Thomas R. Clift served as a dedicated attorney at Sinclair Oil in Tulsa for much of his career. Clift was not a TU alumnus, but he apparently held The University of Tulsa in high esteem, prompting his widow to make plans to fund a TU scholarship in his name after he died in 1965.  Mrs. Clift created the Mae J. Clift Trust in 1969, and this Trust would eventually fulfill the funding of her husband’s namesake scholarship endowment and two other endowments named for her sister, Willa I. Shaver.

Mrs. Clift lived until 1981, and then the Trust supported her beloved sister, Willa, until she passed away in 1989.

To honor Willa Shaver and Thomas Clift and the profession that Thomas pursued throughout his career, three endowments were established at TU in 1989 and 1990: the Thomas R. Clift Scholarship Fund; the Willa I. Shaver Law Faculty Research Fund; and the Willa I. Shaver Scholarship for Law.

The University of Tulsa is deeply grateful to this caring family, whose members made it their priority to support deserving TU students, law students, and law professors through three generous endowment funds.