Tim (‘77) and Joni Powers Donor Story

Timothy E. Powers is a distinguished alumnus of UCLA and a former varsity rower for the UCLA men's crew, graduating in 1977. He has been a consistent and active supporter of the program, frequently contributing to the Friends of UCLA Men's Rowing (FOUR) organization. Tim made a generous contributions to fundraising efforts in the form of a donation of $100,000 in 2024.

— From remarks by Robert Frassetto, FOUR President, 2013:

Tim Powers  played football and baseball in high school and came to UCLA with the hopes of continuing his football career.  As he walked dejectedly out of the UCLA football coach’s office he encountered Coach Jerry Johnsen who invite him out for the crew.  Jerry brought him down to the boathouse, showed him around, made him feel special, like he was the only one being recruited for the team.  On the first day of practice, however, Tim realized that Coach Johnsen had done that same thing for 120 other guys.

 Tim says it was clear pretty early to him in his freshman year that Coach Duvall Hecht did not think he had the rowing form Coach Hecht was looking for in the freshman boat.  Fortunately for Tim, Coach Johnsen appreciated his “grip it and rip it” style and he was invited to work with the varsity team most of his freshman year. 

 Tim rowed four years on the UCLA crew.  He was the team's Captain during his junior and senior years, the Most Valuable Oarsman following his junior year, and the team's Commodore his senior year.  .  While at UCLA, Tim was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.  He graduated with honors from UCLA in 1977, with a B.A. in Political Science and as a Chancellor’s Marshall.

After UCLA Tim attended law school at SMU. He joined a small 35 lawyer firm called Haynes and Boone.  He was asked to help develop the firm’s international practice.  The firm has grown from those 35 lawyers to 500+ lawyers in the decades that he’s been with the firm and has grown from 1 office to 13 offices in that period of time.  Tim became a partner, overseeing the international practice at Haynes and Boone.  His practice focuses on international business law with a primary emphasis in the areas of international banking and finance and international real estate investment.                  

Sharing part of Tim’s acceptance speech from his selection as Alumni of the Year by FOUR in 2013:

UCLA was, is, and will continue to be a wonderful and challenging academic environment, and will, hopefully, remain one of the top public universities in the world.  But, looking back, I, and I expect every one of my fellow alumni oarsmen in this room tonight, recognize that our years of rowing at UCLA were likely the single most influential character building experience that any of us ever have had, not only at UCLA, but throughout our lives.   

Since our graduation, many of us have been fortunate enough to have had significant experience and success as leaders on the battlefield, in the boardroom, in the hospital operating room and in the courtroom.  We succeeded in those endeavors in large part due, no doubt, to the pure integrity of a sport that taught us the critical importance of teamwork; instilled in us the understanding that we are only as strong as our weakest link; created in us a fear of letting a teammate or colleague down; showed us the level of dedication, stamina and perseverance required to compete and win at the highest level; allowed us to develop the tenacity to dig down deeper than we ever thought possible, based on the confidence that each of our fellow oarsmen was doing the same; and inspired us to row one more hard 10 when we thought we had nothing else left to give because we knew that was what it was going to take to win.  In short, we each learned to give more than we ever asked for because we came to understand that is what is required to truly be successful.  Unless you have been fortunate enough to have been part of such an effort, you can never really fully appreciate what it accomplishes in the minds and hearts of its participants.

We had the benefit of great coaches who were devoted to the challenge of developing young men into great oarsmen, and young oarsmen into future leaders.  We were taught humility, in victory and defeat.  Which of us can possibly forget the lesson taught about the indispensable man?

So, to each of my teammates and to Coaches Jerry Johnsen and Duvall Hecht, I want to give a very belated heartfelt thanks for the experiences of a lifetime and the encouragement and inspiration that you have always provided to me.  To our current oarsmen, I implore you to give the sport and your teammates and coaches everything you have every day.  You will never regret it.

The overriding goal of FOUR, and my primary reason to continue to contribute to the UCLA men’s crew 40 years after I started in the program, is to ensure that future generations of UCLA men can have that same character building experience with which I was so richly blessed while I was at UCLA.  I feel certain that each of you currently rowing in the program values this opportunity.  I expect that your parents notice a difference.  And I know that each of my fellow alumni oarsmen recognizes the importance. 

I would like to take one last moment to give some special thanks.  First, to my parents.  They attended almost every race in which I rowed.  Their encouragement and support was always unwavering.  I never doubted that they believed in me.

Tim went on to thank his wife and two daughters for their support. Tim is married to Joni Grace Powers. Joni’s an ordained minister.  Tim and Joni met working on a deal together when she was an accountant for Arthur Andersen.  She is also Tim’s biggest fan.  Tim and Joni have two wonderful daughters, Hannah and Kate.