A Path to Impact

At Rice, Forest Davenport '77 formed the building blocks for his future career. Now, by supporting The Rice Investment through a planned gift, he is ensuring that generations of Owls can find their own paths to fulfilling futures.

Reflecting on his path from Rice undergraduate to college professor, Forest Davenport's '77 life is marked by a true passion for physics. That passion for physics, and for education, all started at Rice.

As an undergraduate, Forest participated in transformative learning experiences that led him to pursue academia. Equally important was the camaraderie he found on campus. Together, these were the driving forces in his quest for a future in a college environment. "Rice really helped me get started in my career and led me to where I am now," Forest notes. "Rice was crucial to my development, not only as a physicist, but most importantly, as a human."

In fact, Forest's first job just after graduation at Superior Oil Company made him realize just how much he missed the thrill of research and being on a college campus: "I just kept thinking about physics and how much I wanted to return to the university environment," he says.

This led Forest to earn his Ph.D. at Florida State University, and after another short stint in industry, he found himself looking again toward academia.

Forest ultimately landed a teaching professorship at University of North Carolina Asheville, where he enjoyed a fulfilling 23-year career. "My favorite part of my job was sharing my excitement for physics," Forest says. "It's really fun to see students suddenly have an 'a-ha' moment when they start piecing things together."

Now, Forest has established a charitable remainder unitrust, the remainder of which will support future Rice physics students by funding a named scholarship endowment. He also leveraged The Rice Investment Matching Gift Program to amplify his impact and generate more scholarship support for students. While enjoying a lifetime of income payments and tax benefits the unitrust provides him, Forest is able to pay forward the experience that made him who he is today. "I would like to help students that need financial aid and let them have a chance to attend Rice," he says. "I just feel lucky that I'm able to contribute a little bit to opening up opportunities for students."