Friday, January 30, 2009
PRINCESS ANNE, MD – Austin Cox Jr., president and CEO of Austin Cox Mechanical Inc. and the newest member of the UMES Board of Visitors, recently pledged $25,000 to support the UMES seven-year $14 million Campaign for Academic Excellence. Payable in five disbursements of $5,000 each over the next five years, the pledge was affirmed with Cox s $5,000 presentation to UMES President Thelma B. Thompson.
The Cox family and the employees of Austin Cox Mechanical Inc. are honored to make a donation to this great University to help further its academic endeavors, said Cox.
A native of Crisfield, Md., Cox is owner of the family-owned business that provides electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning services to residential and commercial customers throughout Delmarva. In Somerset County, he develops residential and commercial properties, to include the Harbour Light Condominiums in Crisfield and the Chase Plaza Business Park in Princess Anne.
In addition to managing a successful business, Cox serves as a member of the Greater Salisbury Committee, a member of the UMES Business Executive Advisory Council and holds membership in various trade and chamber organizations. He resides in Princess Anne with his wife, Neda, and their three children: Chelsea, Christopher and Hunter.
Private gifts to the university are made to the UMES Foundation, which is part of the University System of Maryland Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation separate from the University System of Maryland. The Foundation is a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation s purpose is to receive, hold, invest, manage, use, dispose of and administer property of all kinds, whether given absolutely or in trust, or by way of agency or otherwise. Contributions are used entirely for the purpose specified by the donor.
In recognition of the financial support of Cox, his family and his employees, Room 1013 in Richard F. Hazel Hall has been named the Austin Cox Mechanical Inc. Classroom.
For more information about the UMES Campaign for Academic Excellence, contact Gains Hawkins, UMES vice president for institutional advancement, at 410-651-7773.
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Suzanne Waters Street, director, UMES Office of Public Relations, 410-621-2355, sstreet@umes.edu.
