OUR STORY
The Foundation
In furtherance of the mandate in its charter to support any benevolent, charitable, or educational undertaking, the Foundation makes grants to nonprofit organizations which are involved in such undertakings for the public welfare, including, but not limited to, education, health and human services, arts and cultural activities that benefit our community.
The Abell-Hanger Foundation has deep roots in Midland and the West Texas region. Midland was the site of Mr. Abell’s professional life and, together with Mrs. Abell, his personal life. Mr. Abell’s business success was primarily achieved as an oil and gas operator in the rural areas of West Texas. As a result of his involvement in this geographic region, he developed a deep sense of obligation to the people and rural communities of West Texas. The trustees are firmly committed to continuing the Abell’s philanthropic interests in Midland and West Texas.
The trustees have affirmed that commitment to West Texas by targeting a preponderance of the foundation’s annual grant budget to Midland and twenty-six counties in West Texas. Here is our image representation of the West Texas counties.
ABELL-HANGER FOUNDATION TIMELINE
1900
George Thomas Abell Was Born
George Thomas Abell was born in Wakeeney, Kansas.
1902
Gladys Hanger Was Born
Gladys Hanger was born to Charles Luther and Anna Lee Hanger. The Hanger family was a well-respected Fort Worth family where Mr. C.L. Hanger practiced law. Gladys graduated from Paschal High School and attended Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and the University of Texas at Austin.
1927
George Moves To Midland
It was 1927 when Abell arrived in Midland, a move that set in motion a 52-year association with West Texas and would establish a legacy that would long outlive him and continue to benefit tens of thousands in the community. His move to Midland came four years after the discovery of oil in Texon, where the Santa Rita No. 2 had established West Texas as a hotbed of the petroleum industry.
1930
Abell Becomes a Wildcatter
In 1930, Abell left the security of employment of the more established oil companies, striking out on his own and truly becoming one of West Texas’ earliest wildcatters. What followed was a series of events built mainly on hard work and the dedicated belief that great things can be accomplished only if reasonable risks are taken. He was forced to use his own resources to overcome struggles that were almost impossible for him to win.
1939
Gladys Hanger Marries George Abell
Gladys Hanger met and married George Abell and moved with him to Midland in 1939, twelve years after Mr. Abell had relocated.
1945
George Abell Was The Chair of the First Capital Campaign for Midland Memorial Hospital
In 1945-46, Abell was the chair of the first capital campaign for Midland Memorial Hospital, the first medical center that could adequately provide healthcare for a fast-growing patient base in an up and coming city and region. In 1951-52, Abell was president of the hospital board while Gladys spent several years in service to the hospital’s volunteer auxiliary. “With one of the first donations to the building fund in 1946, George and Gladys Abell became major contributors to the creation of Midland Memorial Hospital.
1954
The Abell-Hanger Foundation is Founded
When George Abell and Gladys Hanger-Abell married, their union would ultimately create a legacy of enterprise and philanthropy spanning decades and benefiting tens of thousands of Midlanders, West Texans and others. While the Abell name is forever emblazoned on a foundation that has helped so many, they both made significant contributions before the foundation’s creation. As David Smith noted, “If it was good for Midland, Mr. Abell wanted to be involved in it.” The first two grants awarded by the Abell-Hanger Foundation came in 1954, the year of its founding. One gift was for $1,000 to Colorado A&M University; the other for $1,250, which provided for the funding of scholarships awarded by the Fort Worth Independent School District. With the awarding of the two grants that first meeting, the standard was set: it was clear the Abells would make education a priority.
1962
George Abell Funds the First Historical Marker
Abell provided $1,000 for the erection of the first historical marker created by the Texas State History Association. The commemorative marker, in Smith County, near Tyler, told the story of United States Union Cpl. George Whitfield Hatheway, of the Fifth Kansas Cavalry, who was captured by southern troops at a confederate compound in 1860s Smith County, Texas. The confinement of Hatheway and 1,300 others at Camp Ford would serve as the first Travel Information Marker planted by the Texas Historical Commission more than 100 years later.
On January 14, 1962, Abell, grandson of George Whitfield Hatheway, wholly funded the creation of that first cast iron and aluminum marker. In the years since, the roadside marker program has become a common sight in the Lone Star State, and one that has preserved history in every county in Texas.
1965
The Pliska Plane Museum is Established
A member of the Midland Rotary Club for 42 years, George Abell made his first significant contribution to Midland history when he led the effort to construct a museum devoted to the Pliska Plane.
1972
Abell is Named to the Petroleum Museum Hall of Fame
Abell was one of six inductees into the Petroleum Museum Hall of Fame in 1972. Others were Berte R. Haigh and O.C. Harper, of Midland; H.P. Slagel, of Colorado City; Herbert C. Irvin, of Oklahoma City; Arthur M. Lockhart, of Long Beach, California, and Dean E. Lounsberry, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
1975
The Permian Basin Petroleum Museum Opens
In 1965, when work on the Aeroplane Museum and the Pliska Plane Exhibit was nearing completion, Abell turned his sites to a new project, a monumental and historically significant task that would be ten years in the making. When it was finished, Midland and West Texas had a space to commemorate and celebrate the industry that literally put it on the map. Since its 1975 opening, attended by President Gerald R. Ford, The Permian Basin Petroleum Museum and Hall of Fame has become the most popular tourist destination in Midland, a must for curious tourists to educators leading school field trips to industry professionals.
1979
George Abell Passes Away
George Abell passes away. You can view his obituary here.
1979
Gladys Finds Herself Thrust into a Man’s World
Gladys found herself thrust into the middle of a man’s world.
Gladys found herself thrust into the middle of a man’s world. With the help of Mr. James Trott and Mr. Lester Van Pelt, she preserved the Abell’s great fortune through sound decision-making and frugal financial discipline. Gladys served as the President of the Board of Trustees of the Abell-Hanger Foundation from 1976 to 1988.
1986
Midland Legacy Scholars Program
In 1986, the foundation established what has become its most enduring educational program, and a gift that has left its greatest mark on Midland solely because of the sheer numbers of young adults that have benefited from the generosity brought by what has come to be known as the Legacy Scholarship (the program had no formal name when it was founded). Every year, the scholarship fund, now co-sponsored by four family foundations in Midland, offers high school graduates in Midland County two years of free tuition at Midland College.
1988
Gladys Passes Away
Gladys passes away. You can view her obituary here.
1997
SIP (Students in Philanthropy) Founded
One of the earliest examples of how the foundation has helped foster philanthropy in Midland began in the late 1980s, when students began a philanthropy organization that would come to be known as Students in Philanthropy. The group’s objective was to provide students the opportunity to improve the quality of life in their communities, and participants learned about the importance of philanthropy and the role of nonprofits through the fund development and grant making process. Students not only make needed contributions to nonprofits, but gain leadership and stewardship training through a structured program designed to educate, support and promote philanthropic leadership in the community.
2004
Abell-Hanger Foundation’s 50th Anniversary
On September 16, 2004, the foundation celebrated its 50th year of serving Midland and the Greater West Texas Area. To commemorate the occasion, the city hosted a large appreciation event, largely organized by local non-profits and media, and signed off on by the foundation. The special evening was celebrated at the Midland Center.
2009
Awarded Largest Single Grant
In 2009, the Abell-Hanger Foundation awards the largest single grant in our history $7MM to build the Towers at Midland Memorial Hospital
2013
Midland Shared Spaces is Completed
In 2013, midland Shared Spaces was completed. MSS (Midland Shared Spaces) is a nonprofit center that provides quality, affordable resources and workspace for nonprofit organizations in Midland County. We are a multi-sector center meaning we support many nonprofits with diverse missions and focus areas. MSS connects diverse organizations, giving them the chance to collaborate, share knowledge, and develop systemic solutions to the community issues they are working to address, thereby impacting our entire community.
2016
Executive Director David Smith Retires
In 2016, Executive Director David Smith Retires after 33 years and Mark Palmer is named Executive Director.
2021
Abell Innovation Award Introduced
In 2021, the Abell Innovation Award was introduced. The Abell Innovation Award in the form of a grant supporting great ideas and the people who power them coming together to solve the community’s challenges. This is your chance to develop and test ideas, to solve problems and create opportunities for the people of our community to realize their full potential. This grant can be used to develop new ideas, test ones you have already imagined or spread proven ideas with the goal of transformative impact. We are interested in ideas that inspire, equip, and connect people to lead change.
2023
Permian Area Funders Network Launched
In 2023, the Permian Area Funders Network was launched to build relationship between funders in this region to increase collaboration and effective grantmaking. Discuss and better understand our common challenges and how we are each addressing those challenges. Provide an opportunity for board members/trustees to exchange ideas with regional peers, and provide relevant training opportunities.