History of the Foundation

The Educational Advancement Foundation was founded in 1969 by Harry Lucas, Jr., who serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees. Today, the Foundation is headquartered in Austin, Texas in the historic home of R. L. Moore, renowned professor of mathematics at the University of Texas at Austin from 1920 to 1969. It is governed by six trustees:

  • Harry Lucas, Jr., Chairman
  • Hamilton Beazley, Ph.D.
  • Edward Burger, Ph.D.
  • Christopher T. Beh, Ph.D.
  • Alfred E. Leiser, M.D.
  • Terry Lester, MBA

Another Officer of the Foundation is:

  • Fain Brock, Treasurer

The teaching methods of R. L. Moore greatly influenced the chairman of the Foundation. As such, the Foundation’s primary focus is improving education in the sciences.

The Foundation promotes Inquiry-Based Learning, or discovery learning, in mathematics and the sciences. The Foundation made its first mentoring grants to promote discovery learning in 1997. The grants have continued to evolve as the Foundation seeks better ways to improve education in the mathematics and the sciences.