$12M bequest boosts East Texas Baptist University endowment providing long-term stability

East Texas Baptist University in Marshall has received a $12 million bequest from the estate of Lee and Willie Feagin, marking the largest estate gift in the university’s history. The unrestricted gift is directed to ETBU’s endowment, strengthening long-term financial support for academic programs, student development, and institutional stability across future generations. The Feagins, longtime ETBU supporters, established a trust in 1953. While the gift does not fund the separate restoration campaign for Feagin Hall, built in 1950, the bequest reinforces the university’s broader campus initiatives, including the preservation of historic student housing and enrollment growth efforts.