{"id":6709,"date":"2021-08-20T19:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-21T00:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arch.tamu.edu.staging2.juiceboxint.com\/news\/2021\/08\/20\/outstanding-alumnus-remembered-as-leading-executive-construction-science-supporter\/"},"modified":"2024-01-04T11:33:44","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T17:33:44","slug":"outstanding-alumnus-remembered-as-leading-executive-construction-science-supporter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2021\/08\/20\/outstanding-alumnus-remembered-as-leading-executive-construction-science-supporter\/","title":{"rendered":"Outstanding alumnus remembered as leading executive,\nconstruction science supporter"},"content":{"rendered":"

William Raba \u201986, a leading business executive, an Outstanding Alumnus of the College of Architecture, and a strong supporter of Texas A&M construction science education, passed away Aug. 13, 2021 at 60 years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cWilliam will be so missed as someone who truly lived up to what it means to be an outstanding alumnus,\u201d said Patrick Suermann, head of the Department of Construction Science. \u201cHe and his wife Merry left an indelible mark on the construction science program through their generous time, world-class talents and selfless gifts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raba\u2019s leadership of Raba Kistner, an engineering, project management and environmental consulting firm, vaulted the San Antonio-based company to a consistent spot on Engineering News-Record\u2019s annual lists of the top 500 U.S.-based firms of their kind.<\/p>\n

As the firm\u2019s president and vice chairman of the board, Raba was instrumental in its expansion into 14 regional offices in four states and Mexico. He oversaw the firm\u2019s strategic planning and corporate development, its safety and risk management procedures and its information technology.<\/p>\n

He was also principal in charge of the firm’s project management role in Kyle Field\u2019s redevelopment.<\/p>\n

Raba, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Building Construction degree at Texas A&M, and his wife Merry \u201984 established a lasting legacy of support for College of Architecture students.<\/p>\n

In 2019, they established the Merry Raba \u201984 and William Raba \u201986 Graduate Fellowship Fund<\/a>, a $150,000 endowment to support the Department of Construction Science\u2019s graduate program director.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis gift is helping to elevate our world-class program and will provide more opportunities for students to focus on their high-quality graduate education,\u201d said Suermann. \u201cWe are grateful for the Rabas\u2019 generosity, and their dual gift of student fellowships and director support is an innovative approach in strengthening our program at every level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raba was also a highly regarded civic leader in San Antonio, heading education, economic development, and nonprofit initiatives.<\/p>\n

He earned Northside ISD\u2019s Pillar of Citizenship honor for raising $2.8 billion in five district bond elections as the district\u2019s education foundation finance chairman.<\/p>\n

He also played a leading role in fundraising efforts to pass additional municipal and educational bonds, including an $850 million Alamo City measure, a  $450 million Alamo Community College District package, and a San Antonio ISD package in 2017.<\/p>\n

Services will be held Monday, August 23, 2021 at 7 p.m. at Porter Loring Mortuary North with visitation from 5-7 p.m. A mass will be held Tuesday, August 24, 2021 at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Helotes, Texas.<\/p>\n

Obituary available at Tribute Archive.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

William Raba \u201986, a leading business executive and an Outstanding Alumnus of the School of Architecture, passed away Aug. 13, 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":6710,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[61,87,64],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOutstanding alumnus remembered as leading executive, CoSci supporter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"William Raba \u201986, a leading business executive and an Outstanding Alumnus of the College of Architecture, passed away Aug. 13, 2021.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.arch.tamu.edu\/news\/2021\/08\/20\/outstanding-alumnus-remembered-as-leading-executive-construction-science-supporter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" 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