Allan Saxe, beloved UT-Arlington professor obsessed with philanthropy, has died
Allan Saxe, the eccentric former political science professor at UT-Arlington who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars from his modest earnings to dozens of humanitarian causes, has died at 85.
While he is remembered by generations of college students for his passion in the classroom, stirring debates and challenging them to think differently about politics and society, his larger legacy is undoubtedly his generosity — immortalized with his name on arts venues, athletic fields, gardens, libraries, scholarships, road signs, clinics, parks and services for homeless people.
He felt compelled to make the world around him a better place — but he also relished seeing his name given to the causes he furthered.
“With Allan, the first thing he thinks of when he’s got a little extra money is, ‘Where can I give it away?’“ his wife Ruthie Brock told the Star-Telegram for a 1993 profile on him. “He really takes pleasure in finding the need himself. I’d be surprised if there was another human being like that in the world.”
As Saxe put it, he spent most of his humble, frugal life trying to make up for a feeling of inferiority. “I’m buying immortality,” he said in that 1993 story. “I’m buying love.”
Saxe taught at UT-Arlington for 54 years and served as an adjunct at the Tarrant County College. He was a founding member of the Arlington Life Shelter and generous supporter of Mission Arlington, the River Legacy Foundation, Theatre Arlington, the Humane Society of North Texas and the Fort Worth Zoo.
“He was engaging, smart, funny, and opinionated, and his classes were considered can’t miss by generations of UT Arlington students,” Jennifer Cowley, UT-Arlington president, said in a statement. “His legacy of overwhelming generosity and kindness is visible across our campus and our region ... We at UT Arlington are forever grateful.”
Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Saxe learned volunteerism from his mother. Neither of his parents were educated beyond high school, and they worked odd jobs all their lives. His father died when he was 19; his mother continued to work and volunteer for clubs and causes.
Over 45 years, she invested in stock, leading to a substantial inheritance when she died. Within a year of her funeral, Saxe had given away at least $400,000, most of which came from the inheritance and some artwork he owned. For years, he had given away at least half his annual $50,000 salary at UT-Arlington, where he started teaching in 1965.
In the late 1970s and early ‘80s, Saxe was featured weekly on a five-minute segment on WFAA called, “The World According to Saxe.” The segments featured a comic Saxe pointing out the absurdities of life — a cross between Weird Al Yankovic and Andy Rooney.
He also wrote a newspaper columnist for the Star-Telegram’s Arlington edition that highlighted his quirky personality.
At UT-Arlington, Saxe quickly emerged as a popular instructor because he enjoyed stirring debate and featuring controversial guest speakers such as atheist Madalyn Murray O’Hair, former U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright and Gerald Ford before he became president.
What most people forget, Saxe told the Star-Telegram in 1993, is that he always brought in speakers who represented opposite views. The day after O’Hair visited, a fundamentalist Baptist minister addressed Saxe’s class, he said.
In 1975, students and faculty members were among his staunchest supporters when he ran for City Council. He lost to a well-known figure in the community in a heated campaign, and vowed to never run for office again after the humility he felt taking down his campaign signs.
Instead, he directed his political passions to the classroom — and the many causes he supported with his own money.
He gave $50,000 to the Central Library for a computer lab. He gave thousands more to Levitt Pavilion, being a huge fan of its free outdoor concerts. He pledged $100,000 to the River Legacy Nature Center and funded picnic tables and a pavilion.
Saxe donated $100,000 toward renovations on UT-Arlington’s Athletic Complex, a cluster of baseball, softball and soccer fields.
And when the city in 2009 cut funding for traffic control for the Interlochen neighborhood’s popular holiday lights display, he foot the bill out of his own pocket. He told the Star-Telegram in 2011 that he loved to watch the constant stream of cars snake slowly through the neighborhood, with “children hanging out of the car windows, the dogs and the cats.”
“It really is nice,” he said. “I know that sounds mushy, but it’s true. I love the lights so much, I wish they’d stay up all year.”
Saxe, who contracted polio as a child, gave money for a UT-Arlington scholarship for disabled students. “Donating money is a wonderful deal,” Saxe told MyArlingtonTV in 2017. “I love it. Arlington has been a wonderful place to me. I think it has a great future ahead and it has been a dream city for me.”
In 2003, Saxe was honored at the Star-Telegram Awards Recognizing Service. The newspaper noted that Saxe gave extra credit to his students for community work, but he said good citizenship doesn’t depend on performing public works.
“I always tell my classes, if people took care of themselves a little more, that’s the ultimate community service,” Saxe said.
