Agnese Nelms Haury
On behalf of Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment & Social Justice
2024-25 has been a year-long celebration of people and projects to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Haury Program, including releasing a video series highlighting some of our awardees and more. The celebrations began on October 11th, 2024 with an event at Women’s Plaza of Honor, where a garden will be dedicated to Mrs. Haury, and “The Women of Haury” who were there at the start of the program will be honored.
Agnese Nelms Haury (1923 – 2014) was a passionate philanthropist with a vision for change- makers and innovative scholarship. During her life and world travels, she supported many people and organizations working on social justice and the environment. Her life-long commitment to the Southwest included a wide range of University of Arizona and regional initiatives, including:
-UArizona College of Law programs in public interest law and immigration paralegal training;
-The Court Interpreter Training Institute;
-The UArizona’s Southwest Center, including recruiting prominent writer, conservationist and food activist Gary Nabhan;
-The work of ecologist David Yetman and his TV programs, "The Desert Speaks" and "In the Americas";
-Construction of the Bryant Bannister Tree-Ring Building, opened in 2013, which houses the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research and its irreplaceable collection of tree-ring specimens from around the world.
In 2014, the UArizona Foundation became the recipient of a $50 million bequest from the Haury Estate to establish an endowment in support of scientific and cultural studies rooted in social and environmental justice, with a focus on the American Southwest. The bequest, one of the largest in the University's history, founded the Agnese Nelms Haury Program in Environment and Social Justice, or the “Haury Program” for short. Mrs. Haury believed in social justice, and sought to solve the many "wicked" societal and environmental problems facing our region and the world. A garden in Women’s Plaza, designed by Chris Stebe, was dedicated to Mrs. Haury to honor her and her legacy on October 11th, 2024. This event brought together Haury Program Donor Advised Fund Board members, Haury Estate trustees, program staff as well as University faculty, staff and students with community members, and marked the beginning of a 10th year anniversary celebrations. “The Women of Haury” were also honored at that event. The Haury Program will continue celebrations by releasing a video series highlighting some of their awardees and more.
https://www.haury.arizona.edu