UT HEALTH UT HEALTH SAN ANTONIO
PRESIDENT'S LUMINARY HONORS

UT Health San Antonio

President’s Luminary Honors

In 2023, Parallel helped UT Health San Antonio create the President’s Luminary Honors name and launch the new donor-recognition event with One Small Flame—a theme built around the idea that a single act of generosity can ignite meaningful change.

For the second annual event, the challenge was to build on that equity without repeating ourselves. The larger strategy remained constant: reengage donors across UT Health San Antonio’s many schools and disciplines, help them see the extraordinary work their generosity makes possible, and recognize the philanthropic visionaries helping light the way forward.

That idea led us skyward.

We settled on the “Stars Among Us” as our theme, and researched early astronomy, celestial navigation, star charts, and scientific instruments, eventually building the event’s visual language around the astrolabe—an ancient tool for locating oneself by the stars. Its combination of science, discovery, precision, and wonder felt particularly apt for an academic health institution continually navigating what comes next.

The system extended from the save the date through invitations, awards, environmental graphics, and event materials. At its center was a custom trifold invitation featuring a multi-piece, freely rotating astrolabe. It turned the invitation into an act of discovery, something recipients could handle, explore, and gradually reveal, creating a small moment of anticipation before they ever arrived at the event.

The evening ultimately carried an additional and deeply meaningful resonance. UT Health San Antonio President William L. Henrich, MD, MACP, whose leadership had shaped so much of the institution’s growth and vision, had passed away earlier that year. The event paid tribute to his legacy, and the President’s Legacy Award was bestowed upon him posthumously. More than 700 guests attended, and the evening surpassed its $1 million fundraising goal, a clear measure of the event’s success in reengaging supporters, celebrating philanthropy, and strengthening connection to the university’s mission.