2016 — Mary Lhevine and George Schnetzer

Alumna Mary Lhevine (BS ’82) and her husband, Dr. George Schnetzer, have always been fans of universities, a sentiment that’s reflected in their steadfast support of TU. “In our personal lives, education is our No. 1 effort,” said Mary.

That love for education stems from their respective collegiate experiences. George, a Princeton alumnus, received his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania and completed his post-graduate studies at the University of Michigan Medical Center while serving in the U.S. Army.

“Neither of my parents went to college, so it was a huge step up for me and never something I took for granted,” he said. Schnetzer built a successful career as an oncologist in the city he now calls home, playing an instrumental role in expanding medical services in Tulsa as a founding partner of Cancer Care Associates, one of Oklahoma’s largest providers of cancer-related services.

Mary attended TU as a nontraditional student and juggled raising a family with earning her degree. Initially unsure of which degree she wanted to pursue, a required economics class sent her on a path she might never have taken. “Taking Steve Steib’s class changed my life,” she recalls. “I got my degree in economics because of one professor, and my career as an independent investment advisor came out of that experience.”

Mary has served as a member of the TU Alumni Association Board of Directors, Friends of Finance, the Nimrod Literary Journal Advisory Board and the McFarlin Library Visiting Committee. And though George didn’t attend TU, he shares Mary’s pride for the university. A longtime member of the Tulsa Undergraduate Research Challenge (TURC) advisory board, he helped develop the board’s bylaws and initiate the first Outstanding TURC Mentor Award in 2005.

As founding members of the Kendall College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors, George and Mary have developed a deep admiration for the college and the value of a liberal arts education. “This is where you learn to think about, evaluate and handle complex problems,” said Mary. They were honored with the college’s Distinguished Service Award in 2005. Tying together their commitment to scholarly excellence and a desire to help students reduce concerns about paying for college, George and Mary established an endowment for the Provost Scholarship Fund. They look forward to the annual luncheon that connects donors with scholarship recipients. “You get a true sense of the impact you have on these students’ lives,” said George.

The couple’s charitable involvement spans dozens of civic organizations and causes, but they delight most in mentoring and teaching. Their latest endeavor, teaching a math course for GED candidates in the Women in Recovery program, has proved a fun challenge. “Our goal is to teach these women how to think; not how to work a math problem,” said Mary. “We want to teach them to be confident that they can learn — that’s what our professors did for us.”

Outside their volunteer efforts, George and Mary travel, cook, read and spend time with their five children, 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Ever the adventurers, the pair relish any opportunity to widen their view of the world.

In recognition of their generous contributions, TU is pleased to recognize the couple with the J. Paschal Twyman Award.

“Next to the care and love we give to our family members, giving back is one of the most meaningful things we can do, whether it’s time devoted to the university, helping young people learn or funding programs,” George said.