’ve known Paul since 1985,” Ross Wilson, president & CEO of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, said. “And besides his success in business, one of the things that strikes you when you meet Paul Engler is his genuine care for people. That comes across when you first meet the man one on one. He wants to know who you are as an individual. That extends to his employees, his community and I think that is just the way Paul Engler is wired. He cares about others.”
Jim J. Brewer is a local geologist who described Engler as one who seeks to get things done without a lot of peripheral discussion and fanfare.
“He’s a very compassionate man,” Brewer said. “If someone comes in, visits with him and needs some help with something, I know of several instances where he has helped and it’s kind of an anonymous thing. His contributions to education in West Texas and the Panhandle is also widely known. He’s helped in West Texas A&M University’s ag and business departments and cares about individuals getting a leg up through education. He actually puts his money where his mouth is.”
In 2017, the Paul F. and Virginia Engler Foundation’s gift to West Texas A&M University was recognized as one of the most significant gifts in higher education in the nation and, singularly, the largest in Texas to any institution, public or private. The Foundation agreed to donate at least $1 million a year for a period of no less than 80 years to WTAMU in support of the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences and the College of Business.
“His contributions to the area are going to last long after he’s gone, after I’m gone and a lot of us mature fellas,” Brewer said. “I’ve seen Paul in action, and his interaction with the students at WT keep him fresh, active and they enlighten his life as much as he enlightens theirs. Paul Engler didn’t have to pick Amarillo to live in. He picked Amarillo because he saw potential here. He could have chosen any school to endow, but he chose WT.”
Wilson said there are several legacies with Engler connections.
“The main one is the importance of education for the students of today and the leaders of tomorrow,” he said. “And Paul has always been an innovator in the cattle business, whether it be the way we produce cattle or the way we market cattle. That continues to evolve, but Paul is one of the main catalysts to start that trend in the cattle feeding industry. I’m tickled to death to hear that Paul has received this very deserved honor.”
Engler and Cactus Feeders were joined by several other area plaintiffs, including Texas Beef, Perryton Feeders Inc., Bravo Cattle Co. and more, filing a lawsuit on May 23, 1996, against Oprah Winfrey; her production company, Harpo Productions Inc.; and a guest on Winfrey’s show, Howard Lyman. In all, the cattlemen sought more than $10 million in damages they said were caused by sales losses they attributed to Winfrey’s show. In Feb. 26, 1998, the court sided with Winfrey and company.
Officials said the Paul F. And Virginia J. Engler Foundation has supported several entities such as the Amarillo Botanical Gardens, American Cancer Society, American Red Cross, Catholic Family Services, Children’s Miracle Network, Downtown Women’s Center, Enterprise Center, Good Samaritan Christian Services, High Plains Food Bank, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Presbyterian Children’s Home, Salvation Army, Susan B. Komen Race for the Cure, Volunteer Services Council for Texas Panhandle Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Advo and The Opportunity Plan.
WTAMU President Walter Wendler offered the following via an Engler nomination letter:
“My purpose for writing in support of Paul Engler’s nomination for the 2019 Man of the Year Award, is that he embodies the very best of leadership, the continuance and recognition of which robustly define the distinctiveness of the cities of Amarillo and Canyon, the Texas Panhandle writ large, and that West Texas A&M University provides in the higher education community. This is lofty rhetoric, but I have a perspective of four decades of experience in higher education that allows me to more fully value the importance of lay leadership and integrity, of the kind that Paul provides that is the essence of West Texas A&M University and the Texas Panhandle.”
Neil Terry, newly announced executive vice president and provost for WT, has served as dean and professor of economics at WT’s Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business.
“I have served at West Texas A&M University for over 20 years, with the majority of the service time in the role of dean,” Terry wrote. “I have had the privilege of working with several outstanding donors that have advanced our institution and programs in significant ways. Of course, no one compares to Mr. Paul Engler. His dedication to philanthropic causes is evident today and will grow in the future. Despite his recognition as a pioneer in the cattle industry, Mr. Paul Engler will establish his greatest legacy through his philanthropic spirit. If one had to create a Mount Rushmore of four west Texas business leaders, Mr. Engler would receive strong consideration as the representative of our cattle industry.”
Past Amarillo Globe-News Man of the Year winners
2018: Jerry Hodge
2017: Chuck Alexander
2016: Allen Shankles
2015: Rod Schroder
2014: Tom Cambridge
2013: Joe Street
2012: Bud Joyner
2011: Glenn McMennamy
2010: Eddie Melin
2009: Gary Pitner
2008: Ron Boyd
2007: Don Lane
2006: Glen Parkey
2005: Bill Gilliland
2004: The Rev. Jesse Cortez
2003: Rick Husband
2002: Garet von Netzer
2001: Guyon Saunders
2000: Gary Stevens
1999: Hugh and Bill Sticksel
1998: Bob Sanders
1997: Jim Simms
1996: Melvin Troe
1995: Dan Lynch
1994: Roy E. Turner
1993: Harold Smith
1992: Jerome Johnson
1991: Don Mason
1990: L. O’Brien Thompson
1989: Dr. Winfred Moore
1988: John Chandler
1987: B.R. Barfield
1986: Don Powell
1985: Jack Bryant
1984: W.W. Nicklaus
1983: John Stiff
1982: Jim Matthews
1981: The Rev. Jacinto Alderete
1980: Dr. James Carroll
1979: Dr. Phillip Periman
1978: Bob “Pappy” Watson
1977: Dr. Winfred Moore
1976: E.W. Williams Jr.
1975: L. Ray Vahue
1974: Roy Tolk
1973: Horace Scott
1972: The Rev. Richard Hogan
1971: Wales Madden Jr.
1970: R.G. Mills
1969: Jay Taylor
1968: L.P “Pete” Gilvin
1967: Milton “Buff” Morris
1966: Lewis Dodson
1965: Grady Hazlewood
1964: Virgil Patterson
1963: Gen. Dwight Monteith
1962: Dr. James P. Cornette
1961: Clyde Roller
1960: A.F. Madison
1959: R. Earl O’Keefe
1958: F.V. Wallace
1957: S.T. Curtis
1956: Dick Bivins
1955: Herbert O. Willborn
1954: Kenneth Grenewald
1953: Sgt. Roy Ratliff
1952: Cal Farley
1951: Gene Klein
1950: Harold Dunn