Kevin Underhill was born to Edelgard Underhill and Percy A. Underhill in 1968 in Seattle. He graduated in 1986 from Seattle Lutheran High School summa cum laude. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering  in 1989 and received his master’s degree in 1990, both from CALTECH and both completed in four years. He lived and worked in Austin, attending night classes at The University of Texas. Kevin died tragically on August 16, 2009 while participating in a bicycle race.

Kevin worked as an electrical engineer at National Instruments Corp. in Austin until he retired early in 1998. After retirement he traveled the world biking and climbing. He spent months cycling across Europe and Japan and was planning a trip to China.

Ms. Underhill says of her son, “I was unbelievably lucky to be blessed with a son like Kevin. He possessed all the best possible human attributes. He died at the age of 40 but fortunately lived his short life to the fullest.”

Ms. Underhill used her son’s estate to establish the Kevin E. Underhill Memorial Endowed Presidential Scholarship. As a grieving mother, Ms. Underhill says this gift will ensure others remember her son for a long time. The endowed scholarship gives her peace and comfort. She struggled with how best to honor and celebrate her son’s life. After careful consideration she believes this endowment comes closest to fulfilling his wishes. Even though Kevin worked as an engineer he loved the natural sciences. Because of this, Ms. Underhill designated that the scholarship benefit undergraduate students of high standing in the College of Natural Sciences.

Kevin Underhill was a kind, humble man with a great love of learning and the outdoors. He never wasted a moment of his life dreaming about what he wanted; he simply went out and did it. He measured his life not by the miles covered, but the joy of the journey.