Developed Relationships

When the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences celebrated the retirement of Dr. O. J. “Bubba” Woytek on May 6, colleagues and friends came together to extol his love for the college, the university, and the people who support both.

Story by JENNIFER GAUNTT

“It’s been an honor and privilege to do this. It was really a lot of fun and very rewarding,” said Dr. O. J. “Bubba” Woytek, assistant vice president for development within the Texas A&M Foundation. “Every day was Christmas because every day I was looking for a gift for the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS).”

After serving as a development officer for the CVMBS for more than 32 years, Woytek has a lot to be proud of.

Not only was he the first veterinarian to serve as a development officer at a college of veterinary medicine in the United States, but in his time at the CVMBS, he estimates that between $400 million and $500 million was raised for veterinary scholarships, research, education, buildings, and more.

In the first capital campaign in which he participated, Woytek single-handedly reached and surpassed the college’s $29 million goal, raising $30 million, and in the second, helped raise more than $100 million. In the last campaign, he and the CVMBS development team raised $300 million for the college, second only to the College of Engineering.

“I was just helping the college be the best that it can be,” he said.

But for Woytek, his time at the CVMBS has been about more than just raising money—it’s been about the relationships he’s developed, the stewardship piece of his job, that he has loved so dearly.

“That's what it is,” he said. “When people know you care and that what they're doing is important, they feel good about their gift, and that is important.

“If I could say anything, I'd just like to thank the faculty and the students for their help and especially the alumni; they know who they are,” he said. “For many of the gifts that I got here, the donors never even came to school here. They gave because of the respect for our profession and our graduates. Because of the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, they'd give a million dollars; they create scholarships because of what they represent, the professionalism and the caring. I think that's important.

“I want to thank the Texas A&M Foundation for allowing me to represent my college, my university, and my profession. It’s been a wonderful time.”

In his retirement, Woytek plans to devote time to his cows and the two boats he rarely used.

“I bought a pontoon boat in 1995, a 20-footer. You can walk around and you cook on it, visit, and I've had it out, I think five or six times in all those years,” he said. “But I will. I'm going to go fishing at Somerville.”

But, of course, in true Woytek fashion, retirement doesn’t actually mean retirement.

Because of the relationships he’s developed, he plans to stick around part-time through the end of 2022, he says, to support the next Small Animal Teaching Hospital fundraising campaign.

After all, in 32 years, he’s developed a lot of relationships, and if any of his friends call the Development Office looking for him, he wants them to know he’s still there for them. ■

Colleagues from the Texas A&M Foundation came together to celebrate Woytek’s retirement.

Woytek shares what his time at the CVMBS has meant to him during his May 6 retirement reception.

CVMBS TODAY

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Veterinary student Susan Antonini at Dimmitt Veterinary Clinic, one of VERO's rural partner clinics.

(Photo by Michael Kellett, CVMBS Communications)

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“No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.”