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This scholarship has been set up to honor the memory of Michael Gregory Foster. Mike was a first generation college student, airplane enthusiast, dedicated Longhorn fan, and beloved son, brother, husband, father and colleague.
Mike grew up in the Texas panhandle, the oldest of four children to Donald and Barbara Foster. Several years older than his siblings, his influence on them was strong and always positive. He was a natural leader, patiently teaching the finer points of sports, as well as showing that math and science could be “cool”.
He attended Hereford High School where he excelled both academically and in 
sports. Mike had a life-long love affair with airplanes and flying. In high school he took a class in Aerospace, which included passing his Private Pilot exam and continued to solo flights.
Mike was a groundbreaker – first in his family to attend college – and not just any college, but the University of Texas. He studied Aerospace Engineering and completed his Bachelors degree in 1981. Inspired by his example, all three of his younger siblings would follow him to UT, establishing a Foster family Longhorn legacy.
Mike’s first post-graduate job took this small town Texas boy to California where he joined a Northrop team working on the highly classified B2 (Stealth) Bomber. As his career progressed he became a well respected industry specialist in wind tunnel testing, flight testing and simulation – traveling all over the world, sharing his knowledge and mentoring young engineers. He retired from Gulfstream Aerospace after 28 years in 2019, and finished out his professional career as an aerodynamics consultant for Boom Supersonic.
Mike was a proud Longhorn – he loved Longhorn sports, particularly baseball and football, sharing many a game commentary with his family and friends, even into the final days of his 15-year battle with cancer. He loved UT, the city of Austin, and Texas BBQ.
The mission of this endowed scholarship is to aid “a kid who REALLY likes planes” just like Mike, and shall be used to provide scholarship support for students within the Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Department.
Mike will be remembered as a warm-hearted, loving, funny, and compassionate man dedicated to his faith and family. He loved his wife Jane and son Kevin in epic fashion. He loved planes and the dynamics of flight, and shared this passion with a new generation of aerospace engineers – he was a leader and mentor. We are proud to continue his legacy by supporting future University of Texas engineering students.
