A Legacy of Community Service

Deanna Mack’s (J.D. ’08) strong desire to help others informed all her decisions, including the decision to attend law school, so it’s fitting that her family honored her memory by starting a scholarship. This past year, her family transitioned the Deanna Mack Scholarship to a permanent endowed fund ensuring Deanna’s legacy of philanthropy will live on for many years to come. The Deanna Mack (J.D. ’08) Endowed Scholarship will support JD students who are members of the Black Law Student Association as soon as the fund reaches $25,000.

Deanna’s brother, Terence, and sister, Sharon, remember their younger sister’s unfailing charitableness, even as a high schooler.

“I know students are required to do community service for credit, but Deanna always went beyond that,” Terence explains.

He adds with a chuckle, “She was always signing up to do more, and it drove my mom nuts.”

During her undergraduate studies at The University of Texas at Austin, Deanna joined Delta Sigma Theta, a historically Black sorority that prides itself on its history of community service initiatives. After she graduated, she decided the best way she could serve her community would be as a lawyer. This was a trailblazing move on her part as nobody else in her family had gone to law school or worked in the legal field.

She chose the University of Houston Law Center after she considered the school’s high pass rate for 3L students taking the bar exam for the first time as well as the appealing prospects for 1L and 2L students to intern with various law firms. She also knew sorority sisters in Houston—not that she needed friends wherever she chose to move. “She was no stranger to anyone. She could make friends easily,” Sharon shares.

While in law school, Deanna connected with Professor Meredith Duncan (J.D. ’93), a fellow Delta Sigma Theta sorority sister.

“Professor Duncan and Deanna established an immediate rapport,” shares Terence. “She just had a certain affinity towards Professor Duncan and that relationship really blossomed.”

Professor Duncan remembers Deanna as a “brilliant student” who “was destined to be an outstanding lawyer.” Duncan was so impressed by Deanna’s academic performance that she hired her as a research assistant.

In addition to her studies, Deanna balanced multiple responsibilities. She was the assistant legal editor at the Jones McClure Publishing Co as well as the Notes and Comments Editor at the Houston Business and Tax Law Journal. She also held leadership roles at Houston’s local chapter of the National Black Law Students Association.

Mack family photos

Deanna and her niece, Victoria Mack. Terence's daughter Victoria and Deanna were very close.

Deanna Mack and her sorority sisters of Delta Sigma Theta at her graduation from law school in 2008

“It was important to her to give back, and despite how busy she was, she always found time to provide service both in and out of law school,” remembers Duncan.

Deanna graduated from law school in May of 2008, but before she could take the bar exam, she passed away from a rare heart defect.

To honor her memory, the Mack family began the Deanna Mack Scholarship in 2009. Her siblings were active in the scholarship from the start, reviewing applications to award aspiring Black lawyers who needed support to take the expensive bar exam.

“Over the years, the Deanna Mack Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to a deserving student who has excelled in law school, has been an active Black Law Student Association member, and has served the community,” Professor Meredith Duncan shares. “As such, it has embodied the spirit of Deanna, and I am delighted to know that it has now been endowed so that her legacy will continue.”

Terence Mack and the first scholarship recipient of the Deana Mack BLSA Scholarship, DeAndrea Johnson (Spring 2009). The Mack family has awarded the scholarship to 14 recipients since the Spring of 2009.

Terence explains why they chose to turn the scholarship into an endowment. “It’s an appealing route because it means the scholarship will continue on indefinitely.”

Family members would have considered the endowment earlier, but they didn’t know it was a possibility, describing themselves as “laypeople” when it came to scholarships. They weren’t sure they were qualified, and they credit their contacts at the Division of Advancement & Alumni with approaching them with the idea and then walking them through the process.

Perseverance is a quality they value deeply, and it’s what they hope to impart to the recipients of the Deanna Mack (J.D. ’08) Endowed Scholarship.

“The advice I would give is this: expect setbacks, but it's not about the setbacks. It's about how you respond,” Sharon advises.

“You will not find progress until you really learn how to respond to setbacks. That's not just in law school, but also once you start your career in the field of law. The critical question is: how do you respond? My advice, as Sharon said, is to persevere,” Terence adds.

Deanna’s family has demonstrated admirable persistence through their response to her untimely passing. The scholarship they established in her name represents not only her generosity, but their remarkable perseverance.

If you would like to make a gift in Deanna’s memory, you may do so here. Select “Law Foundation—Other” and specify that the gift is for the Deanna Mack (J.D. ’08) Endowed Scholarship.