Red McCombs ('50)
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Red McCombs started out in a small Texas town he never planned to leave, but he has grown to national prominence through his salesmanship and his philanthropic giving. He owns the sixth-largest auto conglomerate in the United States, comprising more than 50 dealerships, yet his first car-sales job was only supposed to last a few weeks. (He never even learned to work on cars from his auto mechanic father.) But his lack of planning seems to work to his advantage, and he still adheres to the philosophy of concentrating on the here and now, not the past or future. Red McCombs was born in the West Texas town of Spur in 1927, the mischievous oldest child of four siblings. He began working at age nine, selling peanuts to migrant workers. He was determined to make money, but learned the lesson of generosity from his parents. During the Depression, they would help people passing through Spur with food and a little money, even though they didn't have much. His family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1943. After graduating from high school, McCombs searched for a school that would give him a football scholarship. He enrolled at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, but was drafted and served in the army in 1946-47. The G.I. Bill allowed him to fulfill his dream, making it possible for him to enter The University of Texas in 1948. 
McCombs loved UT Austin, reveling in meeting so many different people and expanding his awareness of the world. He describes the time as a heady experience, where he was captain of his ship and didn't answer to anyone. While in Corpus Christi on a break, McCombs met a striking woman named Charline Hamblin. For him, it was love at first sight, but Charline needed a little more convincing. With his inherent sales skills, he wooed her and they married in 1950. Career-wise, McCombs knew he wanted to be a decision-maker, and to him, the decision-makers were doctors, lawyers, and bankers. Law suited him best, so he entered law school. But realizing that it would take years before he achieved success, he quit law school in frustration and entered the world of business. He was on his way to a sales position with a Texas Ex in Mississippi when he made a fateful stop in Corpus Christi, where a friend convinced him that he should try selling cars. Soon he was top salesman. By the age of 25, he owned his own dealership. McCombs learned early on that he enjoyed being involved in numerous activities and business ventures rather than sticking to one field. He co-founded Clear Channel Communications, which owns 225 radio stations and 18 TV stations. He chairs the board of trustees for Southwestern University, where he and Charline are distinguished alumni. He serves on the executive committee of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Houston) and acted as its chair in 1996-97. 
Red McCombs thrives in leading efforts to improve San Antonio, Texas, where he has lived since 1958. He was central in bringing Sea World to the city and helped launch the campaign to build the Alamodome. He has owned the San Antonio Spurs, the Denver Nuggets, and he recently bought the Minnesota Vikings, a move that he hopes will raise San Antonio's profile and help bring an NFL franchise to the city. McCombs advocates getting involved with one's community because, he says, "No one person has a lock on the right way or only way of doing things." He supports institutions that are important to him. In 1997, Red McCombs made the largest donation ever to UT women's athletics, funding the new women's softball complex. He hopes his gift will precipitate additional donations. Whatever time he has outside of his business interests he spends with Charline, their three daughters, Lynda, Marsha, and Connie, and their eight grandchildren, all of whom live in San Antonio. They are a tight-knit group, and McCombs jokes that there are no private family trips. He has received countless awards, including election into the Texas Business Hall of Fame and the UT Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998. He and Charline received the 1998 John Henry Faulk Award for Civic Virtue from the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. On winning a UT Distinguished Alumni Award, he says, "I'm representative of the group of C-students who didn't distinguish themselves in a given field, but still were contributors to their communities and were in leadership roles." By Cora Oltersdorf,
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