Mike Mewhinney Establishes Bequest to Assist West Point Far into the Future

When Michael C. Mewhinney ’66 was a cadet, his free time was scarce and his days were long. But, looking back now, Mike realizes those years served him well—which is why he has established an estate gift to the Superintendent’s Endowment, offering the best possible West Point experience for future cadets.

“I think it’s the best thing in the world that I could do with my estate,” he says.

Mike recalls his years at West Point were tough. His friends at other institutions were attending parties and dating. When he was at West Point, it was all male and “nose to the grindstone.”

“I’m the only guy in my social group who went through college with three shirts and four pairs of pants,” he says with a laugh.

Mike says West Point taught him the importance of duty, hard work, and honesty—traits that have served him well in business and life. He believes West Point educates tomorrow’s national leaders, so his bequest will support the future of the country he loves.

“West Point is really the crown jewel of the United States,” Mike says. “It’s amazing the kind of person they attract, and it’s amazing how they train them.”

Mike attended West Point at the urging of his father, a retired U.S. Navy admiral, who graduated from Annapolis in 1927. After graduating from West Point, serving in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, and earning a Harvard business degree, Mike fulfilled his father’s expectations by launching a highly successful and respected pension fund management firm based in Dallas.

Over the years Mike and his wife Linda have remained in touch with the Academy, including attending reunions and Mike’s service on the Board of Trustees. Their first contribution to the Academy was the gift of a rare letter from General George Washington to Major General Arthur St. Clair on protecting West Point during the Revolutionary War. A collector of rare books, Mike obtained the letter in an auction and donated it to West Point.

Now semi-retired, Mike urges his fellow alumni to join him in making the West Point Association of Graduates part of their estate plans.

“I think West Point really reflects the American spirit,” Mike says. “It has provided leaders of the country from the day it was founded. West Point really personifies the slogan crafted for its 200th anniversary, which is ‘The history we teach is made by the people we taught.’ ”