Lone Star College Foundation received $100,000 to support LSC-Kingwood’s new Fire Training Pavilion in honor of Gary Lee Staley, a firefighter who passed away in the line of duty.

“The Foundation will always be grateful for Don and Ruby’s (Gary’s parents) incredible ability to turn their pain and their son’s lifelong dream into helping Lone Star College System students become trained firefighters,” said Nicole Robinson Gauthier, CFRE, LSC Foundation executive director.

The family initially established the Gary Staley Memorial Fund to provide scholarships to current firefighters pursuing advanced training. However, partnering with the Lone Star College Foundation, the fund now helps students enrolled in the fire science program at LSC-Kingwood and LSC-Montgomery.

“The scholarship program offered through the Lone Star College Foundation Endowment Program was a natural opportunity for the Gary Staley Memorial Fund to expand its reach to deserving applicants,” said Don and Ruby Staley. “Joining the college’s foundation honors Gary’s legacy by fostering the next generation of dedicated public servants.”

Staley joined the Porter Fire Department in 2000 and participated in over 300 fire calls while working full-time as an accountant for Anadarko Petroleum Corporation. Then in 2003, the dedicated son, brother and father passed away in an explosion while bravely rescuing his brothers in service from a burning building. Read more about Gary’s story at GaryStaleyMemorial.com.

“The Staleys' commitment to honoring Gary’s memory while helping others in the process is an inspiration to others and the epitome of what Lone Star College Foundation strives to do,” said Robinson Gauthier.

The Lone Star College System Fire Science program is available at LSC-CyFair, LSC-Kingwood and LSC-Montgomery. Students learn basic and advanced skills, including operating fire streams, performing various rescues and using firefighting equipment. Graduates enter the industry as qualified firefighters and emergency personnel.

Learn more at LoneStar.edu/Programs-of-Study/Fire-Science-AAS.