Baylor Line | Winter 2018

WHERE ARE WE GOING? HOW WILL WE GET THERE? W H AT ’ S S TA N D I N G I N O U R W AY ?

pioneers THE BAYLOR LINE

T H E B AY L O R L I N E | W I N T E R 2 0 1 8 V O L . 8 0 , N O. 1 PUBLISHED BY THE BAYLOR LINE FOUNDATION SINCE 1946

Executive Vice President Allen Holt allen@baylorlinefoundation.com Editor-in-Chief Craig Cunningham craig@baylorlinefoundation.com Publication Designer Haley Gandy cedargandy.com CFO James McInnis Member Services Kellie Juandiego kellie@baylorlinefoundation.com Marketing Director Shelby Pipken For advertising opportunities, email ads@baylorlinefoundation.com Letters and Comments can be sent to baylorline@baylorlinefoundation.com Contact Info The Baylor Line P.O. Box 2089 Waco TX 76703 254.732.0393

BAYLORLINEFOUNDATION.COM @THEBAYLORLINEFOUNDATION @BAYLORLINEFOUNDATION @BAYLORLINEFDN

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few years ago, I traveled through parts of the Middle East and found myself camping under the stars of the Sahara Desert in northwestern Egypt. A friend and I had traveled up the Nile River, stopping at sites along the way, and wanted to end our trip by exploring the desert with a Bedouin guide. We loaded our packs into his 90s model Land Cruiser and drove for hours into the middle of nowhere. We made a few stops – an oasis, a Bedouin village, an ancient well – but it felt like we were moving steadily towards the end of the earth. Eventually we made camp at the base of a dune and ate dinner as night fell. Our guide sang us a few traditional folk songs and then we decided to call it a night. I’ll never forget that feeling as I lay on my back, looking up at the blanket of stars and realizing how far from home I truly was. How much I missed my wife. How I was a stranger in a strange land. How I really had no business being out here. In my heart was certainly fear, isolation, and uncertainty, but overwhelmingly I felt exhilaration. Many of you probably have similar experiences of stepping out into the unknown and feeling your heart race. Maybe your experience was in launching a new business, speaking up when no one else had the courage, or taking a stand for something you hold true. Those are the moments that make us – the ones where we might fail, or be ridiculed, or feel like we are all alone and headed towards the edge of the earth.

In this issue of The Baylor Line, we are celebrating the idea of Pioneers. We wanted to tell the stories of Baylor students and alumni who stepped forward and carved a new path for us to follow. A few of my favorite pieces from this magazine are the rejection letter written to Vivienne Malone-Mayes when she applied to Baylor as an African American student (pg. 20), the poem titled “after-word” by my friend Kimberly Batson (pg. 6), and the story of Seinan Gakuin (pg. 50) that started Baylor’s relationship with international students. I don’t know that my experience as a traveler in the Sahara Desert quite lives up to the real-life journeys of the ones we have featured in this magazine. But I do know that reading through these stories has inspired a new song in my heart that is telling me to be bold. Trust your calling. Move forward. Take a chance on truth. I hope you hear the same song I do.

Craig Cunningham ‘08 Editor-in-Chief

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ith every new year comes a renewed energy and a sense of beginning. (I really am going to exercise more and eat less this year!) This new year, the Baylor Line Foundation is taking that attitude to heart. From a refreshed design for our signature publication, The Baylor Line magazine, to our website, to all of our social media platforms, we are beginning a new day with the hope of an even more prosperous future. And, even though a lot of visuals might be different, at our core, we are still the same organization that has served Baylor and her alumni for almost 160 years. The Baylor Line Foundation was founded those many years ago as a way for alumni to stay involved and support Baylor University. Why do we continue to do what we do? We continue because it’s important to keep alumni informed and engaged. It’s important to provide alumni with forums for discussion. It’s important to honor outstanding alumni and their achievements. It’s important to help provide financial assistance to deserving students. These are central tenants of our mission and at the heart of why we continue to do what we do. As an alum, I hope you’ll agree that this mission is important and worthy of your support and membership in the BLF. So, what does 2018 and the future have in store for the Baylor Line Foundation? I’m looking forward to a renewed invigorating relationship with the university with greater collaboration in many areas and discovering innovative ways to support Baylor. What can you do to help? You can talk with fellow alums, encourage high school students you know to consider attending, attend sports events, support student performances or even take a walk around campus. Also, let Dr. Livingstone know that you support her, the faculty and the goals they have set for the university. This is an important and critical time in the history of our university, and the more alumni that are involved, the brighter the future will be. And remember that there’s an organization available to you that’s been supporting Baylor for almost 160 years — The Baylor Line Foundation. Get active! Get involved! Join! Allen Holt ’80 Executive Vice President

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EDITOR’S LETTER WHERE ARE WE GOING? HOW WILL WE GET THERE? WHAT’S STANDING IN OUR WAY?

10

VOICES

16

FEATURES

24

HISTORY HOUR

32

INSIDER REPORT

37

ALUMNI STORIES

44

HOUSEKEEPING

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE BAYLOR DEVELOP OVER THE NEXT DECADE?

PIONEERS (16)

LINDSEY DAVIS STOVER (45)

SEINAN GAUKIN (50)

THE BEAR BELL

ALUMNI-ELECTED REGENT MELISSA MINES

ROB GREGORY

BLF UPDATES (44)

KELLI STUART

MATT FREEMAN

OBITUARIES (56)

CONTRIBUTORS (59)

FINAL NOTES (62)

+ THE VP’S LETTER (2), COVER GALLERY (8), POETRY (6, 31), ECHO (22), QUOTES (34), REB’S CAMPFIRE (35), QUICK STATS (14), FILM HIGHLIGHT (30), CARTOON (36)

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THAT GOOD OLD BAYLOR LINE THAT GOOD OLD BAYLOR LINE WE’LL MARCH FOREVER DOWN THE YEARS AS LONG AS STARS SHALL SHINE WE’LL FLING OUR GREEN AND GOLD AFAR TO LIGHT THE WAYS OF TIME AND GUIDE US AS WE ONWARD GO THAT GOOD OLD BAYLOR LINE.

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after-word pioneer is a tidy after-word for a gritty, confusing during. a word for those who are willing to bleed, as they extract an idea fused to their bones— and prove it can live outside of them. not glamorous or heralded, this is a hidden, sweaty plowing through muck and mundane musts— for the maybe— something new may be sown. not by ambition or self-glory, each step is driven ahead by who may come behind— pick up the trail and stride forward, unhindered. fail – try – fail: yet to not try is more a failure than failure; for a few fools—pioneers— the risks ripen into celebration, even renown, afterward.

By Kimberly Batson '07

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7

of

decades

stories 9

i have four daughters . In 10

years, my oldest will be faced with the college decision. I hope Baylor is an option for her. During my undergrad years, Baylor 2012 was unveiled. I remember attending meetings and hearing about this vision, and it concerned me. It seemed Baylor was chasing academic prestige, and I believed it would come at a high price. I knew a shift in priorities meant someone like me might not be able to attend Baylor in the future. I was a good student, but not the smartest. My family is financially blessed, but not the wealthiest. I felt I was more of a middle-of-the-road kid and Baylor was perfect for me. I wanted Baylor to continue to have a place for students like me. I found rich community and connection. I was able to serve in the community. I was stretched and challenged academically in classes where my professors knew my name and knew about my life. Baylor felt small while offering Big 12 opportunities. And I love the way

Baylor wasn’t out of reach for my family financially. Over the next 10 years, i would love for baylor to return to priorities it held for many decades .

I want Baylor to be recognized and competitive academically, but to recognize that is not the highest priority. I want Baylor to be a place where students who know Jesus want to come to learn and a place where students who don’t know Jesus, find him. I want Baylor to be affordable and within reach of middle-class families and to have options for those with financial needs. My college years were some of the most formative in my life and I want that opportunity for my daughters. Mikel Porter Baylor ’02, Truett Seminary ’09

we asked a few alumni

...

How they would like to see Baylor develop over the next decade.

In the days after the 2016 election, Baylor student Natasha Nkhama was pushed off a sidewalk on campus and called a racially derogatory name – the n-word – by a student who reportedly ​ claimed he wanted to “make America great again.” Upon learning of this incident, many Baylor students, faculty, and administrators came together to walk with Nkhama in a show of solidary and love and in protest of hateful actions. The outpouring of support for Nkhama and students who face hateful attacks was covered by the national media. Baylor was an example of what love looks like. Yet, last fall was not the first time that a member of our Baylor community has been attacked or marginalized—whether it be because of their race, gender, nationality, religion, economic background, or because of who they love. And, sadly it won’t be the last. The question, then,​ for Baylor over the next 10 years is whether it will be – as it was in response to the incident last fall – a community that stands up when this happens or whether it will be indifferent. Will we love our neighbors? Will the education Baylor offers b​e accessible to ​every talented person regardless of economic circumstance? Will we stand with our brothers and sisters who are told they are less than because of who they are, where they are from, w ​ ho they love, or how they look? We know what the answer should be. And, when hundreds of students – alongside administrators and faculty – walked last fall with Nkhama, we saw how inspiring a Baylor community wrapped in love can be. The Baptist minister Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” Over the next ​10 years, my hope is that Baylor will be a place in the moral universe that bends the arc more towards justice – a place o​f justice, inclusion, and love. Skye Perryman ‘03​

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As a native Wacoan who now lives in North Carolina, I’ve been accustomed to explaining to friends and coworkers that Waco is much more than Branch Davidians or motorcycle gang shootouts. As a Baylor alum, a similar explanation is often needed after successive basketball and football scandals. They say all news is good news, but I sometimes wish my hometown and my university stayed off the front page. In the next decade, i would like to see baylor leadership support efforts that are aimed more at creating a

positive, prosperous and inclusive learning environment

for students, rather than what sometimes seems like a focus on the

next big building project, fundraiser or headline. Those things don’t have to be mutually exclusive, but let’s always keep the ultimate goal in mind of growing students mentally, physically and spiritually. I’d like to see the leadership at all levels do the quiet work of building the best university in Texas without shortcuts and without tolerance for behavior that betrays not only the moral standards of the university, but also betrays the trust of current and prospective students. Instead of making everything bigger and flashier (like some of those high-flying football teams), I’d like to see a determined focus on simply making Baylor better. Recently, while visiting a museum, a stranger approached me because he noticed my Baylor sweatshirt. A fellow Waco native and Baylor alum himself, he reflected on how rare it is to meet another Baylor grad in North Carolina. As I reflected on this later, I realized that perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing. We’re part of an exclusive club; one with a rich history and tradition of preparing students to excel in a variety of fields. We chose Baylor precisely because it was smaller with a strong academic focus. Recently, the national narrative for Waco has shifted as Chip and Joanna Gaines caught lightning in a bottle with their hit TV show that showcased the city and its people in a new and wonderful way. It’s a welcome diversion from typical Waco explainer. In truth, Baylor may never have its own Fixer Upper made-for-TV moment that Waco has experienced, but that’s ok. Let’s just refocus on the task at hand, and the headlines will write themselves. Luke Blount ’08

I loved everything about my experience at Baylor. What I don’t love is my monthly student loan payment. As a young professional, every time I see that charge I honestly wonder if I made a mistake over a decade ago when I applied. I wonder what other options I should have considered, or if maybe Baylor wasn’t the right school for someone like me. And that’s unfortunate, because the hangover of finances has slowly changed how I feel about the school. It’s a balancing act to complain about tuition, because I knowingly took on those loans as a teenager. I just wish my adult self could have been there to explain what a burden they would be ten years down the road. Baylor isn’t going to reduce tuition, and honestly, they shouldn’t as long as people are willing to pay for the product they deliver. They deliver a very expensive, very highend product. From what I have heard, undergraduate applications are as high as ever, so the rising tuition costs may not be overly prohibitive to certain students and families. One way I think Baylor could develop over the next ten years is to invest in building a lower-cost, lower-residency, digital experience for students who come from middleclass families. This would broaden the pool of students who could be impacted by Baylor, and increase revenue for the school. The growing digital student base wouldn’t command near the required resources as a full-time, on campus student. A few creative minds could develop ways for more students to have highlights of the Baylor experience without being on campus all day. Would this diminish the value of what fullpaying, full-time students are getting? Would it diminish the Baylor experience for digital students? The alternative is to continue to completely squeeze out the middle class, or to continue convincing middle-class teenagers to leverage their futures on debt, on a promise that somehow Baylor is worth it. In my view, neither of those options are sustainable.

Dustin Stephens ‘09

The uniqueness of Baylor, academic excellence with a spiritual undergirding, is valuable to not only its future existence but to our communities and our nation. Here are some of the developments I would like to see for Baylor over the next decade:

Reduce tuition and fees. Baylor has an overall tremendous student loan burden for its graduates. This does not allow the university to attract the best and the brightest from all socio-economic classes. There are bright men and women who love Baylor and who can find innovative ways to make Baylor more affordable. It is a goal we must keep at the top of the list. Reduce costs and market Baylor’s academic excellence through expanded online education. This is being done by

private universities across the nation and Baylor can provide its uniqueness to a wider audience by increasing class size without needing expensive building infrastructure.

Make governance more transparent. Our Baptist tradition promotes congregational governance in churches. It works because if done correctly, it is transparent and everyone involved knows the successes and failures of the organization. Much like crowdsourcing, this type of governance accepts good ideas and rejects bad ideas but gets a plethora of ideas to create vision and solve problems. Put sports in perspective. Young people learn from sports, and camaraderie is established for

lifetimes over sports events. It’s all part of the learning process. However, when sports success becomes more important than our moral and spiritual values, it overrides the purpose of a Baylor education envisioned by Baylor founders and successive generations of Baylor graduates.

Promote individual spiritual development and discourage religious dogma. This is a fine line but it can be done. In our world today, especially through the platform of social media, everyone has an answer and generally think it is the only correct answer. Young people are drifting with all of these “correct answers.” Baylor has an opportunity to instill confidence and vision in our future leaders by nurturing their individual spiritual gifts giving them the toughness and tenderness to lead in a challenging and confusing society.

By J. Andrew Rice ‘75

Voices

want to share your voice on this question ?

Submit no more than 400 words to voices@baylorlinefoundation.com.

In the next issue . . . What are some ways that Baylor and Waco could strengthen their partnership?

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PIONEERS

F

ifty years ago, Barbara Walker and Rev. Robert Gilbert graduated from Baylor University as

the first African Americans. Since, many have followed in their footsteps and set firsts for the African American community at Baylor. These trailblazers and their family members gathered on Baylor’s campus to be honored for their bravery and commitment to making a difference. From the first black graduates to the first black cheerleader, the Black Alumni Network recognized 11 pioneers who exemplified boldness. We listened as each of these inspiring individuals shared stories, advice, and their unique perspective on what it meant to be the first black students to break barriers at Baylor.

Photos by Matt Davidson, Reporting by Mary Claire Brock

BARBARA WALKER, First

Black Female Graduate in 1968

“I give all credit to my Lord and savior. I am a firm believer that if he had not opened every door that was opened, I would have never been here . . . I love Baylor. I know that Baylor has its problems . . . But Baylor gave me an opportunity that I will never forget.”

REV. ROBERT GILBERT ,

First Black Male Graduate in 1968 (represented by his family)

“He opened doors but did not leave those doors closed, allowing you and me and others to enter those doors and for that we give thanks . . . My dad was a wise and compassionate man who refused to cooperate with injustice. He suffered boasting in his weaknesses knowing God was establishing a mighty work in him. My father was well acquainted with suffering . . . Dad knew God. He knew a God that would not let him give up on himself.”

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JOHN WESTBROOK, First Black Athlete

“People say ‘you hit rock bottom’ but I think that one of the firmest foundations you could build on is rock. So there’s nothing that can take flight without bending first. There’s not a bird in this world that could take flight without bending their knees. I think he used Baylor as a springboard to elevate him to his purpose and to his journey as a minister of the people and as a minister of the faith.” (represented by his family)

REV. JOSEPH PARKER, First Black Truett Seminary Graduate “In my last semester of law school, I gave into my calling and I have been running in ministry and law since 1982 . . . I drove back and forth. I was doing law. I was pastoring. I was driving back and forth four days a week from Austin to Waco. It was what I would refer to as a pioneering experience. I was coming off of an expressed vision of what Truett was going to offer, and I was excited about the potential of being involved in something new. And so I came. It was a great experience. I didn’t have racial issues. I grew up in a segregated context, and I knew what racial issues were. But I didn’t have any of that . . . I didn’t know I was the first one until after I graduated.”

DR. ALICIA MONROE, First Black Female Regent

“The reason I chose to serve was because I believe I was called to serve, and because Baylor University holds fast publicly to its Christian roots. There is an opportunity for us not just to talk the talk but to walk the walk.”

MARILYN HARDY, First Black Sorority Founder “When I didn’t get accepted because I was African American, my sister and I, instead of getting angry, we started Zeta. I was visiting campus about four years ago and a friend who I went to school with came up to me and said ‘I just want you to know that when you and your sister went through rush, it was all of our intentions to make you a part of the organization.’ But they had to rely on their alumni and it was the alumni making the decision. She apologized to me for that and that meant something special to me.”

DIRRELL JONES,

First Black Fraternity Founder “Be pragmatic. Surround yourself with people who are strong in areas you aren’t . . . I don’t get to see my brothers a lot but when we get together it’s like coming home. No matter how many years go by, when you get together you are family.”

TOMMY BOWMAN, First Black Scholarship Athlete “Carroll Dawson and Menefee

recruited me, but God chose me . . . I was blessed. When I look back on these 50 something years, I see God’s providential fingerprints all over my life. The first place John Westbrook took me when I got to Baylor University was to some place over in South Waco, to somebody named Robert Gilbert’s house. I was thinking, who is this guy? This guy doesn’t play basketball. This guy is not even an athlete. But John thought it was important that he introduce me to Robert Gilbert. That was in 1966 . . . (Speaking to students in the audience) While you’re here, develop your relationships. Your relationships with people will open many doors for you, to places you never thought you could go.”

since

1968

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A letter sent to Vivienne Mayes when she applied to be a student at Baylor University. She would eventually return to become the first black professor at Baylor.

DR. VIVIENNE MALONE-MAYES,

First Black Professor (represented by her daughter Patsy Malone-Wheeler) “My mom was a very remarkable woman. Even today when I start talking about her, it still brings me to tears. Tears of joy. My mom’s journey at Baylor started in 1966. But way before that journey, she had some other obstacles to overcome. One of the first obstacles to overcome was trying to get into Baylor. When she applied, she was rejected . . . Even after she was rejected admission to Baylor, she came back. She went to the University of Texas, received her PhD, came back to Baylor and applied for employment and was granted the job.”

GAYLE BEVERLY-WILLIS, MD

First Black Cheerleader “The tryout was in chapel, if you can believe that. And then from there the students voted . . . And I won. I didn’t expect to, to be honest with you. You have to ask yourself, ‘Why not’?”

MICHAEL HEISKELL, First Black Law School Graduate “Once I got there, it was a unique experience. I was pleasantly surprised at how they welcomed me. I did have a few rough patches here and there, but I was also undergirded by the spirit of my family, pushing me to do the things that people normally don’t do. Persistence counts. Stay persistent and good things will happen.”

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PIONEERS She stays awake at night, her eyes wide in the darkness and her mind wandering to the ends of what should be. Equality should be. Rights should be. Fair opportunities should be. But what should be and what is are different things. Her heart like a compass is true and pointing towards the calling on her life that is loud and full of holy fire. If this vision came from God - and she believes it did - how else can she respond but be faithful? Only, in her sanctuaries of silence, the walls she has been building begin to crack. Maybe they won’t hold under pressure and she will crumble. She knows the stories of those who came before. The ones who tried and failed, and those whose dreams dissolved into nothing. She wonders if she has enough strength in her heart and in her body. The calling demands every ounce of her existence. She imagines the moment. The first one, when she steps forward and the crowds realize who she is and what she represents. Every eye will follow her — the one who looks different. Some might whisper that she is out of line, out of place, out of her mind. Others will cheer her on. Others will find their faith and their politics suddenly at war. Others will know she is good - an inevitable and brighter future but will groan under the prospect of inconvenience. If only she could wait another year, or another decade, when things settle down and the time is right. “But the time will never be right, so the time is now. It will never be easy.” She hears these words in her heart spinning round and round like a record that grows more beautiful with every revolution. The days of summer fade away and the first whisper of cool air comes on a quiet night. Fall is near. The moment, once far away, once an idea or a principal, is now hurdling towards her with the intention of a violent collision. She has been marked. The question is whether or not she will survive. Then, something strange happens. That cracked, uncertain faith turns into courage and the courage turns into strength. The girl who laid awake in fear has been replaced. You can’t find her. The old creation has been made new - baptized under new rules of life and death. She welcomes the collision, because she is the only one who can. Everyone stares and takes photographs. Newspaper writers scribble every line she speaks. The crowds point and murmur, but what they say doesn’t matter. Maybe it never did. The new creation finally sees that her audience is not man, but her audience is history and truth, and they have always been on her side. The arenas of her fear are empty. Illusions. Fabrications. She leaves bravery like gold dust from her feet as she pushes through one barrier after another, moving from one age to the next with silent grace. This grace falls on us and finally we all see glimpses of eternity. Because of her, we say, “I can follow the fire and survive.” This is the echo of pioneers. On a night like this, you can hear it still.

- CC

PIONEER LIFE LIST DECIDE WHO YOU WANT TO BE BEFORE YOU DECIDE WHERE YOU’RE GOING. ANCHOR YOUR HEART IN SOMETHING ETERNAL. TRUST THE WISDOM OF THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE YOU. SET YOUR COURSE ON GREATNESS. WALK WITH PASSION, CURIOSITY, AND HUMILITY. FALL DOWN. GET UP. KEEP GOING. (REPEAT) SHARE WHAT YOU LEARN ALONG THE WAY.

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For Whom the Bear Bell Tolls Eugene W. Baker Baylor University Historian Emeritus In his 1624 poem, “No Man Is an Island,” John Donne, English minister and poet, penned the immortal words “... for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.” Had he written similar words in Waco in 1972, perhaps they might have read something similar to “… for whom the bear bell tolls, it tolls for Thee University” (an oft-used nickname for the world’s largest Baptist institution of higher education). Perhaps an explanation is due: Bells have been a part of Baylor life since the school’s early days in the town of Independence, Texas in 1846. (Though the institution was chartered on February 1, 1845, operation did not begin until May 18, 1846.) Twenty-four preparatory-age students composed the first class since college-level courses did not start until June 1847. The young “scholars” were called to classes via the clanging of a small bell that had been given to the school for such a purpose. The bell was moved to a newly constructed campus soon after the arrival of the institution’s second president, Rufus C. Burleson, in 1851. Since Burleson did not believe the different sexes should co-mingle in the same classrooms, he

placed them in facilities about a mile apart. Seven years later, Texas Lieutenant Governor Albert C. Horton gave a bell to the female department, which in 1866, received a separate charter to become Baylor Female College. When the university consolidated with Waco University in 1886, it took possession of a large bell that the local educational institute had obtained in 1874. The instrument announced class changes and celebrated intercollegiate football victories along with anything else considered an exceptional occurrence on campus. Such was the philosophy behind the creation of the Bear Bell, particularly the gridiron aspect. In the fall of 1971, a small group of male students established a social-service club with the name Sigma Delta Phi. To make the presence of their organization better known and enhance school spirit, the cadre chose a proven “attention-getter,” a bell. Following the adoption of the “clanging symbol,” the young men set about to acquire one. To do so, they raised $150 and placed advertisements in area newspapers. The bell they found had a $500 price tag, but through “shrewd negotiations” and a lot of earnest begging, the club was able to purchase it for the funds on hand. The front page of the September 12, 1972 issue of the Lariat featured several club members with their new “ringing” possession. It weighed 300 pounds and had a two-and-a-half-foot diameter at the opening.

The bell was painted gold and affixed to a white trailer with green trim that had been created from a 1930 pickup truck. The bell debuted at the Thursday evening campus pep rally preceding the BaylorGeorgia September 16, 1972 football game. Two days later, following a 24-hour drive to Athens, Georgia by four Sigma Delta Phi members, who gingerly hauled the bell in its trailer behind their vehicle, the instrument made its first public appearance. Unfortunately, the “bargain bell” cracked after only a few uses and soon had to be discarded. A new one, procured in late 1974, arrived just prior to the January 1, 1975 Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas. The Bear Bell “did its thing” in loudly broadcasting the 20 points made by Baylor, which was sporting its first Southwest Conference crown since 1924. Unfortunately, the Penn State University Nittany Lions scored 41. Two years later the club became a chapter of the Sigma Chi national fraternity. Though the group now had a new identity and affiliation, the Bear Bell remained foremost in the organization’s promotion of the Baylor spirit. Its sideline resonances after each Baylor touchdown became a favorite highlight of every gridiron battle. The responsibility for maintaining the safety and operation of the bell lay in the hands of a fraternity member annually elected as the Keeper of the Bear Bell. Sometimes things happened beyond his control. One such incident occurred on October 31, 1982. On the return trip from New Orleans following Baylor’s tilt with Tulane, the trailer was destroyed in an accident. Though the bell and recently added airhorn suffered only moderate damage, the Bear Bell was out of commission for the rest of the season.

The fraternity acquired a new bell (via a donation from Dr Pepper) and equipped it with an improved compressed air system to power a unique train whistle-fog horn sound maker. The Bear Bell began fulfilling its important school-spirit promotion role the following year. Throughout the remainder of the 1980s, the sounds of Sigma Chi’s “bell and whistles” became a much-appreciated method for acknowledging Baylor’s success on the athletic field. However, by the 1990s, the fraternity began to broaden its interests and Bear Bell activities gradually diminished. About the same time, a new rule prohibited the university’s live bear mascot from being present at all football contests. Absent the antics of the mascot and the sounds of the whistle and horn, coupled with the ringing of the bell, the games appeared to some Baylorites to be void of the exciting extracurricular school-spirit to which they had become accustomed. This “vacuum” would soon be filled with displays of spirit when the male freshman Baylor Line was consolidated with the Sidelines female organization. Today, with the ongoing popularity of Bruiser, the university’s costumed mascot, and his new sidekick, Marigold, as well as the enthusiastic contributions of the Yell Leaders, Songleaders and All Girl Cheer, school spirit at Baylor remains high. Even though the Bear Bell no longer tolls for “Thee University” and its sounds of yesteryear are but faded memories, the spirit it ignited for nearly two decades is a true example of the essence that is truly Baylor.

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Film Highlight Title | What About Waco

Form | 4-Part Documentary

Filmmaker | Chris Charles Scott (’07)

A

fter making an award-winning documentary about the history of Shreveport, Louisiana, Baylor grad Chris Charles Scott returned to Waco to write and direct a four-part documentary on the history of Waco. The documentary was released this year to great anticipation and success.

“I’ve had so much pride in my school,” Scott says. “I’m a poor black kid that came from Nowhere, East Texas. Baylor gave me a place where there were professors and friends who said, ‘Hey you belong.’ I’ve always said that Baylor was my first love.” As a student, Scott sought relationships and communities “outside the Baylor bubble” that helped him have an appreciation for the city. His life away from Baylor sparked an interest in the complicated dynamics of the city, its culture, and its history. What About Waco is split into four parts, and spans from the construction of the Suspension Bridge in 1870 through the tornado of 1953 — covering glorious, curious, and gruesome events in the years between. “The most shocking thing for me was piecing together the events that led to the lynching of Jesse Washington and the actual horrendous event that was,” Scott says. “I did not know the gruesome dynamic nature of what actually happened. We did not shy away from the tough stuff. This isn’t some visitors and tourism bureau documentary. We went there. We had to go there, because the time was right to do that.”

want to watch

at the Hippodrome in Waco and recently won the Special Jury Award at the Deep In The Heart Film Festival.

? Buy the DVD at Common Grounds, the Hippodrome, or at the Historic Waco Foundation

https://cgwaco.com/gifts/what-about-waco-documentary connect

The film premiered

wacodocumentary.com

To Ye Hearts Of Hollow Men

To ye hearts of hollow men, Who do not dare to look within, The grave is but the Reaper’s mirror, Where you shall see your days much clearer, For in the space between your hours, There was no life, there were no flowers, And there upon a wave-less sea, You closed your eyes, afraid to be, You shielded Life’s sun from your face, And married your dreams to a Better Place, But what if Heaven is here and now, In you, in me, in every hour? Then Slumber drank you like a relished wine, And denied you the Spark of sweet divine, And from sleeping lips sucked all marrow and blood, And left you drowning in the wave-less flood, O ye hearts of hollow men, Who do not dare to look within, Wed ye to Desire's Sake, For to live is to dream and to dream is to wake, So awaken, Dreamer, and shed the moonless dark, The World is sleeping, and you are its Lark!

by Jonathan Hal Reynolds '05

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insider report Melissa Mines | Alumni-Elected Regent

So, what is it really like…?

FIVE

months into serving Baylor as its first alumnielected Regent, this is the question I am asked most often. Those who have no ties to the Green and Gold are curious and confused. I am asked by those who love Baylor with unwavering loyalty. But the ones that give me pause are the questions that come from those who bear scars, frustration, hatred and confusion towards Baylor and the Regents. Truth is, I’m still learning what it’s really like. And, let’s learn together. Keep asking. If you ask, you care. So, let me give you some initial observations and explanations about what

is changing and what is happening. I’m choosing to elaborate on some topics around procedure, reform and focus as I believe these are important for you to learn about. I see consistency in what the Baylor Family reads and sees and what is discussed. The words you hear from President Livingstone and Chairman Allison are what I’m seeing in action through the committee agendas and discussions. I can’t speak to the past but there is a real commitment to letting Dr. Livingstone lead and serve as the CEO of the University and to bring the Baylor Family together.

The messages communicated from the President’s office around her strategic priorities are the central focus of our meeting agendas and discussions: an academic strategic plan with a clear path towards Baylor becoming a Tier One research institution. delivering

leadership capacity across academics, development, external affairs and student organizations. developing

the reality of sexual assault – past and present – through increased support for students, candid discussions about the current climate on campus, the implementation of the 105 reforms, and continued collaboration with entities like SACSCOC and the NCAA in their ongoing investigations. addressing

the University’s endowment to better provide for scholarships and world-class teaching and research. increasing

with intention to have the administration, staff and board better reflect the diversity of the student body and our world. acting

(faculty, student and Board selected) and the new committee structure. July was also a “retreat” where many of the training sessions focused on “best practices” led by a consultant with the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. All new Regents were required to attend an orientation that covered topics such as “confidentiality and transparency” and Title IX policies. In October, there was a noticeable and concerted shift in committee agendas and discussions being more focused on strategic topics and monitoring progress of the administration’s initiatives. That is progress. So, what else? Well, here are some other scattered observations… Most of the decisions and agenda items are administrative and very straight-forward.

Time with students, faculty and administration is invaluable and are the most important interactions we have during the meetings. Already, we’ve heard stories of hope, hurt and promise that have “I CAN’T SPEAK TO THE brought us to tears and laughter.

PAST BUT THERE IS A REAL Did you know, the Regents are all volunteers he Board adopted new governance who give a minimum of 12 days per year to COMMITMENT TO LETTING rules and reform and we are now five serve the University? months into following the new structure. DR. LIVINGSTONE LEAD What this means is that there is now a We don’t all agree with each other. And, we are new committee structure allowing for all AND TO BRING THE BAYLOR still learning how to have active discussion and Regents to attend, review documents debate within the new committee structure. FAMILY TOGETHER.” and participate in all committee meetings Chairman Allison has been very clear inclusive of the Executive Committee. that respectful debate is a trait of a highly For your information, I am on the functioning board. Student Life and the Advancement and Development Committees. Why should you care about The alumni-elected position is a new and this? At a very basic level, opening the committee structure wonderful opportunity. It’s my hope that all alumni will consider aligns the Board to what is considered a “best practice” who they nominate and elect with intention. It is historic and a among colleges and universities. Beyond that, however, it real positive for Baylor in its ongoing governance. minimizes the likelihood of communication breakdowns, The quality of so many of the students, faculty, alumni and secrecy and an imbalance of power or decision-making. administration is contagious. There are so many wonderful Another important building-block that was just announced people making a difference daily in ways that are both seen is that Baylor now has a full-time board professional who and unseen. There is much good and great happening in the will serve as the main conduit between the Board and the Baylor Family. administration in addition to being solely focused on board operations. Her name is Kristi Orr. She joins Baylor from the I give you this detail to provide insight and information. But, University of Texas Regents where she served in a similar you and I both know that declaring “reform” is a just a word role. This is important for you to know about because it is and a first step. As my father always told me “Your actions a move towards increased professionalism and spreads the speak so loudly, I can’t hear a word you say.” The Baylor accountability across both the administration and Regents. Family has suffered a crisis in trust as it relates to the Board of I attended every committee meeting during both the Regents. The proof of trust will bear out over time. And, there summer and fall meetings in addition to most of the interim is no escaping the past. I can tell you that I am encouraged by conference calls. In July, Linda was four weeks into her what I see for the future. Melissa Mines role and the Regents were operating with new Regents

T

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“The calling before us is challenging, yet significant. We must be bold in our aspirations. Because the world needs a place like Baylor. The world needs a Baylor that raises the bar in the area of Christian higher education, combining the riches of undergraduate, professional, and graduate education with rigorous research, high-quality athletics, and unwavering faith commitment. The world needs a Baylor that brings our religious identity, institutional resources, and human talent to bear in generating creative solutions to complex problems. The world needs a Baylor that is committed to finishing the race we have started, striving to achieve pre-eminent status as a research university that is unambiguously Christian. When we can accomplish this goal, we will articulate and embody an exceptional vision for 21st-century Christian higher education and produce graduates with the wisdom, innovation, and leadership skills required to make a difference in the world. The world needs Baylor University!” PRESIDENT LINDA LIVINGSTONE

During her Inauguration

quotes

you may have missed

“It is daunting. As one who conducts research, who has taught for many years, who thinks a lot about the enterprise of American higher education – I study universities – I’ll tell you that the Baylor proposition is one of the most exciting and challenging propositions for any university in the country, ever in history . . . We want to be a world-renowned research university that is unambiguously Christian. That’s a remarkable proposition. At the same time we say we want to be committed to excellence in teaching, committed to a transformative undergraduate experience for students, and that we will maintain our faith commitment and tradition – our Christian heritage. The combination of those separate elements makes Baylor unique in the landscape of American higher education . . . How do we build even more academic quality? How do we create and build and grow and deepen centers of research that will impact the world around us? Where do we want to be in five or ten years and a generation downstream? What important problems facing humanity and facing the world did Baylor help solve?” DR. MICHAEL MCLENDON | Interim Provost

“To be honest with you folks, I had no idea what R.E.B. Baylor had accomplished. With not only Baylor University, but also Mary Hardin Baylor. To have that type of vision took an extraordinary man . . . It is said that the Judge had a Bible in one saddle bag and a law book in the other saddle bag. These are actually pen to paper documents that this judge had . . . For me to sit there in the presence of that book and to know that this man traveled by horseback and wrote with a quill by candlelight really took me back in time.” MARC HAMILTON | Brazos County District Clerk

Presenting the original, restored papers of Judge R.E.B. Baylor to Baylor University Regents

winter,

1841.

The Judge sits by a campfire reflecting on all of the moments that have brought him to this place. He pulls a blanket tightly around his shoulders and looks up at the spread of stars over east Texas. Many nights he has spent sitting by a fire like this one, trying to stay warm as midnight draws near. He is no stranger to solitude, or sleeping under the stars, or to following the calling in his heart. He could have lost his life a thousand times before now – fighting in the War of 1812, battling the Creek Indians in 1836, a political assassination, or sickness or disease or whatever else kills a man – but God has preserved him for a purpose he must fulfill. The dream he now holds dear is just as real, and just as illusory, as the vapor of his breath fading into the darkness. He feeds another log to the fire. He has always been a man of vision, willing to step forward into the unknown and stake his claim on a moment. But this is no war or political campaign. This is no court case. He wants to charter a Baptist school that will impact the world. Should he say it out loud, or will the sound of the words reveal him to be a fool? With a lifetime of success behind him, why risk his legacy with the potential of public failure? When he finally rings the bell of this twilight dream, how long, he wonders, will the sound reverberate until it is no more? Will anyone hear it?

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Alumni stories

If you know of an interesting alumni with a unique and compelling story, send us a note at baylorline@baylorlinefoundation.com

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“in reality they were aggressive and fearless competitors�

R

ob Gregory (’05) was working as an ad agency art director when he noticed a hard lump in his right calf. A doctor gave it a quick look and said there was nothing to worry about – just a calcified hematoma. Rob shrugged off the lump as something he could learn to ignore. Four years later, that seemingly benign lump swelled suddenly where one calf was twice the size of the other. “I went into a different doctor and said, ‘Okay something’s clearly wrong.’ We did a biopsy and sure enough it was a very aggressive form of cancer,” Rob said. A biopsy found a rare subset of an already rare cancer called synovial sarcoma. Ultimately, the doctors had to amputate Rob’s right leg. With life changing fast, Rob found himself seeking clarity on what he wanted to do with his life. He had loved photography ever since the pre-digital days of dark rooms and film. He weighed the option of making the move to be a full-time photographer. “I worked for several more years as an agency art director as I really started focusing on my photography,” Rob said. “I started

doing work with different organizations. After losing my leg, I looked into ways I could still stay active, and found wheelchair basketball and softball. I’ve always played sports. It’s always been a part of who I am.” As Rob played sports alongside other athletes with disabilities, he noticed a disconnect in the ways they had traditionally been depicted with images. He saw photos of the athletes sitting in their chairs, smiling at the camera, when in reality they were aggressive and fearless competitors. They deserved a more artistic, bolder approach. He developed an idea to shoot the athletes as athletes first. The project took off, and his photography career followed. “I played sports with these guys,” Rob said. “I know what they’re capable of. I’m not scared to ask them to do something that might be a little challenging or outside of their comfort zone. That’s how the work always gets elevated.” Since then, Rob has built a successful and decorated career as a photographer working with agencies and on commercial projects. Despite ongoing success, he continues to recognize communities that are underserved with imagery. In his free time, he seeks out ways to give back to communities that are traditionally photographed in stale, non-artistic ways. A recent project involved kids in the Leary Children’s hospital undergoing chemotherapy. Rather than photographing them in the hospital, he pitched the idea that the kids would be dressed as superheroes. Like the athletes in wheelchairs, Rob drew from his own experiences for inspiration. “That idea stemmed from thinking back to my days in the hospital,” he said. “It’s such a long, tedious day. You’re getting blood draws and chemo. There’s nothing fun that’s happening there. So I was thinking about kids going through that and started thinking about what we could do that would be fun for them on that day. I settled on bringing in a bunch of costume pieces and letting the kids dress themselves up as superheroes.” The kids chose their own costumes to reflect their fighting spirit, and Rob photographed them in iconic spots around Chicago. The kids, their families, and the entire city loved the photos, as it showcased the strength of the kids rather than their circumstances. Rob’s work has been honored with numerous accolades and awards from the biggest photography competitions in the world.

To learn more about Rob Gregory, visit robgregoryphotography.com

39

s

he started her novel while a professional writing student at Baylor, and sixteen years later the book was published. In the years between, Kelli Stuart found herself drawn into the complex history of Ukraine and its people. Like A River From Its Course is the fictionalized account of the many men and women Kelli met while traveling in Ukraine, but it all started in 1998 with one woman. Her name was Maria Ivanovna, and she had survived a WWII German labor camp where she was forced to build armaments for the Nazis. “While I was at Baylor, I actually spent a semester studying Russian in Kiev, Ukraine where I lived with Maria’s granddaughter,” Kelli said. “I got to spend time with Maria and hear her story. When I returned to Baylor, and I had an assignment to write a novel, I knew that I wanted to fictionalize Maria’s story.” As a senior in Bob Darden’s writing class, Kelli began to draft her novel about Maria. Darden quickly saw the potential of the book and encouraged Kelli to do more research and fill in the gaps with more details. After graduating, Kelli networked with her contacts in Ukraine and began to collect first hand accounts of people who had lived through WWII, many of them with amazing stories of survival. To finish the book, Kelli knew she needed to return to Ukraine and talk to people face to face. “It took a long time,” she said. “I had to start and re-start, and figure out the voices, and how I wanted to tell the stories. I ended up with the personal stories of over 100 veterans, plus another 300 stories from the grandchildren of veterans. I had to weed through them and figure out which parts of stories to include. It took about 10 years.”

After two more drafts, Kelli felt confident the book was finished. She shopped it to publishing houses for a few years, and in 2016 it was published by Kregel Publications. When asked what kept her motivated for so long, she said the stories she had heard were too compelling to move past. For many people in the west, Ukraine is overlooked in the history of WWII. But Ukraine had a heavy Jewish population, stood between Hitler and Russia, and suffered an enormous loss of life during those dark years. They paid a heavy price during the war that has continued to shape world events even to today. “They were stories that I had never heard before,” Kelli said. “For example, just outside Kiev is the ditch at Babi Yar, where, on September 28th and 29th of 1941, all the Jews were ordered to evacuate. They were told they were being taken some place better, when in actuality they were herded to the ditch at Babi Yar. Just under 34,000 people were massacred in those two days. This was a story I had never heard. And, actually, Maria Ivanovna’s father was a survivor of Babi Yar. He was one of only a handful who survived by falling into the ditch right before one of the Nazi’s shot and letting the dead bodies bury him, and then crawling out after nightfall.” Along with the stories from survivors, Kelli also fell in love with the language, the people and the culture she encountered.

During a visit to a school in Ukraine, Kelli noticed an older man pacing outside the door. She met him after the program, and he told her he had fought in the Red Army during the war, and was one of 11 members of a 600-member battalion that survived. “As he was telling me the story, he began crying,” Kelli said. “He looked at me and he said, ‘You can tell my story. I want you to tell my story but I want you to know that we were more than just soldiers, and I want you to tell people that,’ he said. “We were poets and we were actors and we were writers, and we were fathers and sons and brothers.” He said, “We were young men and women with big ideas and we weren’t just people that died on the field.” And, for me, it just put such a face to that time, not just for the Ukrainians, but for everyone who fought and died during those war years. It put such a real voice to them, that they were more than just those months or years they spent on the battlefield. They were people with hopes and dreams and backgrounds, and futures cut short.” Like A River From Its Course recently won the ACFW Carol Award for Best Historical Fiction. Likewise, the novel was a finalist for the ECPA Christy Award in both the debut novel and historical categories. The book is available wherever books are sold.

Learn more about Kelli at kellistuart.com.

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h

e sat in the prison cell wondering what might become of his life. Hours earlier, he was in a drunk driving accident that took someone’s life. He knew that his dreams of being a network sportscaster were over. When the news came out, he would lose his job and reputation. His star had been rising quickly for some time. One gig led to another until he was the television sports guy for Florida State. If you would have asked him, his next stop was ESPN, not the county jail. That was decades ago, but now Matt Freeman (’86) is on an entirely different path. He often shares that testimony – the one where he lost everything in the blink of an eye – to prisoners and homeless people. On the night of the accident, he prayed and felt the first whispers of a new calling on his life. “That’s when the gospel became very, very, very attractive,” Matt says. “That’s when Jesus became more than just a historical figure. He became my liberator.” In the years to follow, Matt served the local church in various capacities. He found himself being drawn deeper into local missions when an opportunity came along for him to help lead a revolutionary homeless community on the far east side of Austin. The project started as an offshoot of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, a truck ministry that feeds and clothes the homeless throughout several cities. But they dreamed of something bigger. “Suddenly the cause of homelessness became much more than just some man or woman on the street flying a sign asking for a handout. It became human to human. Heart to heart. I began meeting people who were on the streets and realizing that the greatest desire we have is for love. Specifically the love of Christ in very real, tangible, sometimes uncomfortable ways.”

They laid out the earliest plans for Community First Village, a 27-acre master planned community that would house and employ the formerly homeless. They raised $17 million of private funding through individuals and churches and broke ground in 2014. The property is incredibly unique, with tiny houses built by local architects, RVs, a library, gardens, markets, and an outdoor movie theater donated by Alamo Drafthouse. They host popular movie nights and events that are open to the public. Doctors and mental health professionals are on site. The city even added a bus stop so residents can move freely into town and go to work. Nearly 200 people live there, but not all of them come from the streets. Some Austinites have sold their houses and taken up residence in RVs so they can play a role in this community. They are known as “missional neighbors.”

“Suddenly the cause of homelessness became much more than just a handout. It became human to human. Heart to heart.”

On any given day, you’ll encounter the formerly homeless, local volunteers, and wealthy donors, not knowing which is which. Everyone has their own story and their own reasons. Stereotypes about homelessness quickly disappear at Community First. While drugs and alcohol are certainly contributing factors to life on the streets, the single greatest cause of homelessness is the catastrophic loss of family. Community is in the title for that very reason. As Matt has learned, the only way to truly combat homelessness is to provide a place where community can thrive. “We realized that what our brothers and sisters on the street, and really all of us desire, is community. It’s not housing. The two greatest needs we all possess is to be loved and to be known.” Because Community First has been so successful, planners from around the country have been visiting to see if the model can be replicated in their own cities. Even now, Community First is planning an expansion to lift 600 people off the streets.

“It’s a beautiful mess,” Matt says with a laugh. “It’s redemptive and transformative, and not without significant challenge. But that’s the essence of community.”

To learn more about Community First Village and Matt Freeman, visit https://mlf.org/community-first/ 43

Serving Those Who Have Served

Baylor Alum Lindsey Davis Stover on Her Career in Public Service, Her Race for Virginia’s 10th Congressional Seat, And Her Hope for a New Future By Skye Perryman

Lindsey Davis Stover is no stranger to challenge. At the age of 14, she went to work to help save funds to go to college. With the love and support of her family and the help of government aid, she would later attend Baylor University while also working three jobs. Growing up as the daughter of a school teacher and the granddaughter of a World War II Veteran would instill within Lindsey the drive to make a difference and to serve her community. It was little surprise, then, that after graduation from Baylor, Lindsey went on to serve in the AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program where she worked to build innovative learning systems designed to empower youth. She would later serve as chief of staff to U.S. Congressman Chet Edwards and then as a Senior Advisor, Senior Executive Service (SES) in the Obama Administration at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) where she worked to enhance the quality of life for Veterans across America. Lindsey and I became friends a few years ago and, at the time, she had just left her position at VA and was working on building her small business in Northern Virginia. But, when a group of Veterans asked her to consider running to represent them in Congress, her career went in an unexpected direction. The Veterans’ call for her to serve was quickly followed by others in her community. And then, her daughters weighed in, leading her to announce her run for Congress. If she is successful, she will be the first female Baylor alum to serve in Congress. 45

I recently had the opportunity to talk to Lindsey and ask her about her time at Baylor, her work as an advocate for Veterans, and her run for the U.S. Congress. TO LEARN MORE about Lindsey’s campaign, please visit her website lindseyforcongress.com

FOLLOW HER facebook.com/LindseyForUS twitter.com/LindseyForUS instagram.com/LindseyforUS

Q

: You’ve often said you were grateful for the education you received at Baylor University. How did you come to attend Baylor University?

My grandfather grew up on a farm in Bellmead just up the road from Baylor University. He was the first in his family to graduate high school and later joined the Army and was stationed at Camp Hood which is now known as Ft. Hood. Growing up I can remember my grandfather always saying to me that if I could go to Baylor, I could really make something of myself. He always wanted us to have opportunities that he didn’t have growing up. I can still remember how proud he was when I got my acceptance letter. He proudly wore his Baylor shirt every time I came home from school to visit. My grandfather understood the importance of education and he knew Baylor would provide me an opportunity to learn and grow — he was right!

Q

: What are some of your most memorable experiences at Baylor?

I have many fond memories of Baylor from the life-long friends I made to the incredible professors I had, many of whom I still keep in touch with today. One of the most memorable experiences I had was a study trek I did in Turkey. We had the opportunity to learn and experience a new culture and explore the history of the country from Istanbul to Ankara and from Troy to Cappadocia. The experience helped broaden my world views and sparked an interest in foreign policy and the important role America plays abroad.

Q

: After graduation, you went to the Kennedy School at Harvard University and then to have an impressive career in public service, from serving as a Chief of Staff to Congressman Chet Edwards to being a Senior Executive in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. What led you to choose a career in public service? I have always been inspired by my grandfather’s military service during WWII. After graduating from Baylor, I served in the AmeriCorp VISTA, a national service program, where I worked on civic initiatives to help empower youth in their communities. I have seen and experienced first-hand how government and policy can help people and I have always felt a deep responsibility and commitment to public service. I relied heavily on government aid while also working many jobs to attend Baylor. Without the help of government aid, I would have never had the opportunity to get a great education at Baylor and go on to receive a graduate degree from Harvard. I have also been fortunate to have great mentors like Congressman Chet Edwards who has been an incredible champion for Baylor and our service members and Veterans. Chet is an example of how one person can truly make a difference in the lives of so many.

Q

: You did a lot for the country’s Veterans when you were at VA. Is there one aspect of your work at VA you are most proud of?

One of the greatest honors in my career is serving those who have served. I am most proud of the work our team did to significantly reduce Veterans’ homelessness and increase access to care for women Veterans – the fastest growing Veteran population utilizing VA today. I am proud Virginia is my home, the first state to functionally end Veterans homelessness. It took dedicated leadership from the local, state and federal government along with many committed community partners to ensure homeless Veterans have housing and opportunities for meaningful employment.

Q

: On April 18, 2017, you announced a run to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional District in the U.S. Congress. What led you to ultimately decide to make the run?

I actually never thought I would run for office. I have always enjoyed doing the work behind the scenes. While it was a group of Veterans that first talked to me about running, it was ultimately my two daughters who helped me make the decision. The fears and concerns they were having were concerns no 6 and 7-year-old should ever have in our country. They made me realize that not only did I know how to do something, but that I had to do something. Their future, and the future for all our children, is worth fighting for! A future that isn’t driven by fear, but one that is full of prosperity and opportunity. It became clear that it was time to get off the sidelines and work to be the change I wanted to see in our community and in our country. It is time for bold new leadership that puts people over politics.

Q

: What surprised you most about running for office?

I never imagined how inspiring it would be. I am inspired every single day by the people I meet all over the district who are doing things they have never done before – marching, attending political events, speaking up, and volunteering extra hours in their communities, their schools and places of worship. The election in November 2016 has activated people all over the country to stand up and fight for the future we want for our children and grandchildren. It called on us all to serve in some way and be an instrument of change in our communities and in our country.

Q

: If you win, you will be the first female Baylor Alumnus to hold a position in the U.S. Congress. What does that mean to you?

Certainly, it would be an honor to be the first elected Congresswoman who graduated from Baylor, but given all that Baylor women have contributed to our country, it’s hard to believe I’d be the first. There are so many Baylor women, past and present, who have inspired and supported me, many of whom would have made outstanding members of Congress. I think about them often, and the women who came before us who paved the way. It would mean a lot to all of us to have a woman from Baylor elected to Congress. One my favorite Baylor women, Governor Ann Richards once said, “After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.” One thing that has become abundantly clear in recent years – we need more women in Congress, as well as on the local and state level, fighting for our families, our communities and our country.

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eading southwest on the Sanyo Main Line out of Hiroshima, it takes two and a half hours to reach Fukuoka, a coastal metropolis. Fukuoka is the largest city on the southern Kyushu island of Japan. In autumn, the mountainside landscape to the east and south becomes a tapestry of color by the changing foliage. Within this city of 5 million are the 400-year-old remains of Fukuoka Castle; the Fukuoka Art Museum, which houses works from Mark Rothko and Salvador Dali; and the largest Baptist college outside of the United States: Seinan Gakuin University. Over a hundred years ago, in 1906, the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention sent Charles Kelsey Dozier on a mission to Japan. Ten years later, Dozier helped to found Seinan Gakuin. In 1949, the Japanese government recognized Seinan as an accredited, private Baptist college. The campus itself is close to 20 acres. It is an urban campus, far from the expansive greenery at Baylor, and has been remembered as having “Soviet bloc style� architecture, composed of concrete and 90-degree angles. Modern updates, however, have brought in a beautiful chapel with white walls, light-grain wooden accent, and a towering set of organ pipes. A library with access to more than a million volumes and a cafeteria, where students share conversation and meals, have also been added.

The university is growing, and strives forward with a vision of further greatness. This progressive vision, though, is nothing new for Seinan. “We at Seinan Gakuin have long been warmly appreciative of our cordial relations with Baylor University. In the past so many of our faculty have received so much during their periods of study at Baylor . . .” wrote Seinan Gakuin’s president, Eiichi Funakoshi, in February of 1971, to Baylor’s president, Judge Abner McCall. For years, Baylor had opened its doors to Seinan scholars as an effort to aid in the expansion of excellence in Christian education across the globe. In 1968, Baylor hosted a group of Japanese delegates – faculty and students, alike – who were from Seinan. This group was touring American universities, studying different models of education to take home to the other side of the Pacific. In continuing his letter to McCall, President Funakoshi explained that, in 1971, Seinan was working to realize the vision of its deceased chancellor: to participate and reciprocate in an international, academic, student and faculty exchange program. The president told McCall that Seinan had received “positive expressions of interest” from the University of Richmond and New York State University, but to unite the world’s two largest Baptist universities was an ultimate dream. “Would it be possible for Baylor University and Seinan Gakuin University to mutually benefit in [such] a program . . .?” Seinan’s president posited. “Would Baylor be able and interested?” As it turned out, Baylor was interested. At the beginning of 1971’s fall semester, McCall began work on this relationship, one which is still alive and mutual today. He formed a committee of 10 university leaders, with Dr. James Wood serving as the chair. After the work of the next two semesters between this committee and a parallel one at Seinan, President McCall journeyed to Japan to meet Funakoshi and see the university Baylor would soon partner with. Ahead of the judge’s trip he sent a gift – “something typically American,” which one could not find in Japan. It was a book of watercolor paintings by John James Audabon. Following the success of his trip abroad, McCall returned the favor by inviting Funakoshi to visit Baylor. On July 10, 1972, the Japanese guests arrived in Waco. Two days later, McCall and Funakoshi signed a formal agreement of fraternal relationship between the great Baptist university of central Texas and the great Baptist university of southern Japan.

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or Baylor, the program was set to advance the studies of students “interested in Asian, International or other studies who academically benefit from a planned period of study at Seinan Gakuin.”

“Our future lies as much in the East as it does in the West,” McCall said at the time.

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“Hiroki Yamamoto is worried about his English,” reads an article in the Baylor Report from September 1972, when four Seinan exchange students arrived for the 1972-73 school year. (Baylor did not reciprocate students that term. “The primary reason for this,” the same article in Baylor Report explains, “is that the average Baylor student is not fluent in Japanese.”) At the time, Yamamoto said he felt like a “stranger” to Baylor, but that the numerous receptions and genuine hospitality of Baylor faculty and students helped to make him feel a little less alien. And, while there were some differences and cultural barriers, Yamamoto said, there were fewer than one might think, thanks to the modernization of Japan following World War II. “We have Dairy Queens and Kentucky Fried Chicken in Japan, also. The kids dress pretty much the same and we enjoy much of the same music American young people do,” he said.

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n the spring of 1973, five Baylor students were chosen as the pilot exchange students to Seinan Gakuin. They were: senior Anthony Brown, a history major; senior Melody Brown, a music major; sophomore Pauline Greger, a foreign service major; graduate student David Hattox, who was studying history; and sophomore Nancy Hopkins. English Professor Clement Goode was also selected to go as an exchange professor from Baylor. Certainly, while this relationship between Seinan and Baylor benefited students and professors who participated in the exchange, Baylor Trustees also reciprocated the affection to the sister institution by honoring Funakoshi with an honorary Doctor of Law. Within his archived letters in the Texas Collection, Thomas Turner writes to Dr. Kazuomi Ouchi of Seinan Gakuin, “All of us here are delighted that President Funakoshi is to receive one of our Honorary Doctorates; he will be one of our most valued ‘exes.’” This expression, one of honor and fraternal connection and brotherly love, is what keeps the relationship between Baylor and Seinan Gakuin strong. Across all letters collected, whether from McCall or a Seinan administrator, this is the recurring sentiment: It is an honor – for Baylor and for Seinan – to send and to host in an exchange program between the two largest Baptist universities in the world.

Kampala, Uganda :: Master’s of Social Work “The scholarship that we’re on is called Global Missions Leadership Scholarship. They get leaders from developing countries to come here, and they’re given the opportunity to study at the School of Social Work. They’re trained, and of course given knowledge and skills to go back and implement what you’ve learned in our countries. I love people. I love helping vulnerable people.”

Beirut, Lebanon :: Biology ‘19 “I love everything about medicine. Back home, you see a lot of things – war, fights. The healthcare is very bad. Doctors don’t really care. I grew up where I didn’t have the provided healthcare. Whenever we get sick we just go get this medicine, go get this medicine. Oh, you’re hurt, go get antibiotics . . . Yeah, I do want to go back to Lebanon. If I’m not working there I’ll go help. I have a friend, his dad is a cardiologist. He goes to Lebanon every other year. He has a one month vacation, something like that. He does like 10 surgeries for free. So, that’s one thing I want to do.”

Baylor continues to grow its global influence. Here are a few students from around the world.

Quito, Ecuador :: Marketing, International Business, Entrepreneurship ‘19 “I think it was destiny. I was looking up some universities on an app that my school used to encourage. And I put all the descriptions of what I was looking for under university. And Baylor was my first option. After that, I went and talked to my counselor that Monday. She told me that that same day the international counselor from Baylor was going to my high school to talk.”

Aveiro, Portugal :: Masters of Divinity, Truett Seminary “It’s amazing to be here and we really like the environment of the culture of the university, and especially of the Truett Seminary. It’s like a huge family. Everyone supports each other and, especially being a foreigner, I have a lot of support. All my teachers and everything, the experience that they have, the way they just teach us, the way they understand international culture and knowing that I’m learning in my second language. It’s amazing. We want to plant churches in Portugal. In Portugal we have less than two percent of Christians – like Evangelical Christians. Our idea as a couple is to get back. I want to be involved with sports ministry, being a sports chaplain full-time, so giving spiritual support to athletes.”

Santiago, Dominican Republic :: Bioinformatics ‘19 “I wanted to come study at the United States, but I didn’t know where. It was such a big country and of course my parents were a little worried because it’s an 18-year-old girl and they didn’t want me to leave and be on my own. I tried to apply to Baylor, but I was late for applying and didn’t get in. My aunt suggested coming to community college, so I came here. I went to McLennan Community College first. I did two years there and then I transferred. I really like it here. It’s a beautiful campus.”

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OBITUARIES Billie Hopper Nowlin, 95, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2017. Billie was a gifted educator who lived her earthly life as a dedicated servant of God. She taught high school and then went on to get her Master’s Degree from North Texas State University and her Doctorate from TWU. Billie was a professor at Baylor University for 21 years and retired in 1989. Bobby J. Moody went to be with his Lord on August 24, 2017. Bob was born to Iris and Ernest Moody on May 18, 1930 in Ballinger, Texas. He graduated from Baylor Law School in 1955. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1955. He served in the United States Air Force and practiced law in Lubbock for 51 years beginning in 1958. Bob was active in the Lubbock community with service to First Baptist Church and many other organizations. Bob was a member of the Board of Trustees at both Wayland Baptist University and HardinSimmons University, and was also a Deacon and lifelong Baptist. His proudest accomplishments were his family, serving his law clients and scouting. In 1949, Bob met Charlotte Lamb on the Hardin-Simmons campus. Three years later, they married on August 29, 1952, which started an adventure that lasted 65 years. They had two wonderful daughters, Paula Ann and Charlotte Leigh, with whom they shared countless family memories. Bob served as a troop leader to hundreds of young men during his fifty year association with Boy Scouts of America. He served on the board and as president of the South Plains Council. He attended many national jamborees and was an instructor at Philmont teaching wood badge camps to other leaders in the area. In 1971, Bob was awarded the Silver Beaver for Distinguished Service to Boyhood, joining other notable recipients such as presidents, astronauts, captains of industry and prominent athletes. Carroll L. Webb Jr. of Waco, Baptist layman and Baylor University benefactor, died Aug. 13. He was 94. Soon after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Webb left Baylor to enlist in military service. After training, he was commissioned as a lieutenant junior grade communications officer in the U.S. Navy. Webb returned to Baylor to complete his accounting degree, played trumpet in the band and was a member of the NoZe Brotherhood. He graduated in 1947 and joined the accounting firm of Haskins & Sells, now Deloitte & Touche, where he spent nearly 38 years before retiring as the managing partner of the company’s Dallas office. He and his first wife, Frances Rogers, were married 37 years before her death. Mutual friends at Park Cities Baptist Church—where he was a charter member—introduced him to Aline Groner, and they married in 1982. Before he retired, he served as chair of the finance committee of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The Webbs love for Baylor was so strong, they moved to Waco in 1992 to be more involved at their alma mater. They joined Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, served as chairman of the business

school’s advisory board and established the Deloitte & Carroll Webb Accounting Scholarship in 1984. Most recently, the Webbs provided the funds for a classroom in the Paul L. Foster Campus for Business and Innovation, the new home of the Hankamer School of Business. The Webbs were Baylor Legacy Award honorees and members of the Athletic Director’s Hall of Honor. George W. McNeil went to his heavenly reward on September 6, 2017. When he left for Baylor at age sixteen his mother gave him $100 and told him to find a job and get an education like his father had done. He quickly found a job. His tuition was $37.50 for a normal course load his first quarter. At Baylor he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. In the years after college he began a career as a CPA and married Barbara Jo Metz, and they had three sons. George eventually was appointed the State Auditor of Texas in 1968, a position he held for seventeen years. He also served as the Chancellor’s Financial Associate on the staff of the UT System Administration. George was an obedient follower of Jesus. Glen Calvin Miller, BA ’52, MSEd ’53, died June 25 in Sugar Land, TX. After Baylor, he entered the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany, where he received special training in radar. He spent 30 years with the Federal Aviation Administration in Fort Worth and Denver, where he received many awards. Miller was a pilot, Baptist deacon and Bible teacher. He was a reader, traveler, and photographer. Among his survivors are his wife Juanita Miller, two children, two grandsons and siblings Nita Blackstock, BS ’55, and Fred Miller, BA ’65. Harold Kendall “Bill” Rucker, age 76, of Gatesville, passed away Sunday, July 30, 2017. Bill graduated from Nacogdoches High School in 1959, and went on to Baylor University, where he earned his Bachelor of Music Education with a specialty in voice in 1963. He was the Director of Music and Youth at First Baptist Church in Clifton, where he met his future wife, Gayle Tankersley. During his career, Bill served in many churches and schools throughout central Texas. Bill was a member of First Baptist Church where he was also a Deacon, Sunday school teacher and member of the choir. He devoted his life fully to the service of our Lord, and led his family to follow in his footsteps. Jack Wayne Redding, 83, died Tuesday, May 23, 2017. He was a devoted husband, loving father, and loyal friend. Shortly after beginning his freshman year at Baylor University, he married his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Janetta M. Redding. They moved to Waco and Jack concentrated on academics while Jan worked to support them. After graduation from Baylor, Jack began a career in the oil business. He eventually started J.R. Energy, LLC, an oil and gas exploration company. He was a charter member of the President’s Club at Baylor University. Baylor University and Baylor football were important in Jack’s life. He held season tickets for home football games for more than fifty years and agonized and rejoiced with considerable emotion after each game. With his wife, Jack established The Jack and Jan Redding Foundation to support many local charities, the Endowed Fund for Scholarships at Baylor University, and the Endowed Fund for First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth Foundation.

Janie Stuart Pielop (’65) passed away peacefully at home in Houston on April 24, 2017. Janie graduated from Baylor in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and was a member of Pi Alpha Lambda. Janie taught mathematics in Spring Branch ISD. Through her Sunday school class at Second Baptist Church, she caught the eye of her husband, Bill, whom she married in 1971. Janie is survived by her husband, Bill, sons Chris, Stuart, their spouses, six grandchildren and her sister, Patricia Stuart McCleary ‘63 and her family. Jo Murphy passed away June 20, 2017 in Houston, Texas. She obtained a job working for Houston Endowment Inc., where she started out as a secretary. She was eventually promoted to Vice President. As a director and as the Vice-President, Mrs. Murphy supported with enthusiasm large and numerous grants made in support of facility construction, endowments, scholarships, and equipment purchases that strengthened music performance and education in colleges, universities, and civic organizations throughout the state of Texas. Following her retirement, she continued to demonstrate her love of choral music by attending concerts and through her own personal and generous contributions to the music ministry of churches, universities, and organizations. Jo supported Baylor through scholarships and donations. Joy Lois Etheridge Howell was born on July 9, 1926 in Pugh, Arkansas. After graduating from Baylor University in 1948, she accepted a first grade teaching position in Marshall, Texas, where she taught until marrying Thomas D. “Rusty” Howell in December of 1951. Mrs. Howell was a lifelong devout Christian who loved her Lord above all else in life. She translated her deeply held faith into action through her church life, her teaching career, and her loving interactions with family and friends. Her love for her fellow man was boundless and she treated all people with respect, dignity and always imparted to them a sense of individual personal value. Her work as a member of the Board of Directors at East Texas Baptist University, founding of the Christian Women’s Club in Marshall, dedicated devotion to her church, the numerous women’s groups, foreign mission work, and bible studies that she chartered and led, and the personal counseling and deep involvement in the lives of those around her that she constantly pursued are a testament to the life of selfsacrifice and service to others she lovingly and joyfully she led.

Judith (Judy) Dortch Senter went to be with her Savior and Lord on June 13, 2017. She was 77 years old. Judy attended Baylor University where she graduated in 1960 with an education degree. Judy married her late husband of 57 years, Dick Senter, also in 1960. Dick was a Baptist minister, and Judy was actively involved in her husband’s pastoral ministry. Judy was a long-time school educator spending the majority of her time as a middle school math teacher. Judy later earned her Master of Counseling degree from University of North Texas and then served as a school counselor in the Allen ISD. After retiring from the school district, Judy opened a private counseling practice where she discovered deep satisfaction in helping other people through counseling and support groups. She was a Licensed Professional Counselor. Judy was bright, articulate, witty, creative, and independent. She was a life-long learner, reader, and committed volunteer to numerous causes. Liston Lavon Morris 53’ died Wednesday, June 14, 2017 at the age of 85. Mr. Morris was known to many by his childhood nickname, Billy Pat. He was a graduate of Baylor University BBA ‘53, retired from Morris Oil Company, member of the Board of Directors of Citizens Bank, First Baptist Church of Columbia, MS, where he was a Deacon Emeritus, and a former member of the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, Atlanta, GA. Mark Wells White, Jr 1940-2017 Mark Wells White, Jr., who served Texas as secretary of state, attorney general and as a governor who transformed education in his beloved state, died Aug. 5 of a heart attack in his Houston home. He was 77. In keeping with the educational traditions of his family, Mark received a public education and graduated from Lamar High School in Houston. He received a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from Baylor University in 1962 and a degree in law, also from Baylor, in 1965. He remained an active participant in the affairs of Baylor University until his death. Many of the friends made at Baylor during his student years continued to be his closest friends. Mark White served as governor from 1983 to 1987. During his term of office, he appointed more members of minority groups to high positions in government than had been appointed by all of his predecessors combined, including 500 appointments of women to offices. From the instant of his swearing-in, he

made inclusiveness a Texas reality by walking from his inauguration ceremonies to his new home at the nearby Governor’s Mansion and ceremoniously cutting the chains that barred public entry to the mansion. Over the balance of his life, Mark’s commitment to an inclusive and dynamic Texas never waned. The education policies approved during his term included pay raises and competency tests for teachers, class size limits for elementary schools and the state’s high school basic skills graduation test. White also pushed through a $4 billion tax increase to help pay for schools and highways. He also enacted the no-pass, no-play legislation, which survived challenges at the state’s Supreme Court. He modernized the Texas highway system from a “farm to market network” to a super-paved grid supporting economic growth. White was also behind the famous anti-litter campaign, “Don’t Mess with Texas”. He once described his philosophy of government as “basic and uncomplicated. It asks two questions before any others: Is it right? Is it fair?” Richard West Sellars died quietly at his home in Santa Fe on November 1, 2017. He attended Baylor University, graduating with a degree in geology in 1957. ‘He furthered his education in these fields at North Texas State University and the University of Missouri-Columbia, earning a Ph.D in American History and Literature in 1972.’ He enjoyed a decorated career that saw him working for the National Park Service, Southwest Cultural Resources Center, Pea Ridge National Military Park, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, and the Dallas County Historical Foundation. He also taught numerous courses and published articles. His book, Preserving Nature in the National Parks: A History, was published in 1997 by Yale University Press and was the chief catalyst for a major initiative by the National Park Service to revitalize natural resource management in the parks. He was the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions. He will be remembered for his unwavering commitment to preservation principles and devotion to the National Park Service. Walter Dean Davis III passed away on November 20, 2017. Memorial services were held at South Union Missionary Baptist Church in Houston. He is buried at Paradise Cemetery in Leona, Texas. *In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Baylor Black Alumni Network Scholarship, One Bear Place 97170, Waco, TX 76798-7170. 57

William Franklin Dorrill died April 18, 2017. He was a graduate of Baylor University class of 1952 and recipient of Baylor’s Outstanding Alumni Award in 1978. After Baylor, he earned a Master’s Degree in Foreign Affairs, received a Fulbright scholarship, and entered Harvard’s graduate school to study Chinese language and Asian studies. He was also awarded a Ford Foundation fellowship. His varied career included service in the CIA, the RAND Corp., and posts at numerous universities. He and his wife Martha Brawley (Baylor ’52) enjoyed travel, and loved making university connections all over the world. Donald Eugene Ellis passed away on May 17, 2017. He was born December 31, 1937 in Paris, Texas. He graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Speech and History. During his junior year at Baylor, he met the girl of his dreams, who would eventually become his wife Joyce Donath. Joyce has claimed for years that she was married to the best husband in the world. While in both high school and college, he worked for the local union hall as an iron worker. After graduating from Baylor, he taught secondary school mathematics while also completing his master’s degree at North Texas State University. His varied career saw him take leadership and teaching roles at numerous colleges and universities. He was a loyal volunteer in his local church, and served as a deacon. Many who knew him acknowledged his unsurpassed generosity and compassion for family and strangers alike. Don served on a number of boards such as the Chamber of Commerce, the Y.M.C.A., Rotary International, American Association of University Administrators, Phi Delta Kappa, the National Education Association, and as Vice Chairman of the Board for the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, a governor-appointed assignment. Elizabeth Ruth Killion Sep.24, 1932-Nov.28, 2017 Betty Ruth was born in Waco on September 24, 1932, to George Edward Wolfe and Ruth Lewis Wolfe. She attended and received diplomas from Waco High School, Christian College and Baylor University. She is survived by family, including her husband of 64 years, James Reese Killion; daughter, Ruth Killion Miller and husband, Jeff; grandson, Jeffrey Reese Miller and his wife, Amy; grandson, Tyler Davis Miller and his wife, Jennifer; and great grandchildren, Jackson Robert Miller, James Tate Miller and Coralie Elizabeth Miller.

Jack Kelly Dillard, 69, died Saturday, December 16, 2017 in Austin. Born April 19, 1948, in Waco, Texas, Mr. Dillard grew up in Austin. He attended Highland Park Elementary, Lamar Junior High and graduated from McCallum High School in 1966. He received his BBA and his JD from Baylor University. After graduation from Baylor Law School in 1973, Jack first worked for the Texas Secretary of State’s Office, then in the Governmental Affairs Division of Tenneco in Houston, Texas. In 1989, he began work for Altria Client Services (formerly Phillip Morris) as District Director of State Governmental Affairs. He initially worked in Overland Park, Kansas, but transferred to Austin in 1991, where he remained until he retired. From an early age, Jack loved politics, the governmental process and history. He was an avid reader and was always up to date on current affairs. Jack, a former debater, was also an excellent and persuasive public speaker. He had a keen mind and a virtually unfailing memory. For example, he could recite every Texas governor and U.S. President in order and provide an interesting story about each one. He was a studied observer of legislation and elections and had a highly accurate ability to predict their outcomes. Since his jobs at both Tenneco and Altria involved legislation and politics, he was one of the rare lucky individuals whose work focused on his favorite interests. When you think of Jack Dillard, you think of his love for Baylor University. He was a long time football and basketball season ticket holder and member of the Baylor Bear Foundation. In 1988, he was proud to serve as the President of the Baylor Alumni Association. He received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 1988, and the W. R. White Meritorious Service Award in1997. More recently, when the Baylor Alumni Association became the Baylor Line Foundation, Jack served on its Board of Directors. His support of Baylor and its traditions were a major part of his life. Jack was a leader in many professional, charitable and political organizations. Of all his endeavors, Jack was particularly proud of being a co-founder of the Texas Lyceum, the state’s preeminent, non-profit, non-partisan leadership organization. Jack served as a member of the Texas Lyceum’s Advisory Council at the time of his death. Jack Dillard was a true Texas gentleman. A benevolent man, Jack gave to numerous charities, as well as, family and friends, and will be remembered for his generosity and kindness. Jack is preceded in death by his parents, Jack H. Dillard and Dorothy Kelly Dillard, both long time Austin residents. He is survived by his siblings, D. Diane Dillard (and her husband Judge Andrew S. Hanen), and Donald S. Dillard (and his wife Rebecca Patterson Dillard), his niece Kelly E. Hanen and nephews Philip C. Prasek (and his wife Kayla Hart Prasek, and their sons Silas and Declan), and Derek W. Dillard, as well as a large extended family and many dear friends. On December 20, 2017, Jack’s family laid him to rest, alongside his parents, at Oakwood Cemetery in Waco, Texas. Those wishing to make a memorial gift are encouraged to consider giving to Highland Park Baptist Church, the Baylor Line Foundation (P.O. Box 2089, Waco, TX 76703), the Texas Lyceum (texaslyceum.org) or the American Diabetes Association (P.O. Box 15829, Arlington, VA 22215).

Since1859,

the Baylor Line Foundation has been committed to representing the diverse and independent voices of alumni. We do our best to inform and inspire you with honest and unfiltered stories about the university we all love, and we are working hard to leverage your voices into real influence. Membership starts at just $5/month, and you can join a legacy of alumni that is 160 years in the making.

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Dave Sikkema ‘10 Cartoonist pg. 36

Skye Perryman ‘03 Writer and Interviewer, Serving Those Who Have Served pg. 45

Eugene W. Baker Baylor University Historian Emeritus Writer, For Whom The Bell Tolls pg. 25

Jonathan S. Platt ‘16 Writer, Seinan Gaukin pg. 50

Jacob Kyle Robinson ’12, ‘17 Photographer pg. 5, 32

Olivia Bragg ‘20 Stats, Copy Editing pg. 15

Jessica Hunt Photographer pg. Back Cover

Matt Davidson Photographer, Pioneers pg. 17-21

Jonathan Hal Reynolds ‘05 Poet, To Ye Hearts Of Hollow Men pg. 31

Mary Claire Brock ‘20 Reporter, Pioneers pg. 17-21

Rebekah Harris ‘13 Graphic Designer, Compass

Kimberly Batson ‘07 Poet, ‘after-word’ pg. 6 59

photo courtesy of Baylor Marketing & Communications

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FOLLOW YOUR COMPASS, AND HOLD TRUE TO THE CALLING IN YOUR HEART. NOW MORE THAN EVER, THE WORLD NEEDS YOU TO BE EXTRAORDINARY. TO LIVE

WITH INTEGRITY. TO PURSUE WISDOM. TO SET SAIL FOR NEW HORIZONS. TO RISK EVERYTHING FOR WHAT YOU KNOW IS RIGHT. YOU ARE THE PIONEER WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR TO LIGHT THE WAYS OF TIME. LEAD US TO THE PLACE WE’VE NEVER BEEN.