The Fowler Family: Responding to Monumental Grief

In 2013, at her younger brother’s Ring Day Ceremony, Victoria Fowler ’16 had an epiphany — call it an Aggie epiphany. Christopher Fowler ’14 remembers that it wasn’t just the piece of gold on his finger that wowed Victoria; it was all that went with the ring: the happy buzz among students and family celebrating, the feeling of belonging, the rich legacy of Texas A&M University. “She felt that palpable energy and just wanted her own bite of that,” he recalled.

On that very day, Victoria, who had earned her undergraduate degree at a small, private university in Tennessee, decided she would get her MBA at Mays Business School, and a few years later, Christopher had the honor of placing an Aggie ring on Victoria’s finger. “She recognized that a huge reason that she was an Aggie was because of me,” he said. “It just felt right for one Aggie to put it on the other Aggie in the family. She was just completely over the moon — especially after working full-time and going to class for a year and a half.”

Despite embracing Texas A&M later than her younger brother, she became an Aggie through and through, her parents, Brad and Roxie Fowler, said. “She loved Texas A&M even though she didn’t want to go there originally; she finally drank the Kool-Aid,” explained her mother, Roxie. “It was really important to her.”

So important that after a horrific tragedy in fall 2023 — Victoria’s murder, which left her then 3-year-old son motherless — the family decided the best way to honor her memory was a scholarship in her name for a Mays student. The Fowlers contributed $250,000 to create the scholarship, and plan to give more over time, with the hope that it can provide a full-ride for each recipient.

“After her death, we were thinking about how to create a tribute to her,” said her father, Brad. “It will be great to watch what we are able to do to help other students who may not be able to afford school or may worry about getting deep in debt. Maybe the scholarship will change their life.”

Remembering Victoria

Victoria’s family remembers her as a creative soul, who loved to write and draw and was skilled at decorating cakes. She took classes to perfect the art and became good enough to take commissions to make cakes for weddings, anniversaries, and other important occasions. Her mother recalls how she adored reading so much that she would often walk in the halls of her elementary school with her nose in a book. At the same time, she was also quick with numbers, which led her to major in finance at Lipscomb University in Nashville, with a minor in math.

Her family, based in Kingwood, had hoped she would stay closer to home for her studies, but she had her mind set on attending Lipscomb. Even though she was homesick at times in Nashville, she was determined to finish what she started. After she graduated, Victoria was glad to get back to Texas. She went to work for an energy company, which is where she was employed when she had her realization at Christopher’s Ring Day that what she really wanted — Texas A&M — was in her own backyard all along.

Victoria was mentored by caring professors and staff at Mays while studying for her Professional MBA. Deborah Mann, former associate director for the Professional MBA program, remembers her as a “doll,” who was kind and quiet.

A classmate wrote the following to her parents upon Victoria’s passing: “She sat right behind me in class, and we spent a lot of time pouring over case studies, working on projects, and most importantly, getting to know each other. She is by far one of the kindest people I have ever met. It was a pleasure getting to see her come into her own with public speaking in class, socializing with the team, cracking a few jokes, and exuding confidence. Victoria’s impact on people’s lives will never be forgotten.”

Her mother believes that Texas A&M resonated so deeply with Victoria because the values that she held dear were the same priorities at the university. “She had high integrity, high morals, she was very clear on knowing right from wrong,” Roxie said. “She would say, `You have to do the right thing all the time.’”

After earning her MBA, Victoria was married in 2016 and gave birth to her son in 2020. As much as she loved her job at Insperity, which provides human resources services, she was devoted to her son. “She wasn’t driven by career above everything,” said Brad. “She was all about family. And really, after her son was born, he was everything to her.”

Moving Forward

Even though the Fowlers paid for Victoria’s undergraduate degree (and part of her MBA), her mother reports that Victoria was keenly aware that some friends struggled with the financial demands of college. “I know that she had friends who had student loans. She had some friends that had to take a pause from school for a while because the money just wasn’t there,” said Roxie. “She was very thankful for what her dad and I had done for her — that she didn’t have to work and could focus on her studies. So I think she would be very happy that this scholarship will help someone concentrate on school and fulfill their dreams.”

Though nothing can truly assuage the family’s grief for Victoria, Christopher said taking action by creating the scholarship offered some comfort. “When someone passes away, the fear is that person is going to be forgotten,” he said. “We don’t want that to happen.”

For the family, it’s important too that her son appreciates his mother’s legacy. “I think he will be thrilled to see that we’ve been able to help these people through his mother,” Brad said, noting that he hopes Victoria’s son will become a second-generation Aggie. Even though Brad is a graduate of Louisiana State University, he said “We’re kind of in that camp of ‘We’ll pay for him to go anywhere as long as it’s Texas A&M.’”

Roxie believes that the scholarship and the leg up it offers others will transcend the tragedy of her death. “The people who loved her and knew her and the people who will know her now through the scholarship will have good memories,” she said. “Her spirit lives on.”