ARLINGTON, Texas — Allan Saxe, a beloved University of Texas at Arlington professor and prolific philanthropist, has died at 85, the university confirmed to WFAA in a statement Wednesday.
"For nearly six decades, Allan Saxe has been a Maverick institution -- one of our best known and most beloved professors," UT Arlington president Jennifer Cowley said in the statement. "He was engaging, smart, funny, and opinionated, and his classes were considered can't miss by generations of UT Arlington students."
Saxe's cause of death was not initially disclosed, though he had been battling Parkinson's disease in recent years, according to a 2020 story from The Dallas Morning News.
Saxe in 2019 also told the UT Arlington student newspaper, The Shorthorn, that he was dealing with "post-polio syndrome" symptoms from a childhood bout with the virus.
Saxe, a political science professor, earned undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from the University of Oklahoma in the 1960s, before making the move to UT Arlington, which was then known as Arlington State College.
At UT Arlington, he became a mainstay and a beloved lecturer. He taught political science at UTA from 1965 until his retirement in 2019. His classes always seemed to have a waiting list.
Dr. Saxe, a supporter of the Tarrant County College Foundation, also served as an adjunct at the Tarrant County College Southeast Campus.
As Cowley described in her statement Wednesday, the university's magazine in 2020, upon Saxe's retirement, put out a call to alumni to share their favorite memories of Saxe. Hundreds of former students submitted entries, describing Saxe as a thought-provoking, entertaining and engaging professor.
Here's how the magazine introduced Saxe in the piece:
"In 1965, a legend was born on the UTA campus: Allan Saxe became a faculty member in the Department of Political Science. In the intervening years, he became known for his passion for politics, his quirky classroom lectures, and his overwhelming generosity and kindness. He packed lecture halls as a must-take professor. He gave freely of his time—supporting generations of students inside and outside the classroom—and also his money, funding developments all over UTA, the city of Arlington, and North Texas."
Among the memories shared by alums was from Nicole Langeberg, who described what it was like to sit in a Saxe lecture.
"He started class one day stating that he wanted to be like Lady Gaga and be carried to class in an egg and then be reborn," Langeberg wrote. "I have never laughed so hard in a class. He was by far the most entertaining professor."
Saxe was perhaps known as much for his philanthropy across campus and the city of Arlington as he was for his teaching.
When Saxe's mother died, she left him $500,000, which Saxe then poured back into the city and university.
The city in 2017 said that more than 20 locations and buildings across North Texas bear Saxe's name, thanks to his contributions, including: Allan Saxe Park, Allan Saxe Parkway, Allan Saxe Dental Clinic at Mission Arlington, and UT Arlington's Allan Saxe Field, the home of the Mavericks' softball team. There is also a burger named after him at J. Gilligans Bar & Grill in Arlington.
Saxe also helped found the Arlington Night Shelter and served as the president of the Arlington unit of the American Heart Association and the Humane Society of North Texas, according to the city's website.
Last year, Arlington Mayor Jim Ross proclaimed Aug. 18 Allan Saxe Day in the city.
Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons in a post on X on Tuesday evening remembered Saxe as a "passionate educator whose wisdom and humor touched countless lives."
"His legacy in political science and philanthropy will continue to inspire generations," Simmons wrote.
Dr. Saxe received numerous awards and honors for his teaching and community service over the years, including a UT System Regents Teaching Award, Hero to the Homeless Award, the Greater Fort Worth Philanthropy Award, State of Texas Humanitarian Award and Meals on Wheels Volunteer of the Year.