Footprints Spring 2010

footprints Spring 2010

The

Write Stuff

Alumni authors let talents shine

Inside: Homecoming Wrap w Haiti: A First-Hand View w Looking Back at Medicine

Zxà çÉâÜ vÉÑç ÇÉã4 Footprints Spring Special: $25 each through June

The Wayland Century: 100 Years of Presidents, Policies and Pictures is still available for purchase. This coffee table version of the Wayland history book includes a narrative of the highlights of the school’s first 100 years. It also includes memories from former and current students, a timeline of both Wayland and national events, and more than 400 images from the last 100 years.

The book sells for $40 and proceeds benefit student scholarships.

Available at the University Store or through the Office of Public Relations: (806) 291-3586 or smitha@wbu.edu

FOOTPRINTS - Volume 56, No. 3

Features

Editorial Board Danny Andrews, BA’72 Publisher Teresa Young, BA’94 Editor Jonathan Petty, BA’95 Assistant Editor

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FOOTPRINTS is published by the Association of Former Students at Wayland Baptist University. No outside advertising is accepted. Wayland Baptist University is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Wayland is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the associate, baccalaureate and master’s levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-6794500 for questions about the accreditation of Wayland Baptist University. Non-profit rate postage paid at Lubbock, Texas 79404. Telephone (806) 291-3600.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to FOOTPRINTS, Wayland Baptist University, 1900 West 7th St. CMB 437, Plainview, TX 79072.

Wayland Baptist University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex or national origin in administration of its policies, admission policies, scholarships and loan programs, athletic and other school administration.

Alumni are sharing their talents as published authors in a variety of fields.

Four share how they got where they are in the writing world.

Alumni Officers Kevin Carter, BBA’93 President Sally Dillman Eaves, BS’75 Vice President Danny Andrews, BA’72 Director, Alumni Development Susie Vera, AAS’84 Secretary Executive Board Dr. Gary Abercrombie, BS’73 Bryan Bishop, BS’94 Dr. Barbara Allen Carr, BA’89, MEd'92 Rose Ann Chavez, BSOE’06 Tyke Dipprey, BSOE’96 Brenda Gonzalez, BA’73 Mike Manchee, BS'94, MEd’97 Joseph Mares, BA’98 Richard Miller, BS’87 Daleyn Schwartz, AAS’85 Caren Smith, BA’92 Dion White, BA’92, MBA’96 Danny Wrenn, BA’84

The Write Stuff

10 Rockin’ Weekend Homecoming 2010 welcomed alumni to a weekend of traditional events with a new twist in the form of the first alumnistudent dance held on campus.

A Firsthand View 14 Haiti: Wayland ex Paul Thompson opens his private journal from the events in Haiti to share his heart and God’s grace during his jailtime experience there.

Departments On the cover: Alumni authors (from left) Cathy England Bryant, Syl Allred, Pam Roy Gibbs and Gary Rinker are just a few from the Wayland family who have added writer to their life resume.

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Faculty Spotlight

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News in Brief

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Athletics Review

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President's Pen

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Thinking Out Loud

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Development Feature

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Class Notes

If you have any questions or comments about Footprints, drop an e-mail to Danny at andrewsd@wbu.edu, Teresa at youngt@wbu.edu, or write to us in care of the Wayland Alumni Office.

The

Write Stuff

The power of pen on paper, computer screen and keyboard, is not lost on those who have taken on writing as part of their job description. Here, four alumni share their stories of publishing and how they got started in the craft of writing.

Ministry career gains breadth through writing, editing role at Lifeway

Stories by Teresa Young Courtesy Photos

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – From her days as a religious education student at Wayland, Pam Roy Gibbs has known she wanted to make an impact in the lives of young people. In 1993 when she received her degree, she expected that to take on the more traditional role as a youth minister.

But along the way, things changed as another of Gibbs’ loves – writing – kept coming to the forefront. Now in her current role as girls’ ministry specialist for Lifeway Christian Resources in Nashville, Gibbs is able to combine both her passions and make the difference for which she always hoped.

“I have always loved to write, and it just kind of comes naturally to me,” said Gibbs, who added a major in psychology while at Wayland due to her interest in studying people.

It was a presentation by a Lifeway consultant in one of Dr. Gary Manning’s classes the spurred the idea of writing as a sideline for Gibbs. The representative specifically mentioned how to write for the Baptist group, and Gibbs tucked away that information. When she got to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary for her master’s degree work, she made extra money on the side by contributing articles for a few devotional magazines and some teaching plans for youth.

During her work on the Master of Divinity degree, Gibbs

“I knew I wanted to impact the life of students and out of my own history, I knew the importance of investing in the life of girls. I do what I do today because someone invested in me. ” Pam Gibbs

went into youth ministry and enjoyed working with students. She called a Lifeway editor for whom she had written and asked about requirements to work for the organization. A few years later, the same editor called her about an opening in the Sunday school resources area and asked her to apply. She did, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“I never really sought much of this out. It’s been a God thing all along,” said Gibbs. “This whole thing is going in places I don’t even know; I’m just along for the ride. It can get overwhelming because there is so much need out there.”

Gibbs said when she joined the Lifeway staff in Sept 1999, “there wasn’t anything for girls even on the radar at the time. It just came about because of necessity.” She worked primarily in the area of general discipleship materials in the early years.

With requests for Bible study resources for girls coming regularly, Gibbs asked to edit any of the publications that came along in that arena.

Eventually, she began writing some resources of her own to add to the limited offerings.

That has led to four books so far: “Complete,” a book for teens on purity; “Designed by God,” on teens and homosexuality; “Girl Talk” about girls and their speech; and one on the character of Esther. All are Bible study-based books.

Besides the writing, Gibbs is busy with editing other work and traveling all around the country speaking and helping with Lifeway’s “You and Your Girl” events for mothers and daughters, involving different topics at each of the four gatherings held annually.

She also leads conferences for girls’ ministry leaders, equipping them to work with teen girls. One seminar deals with girl drama, called “Queen Bees.” She recently held her first forum for leaders of girls’ ministry, with more than 200 teen girls and adult leaders in attendance.

She said that and the regular feedback from church leaders is evidence that her ministry talents are being put to good use in the Lifeway arena and that the need for resources to deal with girls’ issues is still present. So why the great need in just the last decade?

“I think it’s cultural. We’ve gone from being an immoral cultural to an amoral culture. Then you combine that with parents who are seeing that, are scared to death and are wanting

to know what to do about it,” Gibbs said. “The scary thing is that some parents don’t think their kids are dealing with these issues. The church does not need to usurp the parents, but if parents aren’t willing to deal with it, the church needs to step up.

“We are trying to champion and empower parents to be the primary spiritual developers themselves.”

Gibbs said while she may not be in “traditional” ministry these days, she feels she is in the right place to help influence lives with a breadth that is far wider than she would have in a single church setting.

“I knew I wanted to impact the life of students and out of my own history, I knew the importance of investing in the life of girls. My youth minister and his wife invested in me and loved on me, even when I got into youth ministry myself,” Gibbs said. “I do what I do today because someone invested in me.

That’s why I’m passionate about this. There is a whole generation that has no sense of family, no connectedness, no one to tell them that their lives matter in the larger story.”

Pam and her husband Jim, a high school teacher, live in a small town outside Nashville with their daughter, Kaitlyn, 4.

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Once upon a squirrel...

Research becomes basis for series of children’s books FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Some might say that Sylvester Allred is kinda squirrely. He’d probably agree. But it is the squirrel that has not only taken Allred all over the region for speaking engagements and research but also led to his writing venture.

Allred is professor of biology at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, and his area of research is the ecology and biology of the tassel-eared tree squirrels that inhabit the ponderosa pine forests of the southwestern United States.

While Allred admits teaching is his first love – he started as a science teacher and coach at Plainview High School after finishing his Wayland degree in 1968 – he is also quite taken with the squirrel and its friends in the natural forest habitats. That fascination led him to speak to groups of all ages, from preschoolers to adults, about the animal and its role in the ecosystem.

“These squirrels are so charismatic and curious, people want to know more about them,” said Allred.

At one such speaking event, a particularly involved audience member struck up a conversation that added a whole new dimension to Allred’s research.

“I was giving a talk about 7-8 years ago to the Audubon Society, and a lady came up to me afterward and asked me if I’d ever thought about writing a children’s book about squirrels,” Allred recalls. “I said I had thought about

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it more than once, but I didn’t know anyone who could draw.

She said, ‘I can draw.’ Within a few weeks, I had a rough outline for the book and sent it to her and she sent me a few drawings.”

While Allred and the artist, Diane Iverson, didn’t get an initial bite for the book on the tassel-eared squirrel, the publisher was interested in an alphabet series about different ecosystems. The pair obliged and completed a volume on the ecosystem of the forest, then did a volume on the desert.

They have just finished a volume on the freshwater ecosystem for Stemmer House Publishing.

But Allred didn’t want to give up on the first book, which he now had titled Rascal, the Tassel-Eared Squirrel after a fic-

tional critter. He soon contacted the Grand Canyon Association, which is a common home to the squirrel, and they bit at the opportunity to publish the book.

“That really launched us into writing the children’s books, and it has been a wonderful seller. It’s all over the southwest now,” Allred said, noting the book is 64 pages in softor hardcover format. “The book really gives the first year of life for this squirrel in the pine forest and the various other animals she encounters. There are also sidebars that talk about the ecology of the pine forest, and those are geared more toward the older reader or the parent reading to a child.”

Since then, Allred has branched out from the squirrel into others in its habitat, and his next children’s book to be

Also by Syl Allred released in the fall is titled Bella, the Steller’s Jay, about the crowned bluejay that is native to the pine forest as well. The pair is also working on a draft to Zion National Park for a book featuring a big-horned sheep indigenous to that area.

While Allred may work with college students on a regular basis, he believes the children’s books are valuable in training up new generations to love nature and the world around them.

“I used to take my own kids out when they were little on field trips when I was teaching in the community college setting, and they’d be running out ahead of the college students and exploring,” Allred recalls. “I realized that the younger you can get kids involved in nature, the better they will be.”

True to his academic side, however, Allred is simultaneously preparing for the fall publication of The Natural History of TasselEared Squirrels by the University of New Mexico press.

Allred works his part-time passion around his full-time teaching load which includes some large non-majors biology classes at NAU and several biology classes for majors as well as a popular course in human sexuality. During his summers, he teaches national park field classes in tandem with a geology professor at NAU, taking students to the region’s various parks for an intensive, immersive experience in the geology and ecology of the area.

“Those trips have been life-changing for some students,” said Allred, noting that his own experiences in field trips with Wayland professor emeritus Dr. Harold Reese shaped his own love for nature and science. “Dr. Reese was one of our favorites. He really changed our lives and gave us opportunities to work and study on field trips.”

Allred’s wife Donna, who earned her bachelor’s degree at WBU in 1969, is a family practice doctor in the Flagstaff area.

They have a daughter, Rachel, who is working on her post-doctorate studies in Florida, and a son, James, who manages a restaurant in Durango, Colo., as well as two granddaughters. Allred welcomes contact from former WBU friends by email at syl.allred@nau.edu.

The Forest Alphabet Encyclopedia an A-to-Z look at the forest ecosystem

The Desert Alphabet Encyclopedia a walk through the ecosystem of the desert

The Freshwater Alphabet Encyclopedia explore the freshwater ecosystem letter by letter

The Natural History of Tassel-Eared Tree Squirrels coming this fall Photo by Steve Mull

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Heart

&

home

Public school music teacher turns writing love into novel 1. The best advice to writers starting out is to READ. Read very wellwritten books in the genre you want to write in. And read a lot.

2. Take classes. It’s helpful to take classes, go to conferences or join a writer’s group. Take advantage of the numerous local, regional and national conferences and workshops held throughout the year for writers.

3. Join a writer’s group. I joined a small writer’s group of only six people, including myself. At the very first meeting I told them that I wanted to bring a chapter of a new novel to them (a really rough draft) every time we met, which was every two weeks. This broke the task into smaller, more achievable goals. I kept my promise and had an entire first draft finished within a year.

4. Hire a freelance editor to clean up your manuscript when you’re finished. An editor can do anything from line editing for typos and grammatical corrections all the way up to substantial editing around style, characterization, plot, etc.

When you’re starting out, it’s a good investment to get more substantial editing to help you improve.

5. Read books on writing. There are so many out there. Some can be quite helpful, like Immediate Fiction

by Jerry Cleaver. But most didn’t have a huge impact on me. www.blogcritics.org/books

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Tips for aspiring writers

Author Susan Gabriel (“Saving Sara Summers”) offers these five tips for aspiring writers.

While Cathy England Bryant has made a living teaching music to elementary students in Texas public schools, she has always had a sideline passion for writing. She recalls writing stories as a child and wanting to develop that interest. She also worked for the local newspaper as a high school student in Bangs, reporting on the happenings at the school.

Though her interest in writing remained, she said teaching was her primary love, with music falling a close second. After graduating from Wayland in 1983, she began an 18-year career teaching music.

Over the years, summers away from the classroom were perfect breeding grounds for her creative work, and she often started writing stories while off work. But the busyness of summer activities with her own children meant the stories were usually left unfinished.

So when her last child left the nest, Bryant said she felt God nudging her back to the writing table. And since she is now teaching music privately in the East Texas town of New Boston, the timing seemed perfect.

“I started attending writing conferences and learning about the craft of writing and getting things ready to be published,” Bryant recalled, noting that she already had a story line for a novel in her mind.

Getting it on paper wasn’t that difficult for Bryant, who churned out all 83,000 words for the novel she eventually titled Texas Roads in the month of November 2008 as part of an online writers’ club challenge.

Then she hit the hard part.

“The writing is not as difficult as the rewriting part. I think when books are really written is in the rewrite,” she laughed. “I thought it couldn’t be that hard to write a novel. But after I started, I realized it was a lot more daunting than I expected it to be. Learning the craft and getting the story edited, shaped and polished was the challenging part.”

Texas Roads explores the spiritual theme of trying to find home, with the main character Dani moving to a small town in search of a place she can fit in. Bryant said the story mirrors her own in many ways as she moved with her husband from small town to small town around Texas hoping each move would land them in a place to call home.

“Dani’s a seeker and not yet a Christian,” Bryant adds about her main character. “She comes to realize that home is only found in Jesus.

Similarly, I came to realize that no place on earth would ever be home for me as a believer.”

Bryant said the book is set in the small, fictional Texas town of Miller’s

“The writing is not as difficult as the rewriting part. I think when books are really written is in the rewrite. ” Cathy Bryant Creek, another aspect that mimics her life.

“They say to write what you know, and I’ve lived in several small towns in Texas, so that fit with the book easily,” she said.

Once the book was completed, Bryant self-published Texas Roads, first in e-book format in January 2010, offered in chapter installments on a blog and at Smashwords, an e-book publisher.

She then forged ahead with a print version in March. The book is available through Amazon.com and has met with great acclaim from peers and early readers.

After joining the American Christian Fiction Writers group, comprised of both multi-published and unpublished writers, Bryant entered the novel in the group’s Genesis Awards competition in the contemporary romance category and was a finalist. She already has 50,000 words toward the second novel in her Miller’s Creek series and is on her way to wrapping that book up and beginning the editing process.

Book three is already forming in her mind as well. Bryant said she relies on Internet critique groups, beta readers, and fellow writers for feedback and help in honing her craft for the public audiences.

While Bryant is enjoying the foray into fiction writing, she has some published work behind her already, though in a different genre.

She and husband Travis, also a 1983 WBU graduate, have written songs together since their college days, even penning one they sang to each other at their wedding.

She also has written several songs for children’s choirs, several of which were published by Lifeway Christian Resources as part of a monthly children’s music magazine. She also wrote a children’s musical for a church she once attended, though it was never formally published.

Bryant said she hopes to also continue some nonfiction writing she began years ago, specifically in the area of devotional writing.

Several of her devotions have been

published online as well as book compilations. One will be published through Upper Room magazine in the summer of 2010, and she hopes to put together her own devotional book in the future.

As for the future, Bryant said she really isn’t sure what God has in store but she’s letting Him lead the way.

She expects to be involved in both her writing and her private voice and piano lessons through it all.

“I’m trying not to let it be about me. I’ve said, ‘God, you just take this wherever you want it to go and I’ll follow,’” she said. “I’m playing it by ear and seeing what God wants. If it were up to me I’d like to do this over and over again.”

Bryant and her husband, who is minister of music at First Baptist Church in New Boston after years of serving as a band director in various high schools, have two sons: Josh, an attorney in Arkansas, and Jase, a musician in Dallas. The Bryants have a beautiful “daughterin-love,” Megan, and one grandson, Harrisen.

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Decade-old poem evolves into children’s book about fathers PERRYTON – A precious moment with his young daughter Lisa got the entire ball rolling for Gary Rinker’s first and only published book. A 1986 graduate of Wayland, Rinker lives in Perryton, in the top of the Texas panhandle, and has worked as the business manager for Maverick Books, which publishes the popular Hank the Cowdog series by John Erickson.

In that role, Rinker also helps write The Hank Times, the cowdog’s fan club newsletter which goes out four times annually and includes games, puzzles and crosswords.

But he’s never really branched into writing his own works until a chance encounter led to a poem and eventually his first book, titled The Very Best Toy. “I wrote the poem about a dozen years ago. It came to me one day when I was sitting in a chair and my daughter Lisa seemed to be trying to climb me,” recalls Rinker, noting that he asked his daughter if he looked like a tree, much to her amusement. “That was the start of my poem. After writing it, I always thought it would make a great book.”

After hitting brick walls with a few publishers, Rinker handed a printed copy of the poem to Christian writer and speaker Josh McDowell while he was leading a youth revival in Perryton. A few months later, an email from McDowell’s office noted that he had been quite impressed and wondered about using it in his presentations, thinking it would be a great encouragement to fathers.

“After hearing that, I decided I had to find an artist and turn my poem into a published book,” Rinker said. A visiting former church leader did some checking and, a few months later, sent contact information for some illustrators. One of those was

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Rawderson Rangel, a church pastor in Brazil.

After reading the poem, he sent some sample drawings and the partnership was born.

The book will be published by Maverick Books in May, and Rinker hopes it will be a source of inspiration for parents to enjoy time with their children.

“We believe our book will encourage dads to spend time playing with their kids.

And it can be as simple as picking them up and swinging them around or laying in the floor while they climb around you,” Rinker said. “Whatever it is, they will be making memories that will last a lifetime.”

Rinker said his role with Maverick has also led to the development of two games in the Hank series. One is Hank’s Card Game using characters from the books, and the other is Tornado, a travel game similar to Trouble. Those side projects have been rewarding as the business portion of his job, which he has had since the summer before his senior year at WBU. “Working with Hank all these years has been a great thing. It's been nice to be associated with something that has brought laughter and joy to so many families and kids all these years,” he said.

The Very Best Toy will be available through Maverick on the Hank the Cowdog Web site at www.hankthecowdog.com or through Amazon or Barnes and Noble Web sites. The 28-page book with full color illustrations sells for $5.99 plus tax and shipping for a total of $7 each. You can also mail payment and request for books to Maverick Books, PO Box 549, Perryton, Texas 79070.

Rinker is offering the book at a discount to churches for large orders for the men in their congregations for Father’s Day, an offer his own church opted to take. The books are $1.99 each plus tax and shipping for that offer, and interested churches may call Rinker for ordering.

Telling the story Other alumni who have been published or are writing Belinda Howard Smith, 1974 ex The daughter of the late Fred D. Howard, WBU religion professor (1959-91) and prolific author, Belinda primarily writes from life-experiences – stories from the heart with the most recent publication in the book, "Too Soon to Say Goodbye – Healing and Hope for Victims and Survivors of Suicide" about the loss of her older brother to suicide.

Many of Belinda's stories are about growing up in Plainview, one of which was published in "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teens Talk High School" and another childhood/Plainview experience about Easter in LifeWay's magazine, "Mature Living." Belinda's stories have also been published in "Chicken Soup for the Adopted Soul," "The One-Year LifeVerse Devotional" (Tyndale), "Upper Room Daily Devotional Guide" and numerous other publications.

Some of Belinda’s writing and other interest areas can be found online at www.belindahowardsmith.com.

Jerome Stueart, 1992 graduate After spending time in the Yukon on a Fulbright Scholarship, Jerome decided to make the region his permanent home, immigrating in 2007. He writes science fiction, poetry and memoir and has been published in several Canadian anthologies, journals and other publications. He is a freelance writer for Yukon: North of Ordinary and What’s Up Yukon? and teaches creative writing.

Sam Gallardo, 1994 graduate Sam has written three children’s stories and is in the process of getting them published. Sam is also writing a book of encouragement based on biblical principles.

Michelle Hinze Berry, 2002 graduate A former Trailblazer editor while at Wayland, Michell is the managing editor of the Borger News Herald, named to that position in early 2009. She began working for the BNH in May of 2004.

Michelle has done articles on a variety of topics.

The closest to her heart is a weekly column titled "Faiththoughts."

“I write about different aspects of my Christian walk and share my thoughts on certain stories in the Bible. I have been doing this column continuously for about five years now,” she said.

Jeremy Berry, 2003 graduate Jeremy earned his Master of Arts in Counseling and another master’s degree from Wayland is now a Doctoral Candidate at Texas Tech in counselor education and supervision. He has several publications in academic journals.

Melissa Jan Hopkins Hays, 2007 ex Melissa has illustrated two children’s books.

Dragonfly was written by her son, Bradley Chance Hays and co-illustrated with him. Mr. Fidget’s Big Day is written by Merry Beth Robbins. Both were published through Ozark Publishing in 1997.

Jeff Hogan, 1987 graduate Jeff is in the process of writing his memoirs, titled Life Takes Flight, based on his experience of surviving a typically fatal aortic dissection causing a major stroke in July 2008. After spending time in Scott & White Hospital in Temple, Jeff is disabled and recuperating, writing about his miraculous experience.

Terry Austin, 1974 graduate Terry compiled his various short stories written during the Christmas season for church programs and family gatherings into a book titled Christmas Parables: Unwrapping the Gift of Hope. He also writes extensively on stewardship and other topics at his Web site at www.terryaustin.org.

Editor’s Note: The list above represents those who responded to our Facebook query or emails seeking authors. We realize there are many other alumni who write in some form or fashion.

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Rockin’ Weekend Homecoming rocks with events, first dance

By Teresa Young omecoming was a rockin’ and rollin’ time for the alumni who returned to the Wayland campus in late February, regardless of how long it had been since their last visit. With an oldies theme and the first alumni-student dance slated, the weekend promised to keep both current students and returning alumni on their feet with plenty of activities.

The Golden Anniversary Class of 1960 kicked things off Friday morning with a breakfast time to reminisce, followed by the chapel where they received medallions marking the 50th year and special recognition. The chapel also fea-

H

tured distinguished alumni awards presented to alumni and friends and an introduction to the homecoming queen candidates.

Dr. Miles Kimball, a 1986 graduate who is Associate Professor of English in Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Texas Tech University, received the Distinguished Alumni Award, noted for his many publishing and editing projects and faculty leadership in the graduate program in technical communication that is the largest in the world.

Vernon Norris, a 1960 gradu-

Chart-Topping Moments

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ate, received the Distinguished Leadership Alumni Award for his longtime work in public education starting as a history teacher and ending as assistant superintendent for instruction and administration.

Norris also worked at Wayland as director of external programs before his second retirement in 2003.

Terri Turner Burke, a graduate of 1978, was lauded as Distinguished Service Alumni Award winner for

“Wayland was the school for me. The Lord sent me here.

I have no doubt of that.”

Ken Flowers, class of 1960 her service as a teacher and active church member in Amarillo and for work with various Amarillo organizations.

Mark and Linda Murdock of Lubbock received the 2010 Distinguished Benefactor Award for their longtime support of WBU in the form of two endowed scholarships and many other contributions to ongoing projects.

Mr. Murdock is a member of the Board of Trustees. Daniel Franklin of Centerton, Ark., a 2003 graduate, was honored as Distinguished Young Alumni award winner for his work in collaboration, planning, forecasting,

and replenishment with the H.J. Heinz Sales company.

The Association of Former Students also chose homecoming to honor two longtime faculty members with Distinguished Lifetime Service Awards. Earl Miller, organist emeritus, and Mark Anthony Pair, piano artist in residence, were recognized for their 37 and 36 years of service, respectively, to the university in the music realm. Miller taught organ, piano and other music courses while Pair taught piano and music theory and performed two recitals annually on the piano, choosing to highlight a particular composer’s work in each

session. (Full stories on each recipient can be found on the Wayland Web site at www.wbu.edu under News and Events.)

The full afternoon started with the Legacy League Luncheon, recognizing alumni of 50 years or more and award winners. The luncheon also featured a look at Wayland’s past by Dr. Estelle Owens, university historian, as well as Wayland’s present by President Dr. Paul Armes.

Wayland’s future was seen through a brief presentation by senior Vincent Robles, who looked on his WBU experience with observations for future success.

Dr. Ken Mattox, a member of the 1960 class, gave an afternoon presentation on the changes in health care over the decades from his viewpoint as longtime thoracic surgeon in continued, page 12

Opposite Page: (top row, from left) Alums from the Class of 1960 peruse their senior yearbook for classmates.

Homecoming guests register in the Harral foyer. Longtime coach Harley Redin and his wife Wilda kick off the alumni-student dance with the first dance to “Stardust.” (bottom row) Roma Haley gets her medallion for the 50th anniversary class from Dr. Bobby Hall and Hope English. Bekah Windham entertains Cooper Franklin, son of alums Daniel and LeAudra Franklin at the kids’ activities. The children of Tommy and Billie Claire Browning gather to dedicate a scholarship in their honor at the alumni luncheon.

This Page: (top row, from left) Homecoming queen candidate Kendra Ortego expresses shock at being presented with sweet treats from the International Choir during their banquet number “Lollipop.” Senior Whytney Mask (front left) was named Homecoming Queen. Her court includes Kendra Ortego (top), Mary Beth Arnold (middle) and Kydia Echols. (bottom row) Dr. Otto B. Schacht, dean of the School of Business, congratulates Dr. Vaughn Ross upon his induction in the Math & Sciences Hall of Honor. Class of 1960 graduate Dick Waldren updates his classmates on life after Wayland.

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Rockin’ Memories

This Page: (top row, from left) Students enjoy the Friday night dance. Spirit entertains at the alumni luncheon. (bottom row) Alumnus Richard Porter, left, visits with his friend Dr. Miles Kimball during an afternoon reception for Kimball, honored as Distinguished Alumni Award winner. Dr. Estelle Owens presents snippets from Wayland’s past at the Legacy League Luncheon.

Opposite Page: (top row) Athletic Hall inductees Laura Switzer, Linda Pickens Price and Denise Mitchell Williams show off their plaques. Class of 1960 grads Rollie and Ann Rinker (center) visit with fellow classmates and Joe Provence at the anniversary breakfast. Alums visit at the dance. (bottom row) Friends catch up before chapel. Dr. Ken Mattox, BS’60, gives a lecture on medical advances.

Flying Queens Shamon Doss and Staci Murphree jump for joy at the dance.

Danny Andrews presents the young alumni award to Daniel Franklin.

Continued from page 11

the Houston area and current professor at Baylor College of Medicine. His seminar in the Museum of the Llano Estacado found a full audience including science students and faculty as well as a few local physicians.

Immediately following, the School of Mathematics and Sciences hosted the induction of Dr. Vaughn Ross, BS’67, emeritus professor of biology, to the school’s Hall of Honor. Many longtime science faculty members, now retired, returned to welcome their newest colleague into the esteemed group.

The School of Languages and Literature also held a reception for Dr. Miles Kimball during the afternoon, and a reception for artist Tom Curry kicked off the new exhibit in the Abraham Gallery.

The annual Homecoming banquet proved entertaining for audiences, with the homecoming queens and their sponsoring organizations providing skits, singing and lip syncs to musical hits from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. From Sonny and Cher to Chubby Checker, the stars of the past came out in hilarious fashion for the full house in McClung Center.

Guests then headed to the WBU theatre produc-

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tion of the female version of Neil Simon’s comedy classic The Odd Couple, then to the Laney Center for the dance, with Plainviewan Mike Harder serving as deejay and Harley and Wilda Redin kicking things off with the first dance to the 1940s hit “Stardust.”

Saturday featured a reunion time for alumni and International Choir members and the Athletic Hall of Honor induction ceremony, which added basketballers Linda Pickens Price and Laura Switzer and track runner Denise Mitchell Williams to the starstudded hall.

The noon luncheon in the Laney Center followed, with entertainment by Wayland’s music ensemble Spirit and the dedication of the Thomas and Billie Claire Browning Endowed Scholarship by their children. Dr. Armes also shared a bit of the current scene with alumni present.

The afternoon closed out with the basketball doubleheader against Mid-America Christian and the crowning of senior Whytney Mask as homecoming queen. The Pioneer Band performed as well as the WBU cheerleaders, to the delight of the full homecoming crowd. The theatre performance rounded out the evening and the weekend.

Scene and Heard “(Heart surgeon Dr.) Ken (Mattox) and I have so much in common.

Ken has written 14 books; I have read 14 books.”

Rollie Rinker, Class of 1960, at the anniversary breakfast “What attracted me to Wayland was how comfortable it was, how kind everyone was. But I learned that I had to be uncomfortable.

(Wayland) constantly challenged me. Thank you for the investment you made in me.”

Dr. Miles Kimball, Class of 1986 Distinguished Alumni Award winner, at homecoming chapel “Wayland was the school for me.

The Lord sent me here. I have no doubt of that.”

Ken Flowers, President, Class of 1960, at the anniversary breakfast

“Christian education has always been important to us. God has placed a passion in our lives for Christian education.”

Mark Murdock Distinguished Benefactor Award winner with wife, Linda, at homecoming chapel “I learned a lot at Wayland. I learned time management from my classes, discipline through the International Choir, attention to detail, political science and economics and an analytical view of religion.”

Dr. Ken Mattox, Class of 1960 At the afternoon lecture hosted by the School of Mathematics and Sciences

“Choose to make yourself uncomfortable. Push yourself to learn not just what’s on the syllabus but the intricacies of God’s creation.”

Dr. Miles Kimball, addressing students at homecoming chapel “Dr. Ross’ coming to Wayland was God-led. He just moved him from one mission field to another.”

Dr. J. Hoyt Bowers, emeritus professor of biology, on Dr. Vaughn Ross’ induction into the Math and Sciences Hall of Honor “You meet lifelong friends here, people that you’ll never forget.

I’m thankful to Wayland for that above all.”

Rollie Rinker, at the breakfast

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Haiti: Firsthand Wayland ex shares close look at the Haiti jail experience

Paul & Renee Thompson

by Paul Thompson, Ex 1988 14 footprints

Editor’s Note: Earlier this year, 10 Baptists were jailed in Haiti for 19 days while on a mission to rescue children. One of them, 1988 WBU ex Paul Thompson, is pastor of Eastside Southern Baptist Church in Twin Falls, Idaho, and a school bus driver. Paul shared his thoughts via a glimpse into his journal from those frightful days in Haiti.

Excerpt from Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010 (Day of our arrest) God, protect us through the night. We are without everything but the clothes on our back and our bibles. We have nothing but you, and you alone do we have.

Excerpt from Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010 (Letter to the church at Eastside) Dear Church at Eastside, I greet you from a Haitian Jail. Always care for the oppressed and displaced orphans (James 1:27).

Remember us as if you are in prison with us (Heb 13:3). We are in a great battle in the spirit world like we have never experienced, yet tasting the joy of the Lord continually.

Late Saturday night as we were reading and singing to our Lord we were met in our cell by some Haitian inmates, bibles in hand. Through the blessing and provision of God enabling Silas a gift of language we were able to have our first gathering of the church. It was a joyful gathering as we read Scripture in English, French and Spanish. We sang songs of the faith and worshipped by the light of the street light outside the cell. We will wait upon the Lord! He is who we aim to glorify.

Psalm 8:1-2 has become a verse of great encouragement to me.

1 O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!

2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength Because of Your adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

Psalms 8:1-2 (NASB) I am thankful to God for the men with me in my cell and the women in the holding cell.

We are both encouraged and encouraging; behaving like the church. We need each other; we don’t just attend a meeting occasionally.

There is nothing convenient about our situation, but pleased to find joy in Christ. I will have other things to share later but know that we are well and in great expectation of God. We are pleased to wait upon the Lord.

Pray for our release soon, but be slow to ask God to remove us from our suffering. Rather pray for our faithfulness to God in all things.

It’s 10:10 a.m. mountain time; you have begun gathering this morning for our weekly gathering. We prayed for you this morning, knowing that you know of our condition. I wish to encourage you to not feel sorry for us but rather worship God. Our suffering now is fleeting, God is everlasting. Look to Him alone. Be encouraged by Him always.

Tend to the needs of my precious friend, Renee, a blessed helpmate and faithful wife; a gift given to a lowly man like myself from the Almighty, Star Breathing, Galaxy Making God. I bless the Lord for His grace. I am a sinner from birth and am completely deserving of Hell, but God has been kind toward me, undeserving of any goodness from Him. Be strong and courageous, be very strong and courageous.

When God allows, we will embrace and rejoice in the strong name of the Lord.

With God on my mind, my gaze is fixed on the author and finisher of my faith.

Psalm 3; Psalm 46; Psalm 91; Isaiah 59:15 Excerpt from Monday, Feb. 1, 2010 6:00 a.m.: The nights are the hardest as the mosquitoes plague us all night long. We all have multiple bites. My feet are both swollen and forearms are covered from thousands of bug bites. After a time of prayer, worship and Scripture reading with the girls through the

bars we retreat to our cell to continue praying.

11:45 a.m.: We had just finished praying that God would send an encourager when a follower of Christ named “Joseph” came in to visit us. (I had met “Joseph” a few days before we were arrested.) “Joseph” came in with another brother from the local church. They came with three bananas and 3 packages of crackers. We had not eaten since noon on Sunday. He had shared with me when we met earlier that he had been out of work since the earthquake so this gift of bananas and crackers came to us with a great sacrifice on his part. His act of kindness showed me what Hebrews 13:3 could look like in real life. God, Thank you for sending this encourager to us today.

As dark sets in on us the mosquitoes begin to plague us again, we have not been allowed to get our mosquito spray from our bags.

I have decided to pray through the night. Finding enough light to read my bible is difficult, I have to stand with my bible above my head, at times, to relieve muscle tightness I rest my bible on my lap and use the glow from my watch, just enough light to read one word at a time. I have prayed for all of

our team members, the Haitian inmates and guards. I prayed for the church in Haiti and the government.

I’ve prayed for the judge and that his countenance would change knowing that God determines even his steps (Proverbs 16:9).

Excerpt from Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010 The promise of a 9 a.m. meeting with the judge proves to mean more like now or later. The prolonged waiting gives time for more worship, prayer and Scripture reading.

“Joseph” came by again, today with more fresh fruit and crackers. It is amazing to watch the spiritual battle unfold in front of us. We have a message with good news followed shortly with discouraging news. Then a messenger of hope only to be followed by more discouragement.

We are able to communicate with the other inmates with limited language, but because God has put his message of hope into the minds of others before us who have translated his word into English and French we have a common language between us all, the Gospel. Thanks be to God for the Gideons. We have our English bibles and some of the inmates have Gideon New Testaments. I noticed

Steve sharing with a couple of inmates while I was praying. I strongly believe that God has not finished our work here in Haiti. The Haitian people have not given up on life.

I wrestle in my mind with what this will do to Silas. Silas has demonstrated a longing to be used of God and now we are facing serious charges for something we have not done. What will this do for his future? I have no choice but to trust this to God. Dear God, Your silence is hard, but sweet is your Word. We have heard today that most media are reporting slanderous remarks and reports about our intent and work. This is discouraging, but our hope is in you.

How long oh God will you let the enemy press in on us: How long will you withhold your mercy? How will you possibly receive glory here? You know that our motive was motivated from your word, you compelled each of us to be doers of your word and we do so with high expectations of your glory.

Yet you seem to remain silent as we hear news about what is being reported. How do you receive glory to yourself now? I must rest and trust in your goodness with every word that I read from this treasured word of yours!

Thank you for my bible. Thank you for you.

To the God of mercy who directs the step of every authority on earth, I submit to you alone. Have mercy upon us. Hear us from this rat infested, mosquito plagued, dark pit. Rescue us in your time for your glory.

God, sustain all. The bug bites are numerous, the temperatures in the day are hot, water is sparse; but you already know this don’t you? In this I find joy and rest tonight. continued on page 16

footprints 15

Excerpt from Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010 We are out of water and most of our remaining crackers. We have been wearing the same clothes now for the past five days. While we wait to be transferred to the court room we pray for water and ask God to reveal himself through us. While we were praying “Joseph” arrived with fresh fruit and clothes. Clean shirts, underwear and food.

This was a blessing God! How do I hold back my tears of joy? Why do I even try? You knew my need before I even asked. Your encouragement today was far beyond comprehension. Thank you Lord! Hallelujah!

After we return from our afternoon interview with the judge we are met by a man with cold water. He later brings pizza and sandwiches for all of us. God’s provision for us compels us to share with all of the Haitian inmates. Thank you God for your care.

I find the need to discipline my mind. The discouraging news that we may be here for up to three months was not easy for any of us. This word, as I hear and understand, has dropped my countenance immediately. I’ve been seeking God’s word about what to do and how to further process what to do about our current situation and praying for God’s glory to prove to the nations His way of doing things is radically different than all methods in this world. This discouragement has left me doing what I always want discouragement to do, drive me immediately to God. Excerpt from Saturday, Feb. 6, 2010 I’m not sure what time this next event happened, because we have all given our watches to other inmates, but it was late. We had asked God to

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Songs like “The Old Rugged Cross,” “How Great Thou Art” and “As the Deer” kept the group focused on God in worship.

These pages were from their handmade hymnal while in jail. Opposite page: Silas Thompson, 19, shows the many mosquito bites he received while in the Haitian jail.

On page 15, Silas is pictured with a local child before the arrests.

help us with the ongoing mosquito issues and now the infected bites on one of the women. Most everyone was asleep; a man by the name of ‘Buddy’ Shipp from the American Samaritan came in to check in on us.

He heard we were being held and he wanted to see if he could help. He was here for only a few moments but promised he would be back in the morning with medical supplies and a medic to look at the insect bites that are now infected.

Excerpt from Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010 We woke this morning to the sound of music outside. The longer we hear the music it is clear it is a worship service. We discovered later that a Baptist church showed up to pray for us and then other local fellowships came by to do the same.

None of the fellowships had planned to do this together; God must have put it upon their hearts to come at the same time. The worship service lasted about two hours.

We gather in the hall way that connects our cells so we are able to communicate with the women. We

read 2 Corinthians 4 in English and the inmates read it in French. We pray and sing songs of praise to God. Buddy came back today as he promised. He is kind. He showed up with mosquito spray and water. We had not even noticed how close we were to being out of water.

My mind swims with questions, yet my mind is singularly focused on God as my hope. How is the church in America dealing with this news of us? Are they believing the media outlets, are they praying for us? I long to sit and listen to Renee, I want to know what God is doing in her life while we are here.

Excerpt from Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010 We spent most of the day at court and we are told that the judge will make his decision today and then pass it on the prosecuting judge who has one to five days to either agree or disagree with his ruling. The earliest our release could come could be tomorrow and because Friday is a national day of mourning it would mean most likely to come next week.

We go back to jail today knowing that our remaining time will only be waiting upon the system. We have no more court dates, only waiting. The day is finished with prayer and worship. This is among my favorite times of the day. We look forward to the daily visit from “Joseph” and the start and close of each day as we read the bible with the inmates, pray with the inmates and worship with the inmates.

Excerpt from Friday, Feb. 12, 2010 (National Day of Mourning) Today at noon we gather with the Haitian inmates to pray, read Scripture and observe a moment of

O soul, are you weary silence for the nation of Haiti. We begin to hear singing, like we did on Sunday. Songs we recognize to be worship songs, songs of our faith in Creole. Today the sound of singing is much louder than last Sunday. We later hear from one of the guards that the city streets are full as the nation mourns their dead. The sound of singing is that of a gathering in a huge arena.

Excerpt from Saturday, Feb.13, 2010 The sound of God’s people in song is familiar. I’m not sure why they are gathered outside our jail this morning but the sound is sweet to our ears. The inmates tell us that it is believers singing praise to God. We are encouraged. The singing lasts most of the day.

Today, a medical student by the name of Justin, from Alabama, came in to check on us again. He has taken a semester off from medical school to be here in Haiti. We are encouraged by him and pray for him throughout the day.

Excerpt from Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010 A third day in a row we are awakened by the sound of the

faithful in song. This morning in the midst of the foreign language to our ears come the familiar tune of “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus;” then, as clear as a Sunday morning worship service in our mother tongue is the entire song sung, as though it is being sung to us… “O soul, are you weary and troubled? No light in the darkness you see? There’s light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”

Renee continues to take up a healthy space of my thinking.

I’m thankful to God as I heard today that David has been able to be home some of this time while Silas and I are here. Renee is a stronger person than I, yet I’m thankful to God for those who have been at her side.

Excerpt from Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010 The worship tonight is sweet.

All of the Haitian men have joined us tonight as we read scripture, sing and pray. The Haitian men are singing more often with us and even singing worship songs to us in Creole.

We hear that we may be released on Wednesday, but we have learned that the news of release is not where our hope is, our hope is in the Lord, and in him will we hope.

Excerpt from Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010 About 4 p.m., we noticed that our attorney had showed up,

and then I noticed “Joseph.” How does he show up in places and times like this? “Joseph” gives me his patented smile and hard blinking of his eyes, then he gives me a thumbs up. “Joseph” decided to just walk past the guards, straight way to the barred window and says, “Today your freedom has come!” He is then immediately ushered out by the guards, but not without several glances back to make sure I heard him. When he gets to the hallway I notice two other believers who would come with “Joseph” sometimes. One has a grin from ear to ear, he points to heaven and then mouths “Praise to God.” We are then released from custody, walking with a mixture of joy and sadness. As we are being released we discover that we are also leaving without (group leaders) Laura (Silsby) and Charisa (Coulter). Then as we begin to gather our bags from the guard room and look back to our new friendships that have been forged in our common struggle for freedom, there is a strangeness that I had not expected, a sadness that we were leaving. How can joy turn to weeping so quickly? How is sadness followed by joy so quickly?

Scripture becomes sweeter by the moment as the experience is met with truth.

(Update: Coulter was released on March 8 but as of press time, Silsby remained jailed in Haiti under charges of attempting to take the children out of Haiti without proper paperwork. Both are from Meridian, Idaho.)

and troubled?

No light in the darkness you see?

There’s light for a look at the Savior and life more abundant and free! Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. footprints 17

Traditions

Willson lecturer encourages Christian schools

By Teresa Young

“

Students need

models and mentors who demonstrate the viability of the Christian life and pass it on to the next generation.”

Dr. David Gushee Willson Lecturer

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In his first presentation for Wayland Baptist University’s Willson Lecture series, noted Christian ethicist Dr. David Gushee of Mercer University deliberated over the history of Christian universities in America and their great decline, while urging those ardent stalwarts to remain strong in their faith identity.

Gushee, who is Distinguished University Professor of Ethics at Mercer, noted that the “fading Christian soul of the university” began centuries ago when many of the major universities like Harvard and Yale started shedding the Christian heritage of their founding. He said many schools were founded under a Western culture where the authority and respect of the church and the Bible were prevalent, but as different schools of thought like rationalism and emperialism came about, that began to shift on many campuses.

Gushee said while many originally Christian universities nationwide have become increasingly secular – either cutting ties completely with their denominational heritage or maintaining a relationship in formality only – he finds hope in what he called a “resistent community” of schools who remain ardent about balancing their faith heritage and mission with the academic rigors required of the university.

“Schools attempting to retain a Christian identity are making a great contribution to the church and to society,” he said.

Gushee borrows from author Robert Benne in breaking colleges into four categories with regard to faith, taken from Benne’s book Quality with Soul. He said the “accidentally pluralist” schools are primarily secular but a few Christian faculty or leaders bring some aspect of faith to the campus. The “intentionally pluralist” are not as thoroughly secular and ensure there is some Christian presence on the campus.

Where Gushee argues most ardently Christian schools fall is into the categories

of either “critical mass” or “orthodox.” In both categories, he said, “faith is the explicit, organizing center of the campus” and the schools recruit their faculty and staff from various Christian faiths. In addition, there are Christian courses required of every student, such as the Old Testament and New Testament history courses at Wayland.

Where the orthodox schools begin to vary is that every course is designed to reflect the Christian thought integration, student life is monitored heavily for moral consideration, the chapel program is robust and the school remains tightly rooted to its sponsoring denomination.

Gushee said he believes Southern Baptist schools have a unique story, shaped in large part by the decades of controversy within the national convention. He said the tendency to fear secularization has meant some schools have tightened the reins. An equal fear of fundamentalism has meant some have taken measures that threaten academic discovery and freedom. In actuality, though, Gushee said the moves have caused the reverse to happen. The fear of secularization has led to fundamentalism, and vice versa, and “our very fears have done great damage to our universities.”

But the future is not without hope, Gushee said, as long as universities embrace their Christian identity and seek to nurture students that, “love God with all their heart, care about the kingdom, love people and care about justice in an unjust world.” These students, he said, “experience and exude the fruit of the Holy Spirit.”

“To be truly Christian and truly Baptist, our colleges need direct attention to the spiritual and moral side of faith, to its living heartbeat, to the praxis of discipleship, to the integration of spiritual passion, Christian love and biblical ethics into every area of life,” he said in closing. “Students need models and mentors who demonstrate the viability of the Christian life and pass it on to the next generation.”

Faculty Spotlight

Geology program attracting quality faculty, great student interest

By Jonathan Petty Newly armed with his Ph.D., David Schmidt will present much of his doctoral research at the Geological Society of America’s annual meeting this April in Branson, Mo. Schmidt, assistant professor of geology in Wayland’s School of Mathematics and Sciences, completed his doctoral work at Texas Tech University in May 2009. Technically, the degree isn’t all that new, but he says he is still getting used to the idea.

“I’m still trying to soak it in,” he said.

Schmidt completed his doctorate work by studying sediment layers within the KT boundary at Big Bend National Park. The KT boundary is a well-known boundary of sedimentary layer among geological scientists.

“This is a well-known boundary because it coincides with the extinction of the dinosaurs,” Schmidt said.

“Globally, there is a lot of evidence for a catastrophic event, like an impact from a meteorite.”

Conversely, however, Schmidt found that the layer in Big Bend shows no evidence of such a catastrophic event.

“We don’t see certain signatures that you see around the world to suggest a catastrophic event,” he said.

“Instead, we see gradual conditions where there is not a drastic or abrupt change in climates or things like that.”

Interestingly, Big Bend is one of the closest research sites to the proposed impact site of the Yucatan Peninsula.

“We are trying to piece together a little more complete history of this particular time period in Big Bend to just add another piece to the puzzle,” Schmidt said. “We are trying to see other possibilities.”

Schmidt is continuing his research and has plans to publish his findings.

He said that is the next step in his process and he and his research advisor at Tech are currently working toward that goal.

Schmidt has been teaching geology at Wayland since the fall of 2007. He joined the faculty in the spring of 2008. He is also the faculty advisor and sponsor of the Wayland Baptist University Geological Society.

Schmidt is one leg of Wayland’s geology program which has drawn interest from several students. One of those is Hailey Clark, a four-year volleyball player who added a geology major toward the end of her WBU career.

Clark was well on her way to com-

plete her bachelor’s degree in history on schedule. The only problem? She wasn’t really sold on the prospect of teaching history as a career.

With most of her required courses behind her, everything changed for Clark as she entered what was to be her final year and a new geology degree was added.

“I took earth science and just fell in love with it all over again,” Clark said. “I talked to Dr. Schmidt, and he thought I should pursue it. I thought so, too.”

Already enrolled in her final two classes required for her history degree, Clark decided to double major, meaning she would spend an extra three semesters at Wayland to pick up a second field. It was an easy choice for Clark, who excels in the classroom.

The relatively new program has also sparked interest among community members as the school is well on its way to endowing its first student scholarship specifically for geology students.

The scholarship is in memory of the late Eldon Milstead, the former owner of Milstead Hardware in Plainview. It was started by Milstead’s son, David Milstead, who is proud that his father can be a part of the program.

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News In Brief

Former president returns for campus visit Former Wayland President Dr. David Jester returned to campus March 10 to speak to current students, faculty and staff, some of whom were here while he served as president from 1981-87.

Now 80 years old, the former missionary to Nigeria who was born and spent many of his early years in Tanzania, spoke with a soft cadence and accent while addressing the chapel audience. Scrapping his prepared message, Jester spoke from the heart about the importance of missions and how he has seen the hand of God evident throughout his career as a missionary and educator.

“Missions becomes real, and I believe it is time we wake up in America,” he said, challenging Baptists to realize, “We have marching orders.”

The former president praised Wayland’s leadership for its endeavors in Kenya, offering training and a religion degree in the African nation.

Jester also praised young people who are fearlessly taking the gospel into dangerous areas. He then challenged to students of Wayland to find the potential within them to do the work of God. Jester, who lives in Louisville, KY, had not been on the Wayland campus since resigning in 1987. He spent the day touring the campus to see all the changes since he was last there. He also spoke to two religion classes and celebrated his 80th birthday, albeit five days late, with an afternoon tea given in his honor.

n WBU adds master’s in

history, online options Wayland recently began offering the Master of Arts in History degree in two formats for ease and accessibility.

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in topics courses, which change each term and include some biblical history options.

n Lubbock campus to

host scholarship gala

Current president Dr. Paul Armes, left, and former president Dr. David Jester posed for a portrait during an afternoon reception honoring Jester on his 80th birthday.

The degree is offered in a face-toface format on the Plainview campus, meeting on Friday evenings and all day Saturday four times during an 11-week term. The degree follows the quarter term system of Wayland’s external and virtual campus to allow completion of the degree faster.

The MA in history will also be offered completely online to accommodate those interested in the degree who do not live near Plainview or those who want the convenience of an online degree. The online format makes Wayland one of the pioneers in the field, since only three schools in the country offer such a degree online and none in the general history area.

The 37-hour degree will include a historical methods course only offered online, and it culminates in a onehour comprehensive exam. Students may choose to complete a thesis (six credit hours) or take two additional classes. The bulk of the degree will be

The Wayland campus in Lubbock will host its annual Lubbock Lights gala benefiting student scholarships, slated for April 6 at the Overton Hotel.

This year’s gala will focus on raising funds for the Loretta Austin Scholarship Fund, named in memory of an employee in the campus’ financial aid area who died in March 2001 after serving for three years and becoming a campus favorite.

The Hub City Jazz Band will entertain during the event, which will also feature a silent auction. Tickets to the event are $125 per person and donations are also welcome to the fund.

Austin holds the distinction of being the first female African-American mayor of a city of more than 100,000, having served two terms as mayor of Pasadena, Calif., after serving on the city council.

n Education group plans

summer trip to Ecuador The School of Education at Wayland is planning a trip June 9-23 to Ecuador, combining both learning and missions work along with some fun and adventure.

For two weeks, students will participate in a wide variety of activities and can earn up to four hours of credit. Multicultural Education, a required course for all education majors, will be offered for three hours (both at the undergraduate or graduate level) and students can also pick up one hour of activity credit needed

for graduation in adventure activities.

A three-hour course in personal and community health can also be chosen in place of the multicultural education course.

“We’ll be working for a week in the rain forest and in an orphanage teaching English as a second language,” noted dean Dr. Jim Todd.

“Erika Deike (assistant professor of exercise and sport science) will be working with students on women’s health issues within the culture there.”

The trip costs $2,700 and is open to alumni as well. For information, call (806) 291-1045.

n Altus campus taking

grad programs to Fort Sill Wayland’s campus in Altus, Okla., has begun offering several master’s degree programs on Fort Sill beginning with the spring term and adding another program in the summer term beginning May 25.

The campus is offering the Master of Arts in History, the Master of Education and the Master of Public Administration degrees, with the Master of Arts in Counseling coming in the summer – all in an accessible format for not only military personnel and their families but also the surrounding civilian populations as well.

The MA in Counseling meets on Friday evenings and all day Saturday four weekends during the term and also has online coursework. The other degrees involve both face-to-face and online classes.

n WBU adds major in

environmental science Beginning in the fall, students at Wayland may major or minor in environmental science (ENVS).

“Environmental science programs

recycling survey, seminar

Plainview, guidelines for recycling and natural resource conservation and encouragement to pursue such efforts.

Dr. Herb Grover, dean of the School of Mathematics and Sciences, spoke on Wayland’s own efforts in “Christian environmental stewardship” over the past year. In particular, the school completed a major lighting retrofit in most campus buildings which will bring a massive savings in energy over the course of time.

In addition, the campus added recycling bins in all buildings and distributed information via email to all offices about recylable materials and the need to participate in resource conservation. A student group on campus has taken on the role of emptying the recycling bins on a regular basis and helping educate fellow students about “green” efforts on campus.

A working green group composed of faculty and staff on campus meets often to discuss various green initiatives that can be incorporated into the campus and how to raise awareness and understanding of the need to be environmentally conscious.

The Students in Free Enterprise team from Wayland hosted a seminar on March 11 concerning recycling and the city’s various programs to conserve resources. Led by project leader J.R. Nunez, the seminar was a joint project with the WBU Geological Society.

The seminar included findings from a community survey the SIFE/WBUGS teams conducted at various locations in late February. The data revealed that 41 percent of local families surveyed never recycle. Though some have a vague interest in the issue, the survey found that continued education would be key to encouraging residents to step up their recycling efforts.

To that end, the seminar featured guests from the city’s landfill, water reclamation plant and recycling center to speak about the local resources in

Wayland’s Student Nursing Organization (SNO) participated in its first fundraising event, spearheaded and coordinated solely by the SNO officers and class representatives. The Run/Walk for Fitness held in February in San Antonio (the School of Nursing is based on the San Antonio campus) was an outstanding success. The funds raised will be used in future events such as the pinning ceremony for graduating nursing students and local community activities. The active group also hosts health fairs on the campus and held a garage sale at the San Antonio campus in March to raise funds.

traditionally have dealt with pollution problems and development problems,” said Dr. Herb Grover, dean of the School of Mathematics and Sciences.

“Our program will certainly contain that information, but more importantly, its foundation will be on Christian environmental stewardship.”

The ENVS major will require 40 hours of course work distributed across biology, geology, chemistry and environmental science. The range of course offerings will allow students to focus on biology, chemistry or geology within the ENVS curriculum. The degree also requires non-science electives in geography, business, religion and philosophy, and languages and literature in order to give students a broad understanding of how life is shaped by human interaction with the environment. The ENVS minor will require 20 hours of course work. Wayland’s degree will also deal with the emergence of small-scale green technologies.

n SIFE team embarks on

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Athletics Review

Take Down ...

Breena Maul, left, a senior from Tascosa High School in Amarillo works to pin her opponent at the 2010 Panhanlde All-Star Wrestling Bash in March. Maul is one of the first female wrestlers to commit to wrestle for the Wayland program.

Hutch hosts first wrestling event The newest sport at Wayland got a test run in March as 38 high school wrestlers donned the blue and gold singlet for the 2010 Panhandle AllStar Wrestling Bash. The event, set up

by Wayland wrestling coach Johnny Cobb, served as a preview of what’s to come next fall as the Pioneers men’s and women’s wrestling teams take to the mat.

Approximately 500 people were in attendance to watch the wrestlers.

Three state champions, six state finalists and 14 state qualifiers were among the competitors at the freestyle wrestling event.

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The event gave people a basic understanding of the rules and scoring in collegiate wrestling. Each match consists of three two-minute periods. The wrestler with the most points at the end of the match will be awarded the win, unless there is a pen (fall) or a technical fall. A pen (fall) is awarded when a wrestler's shoulders or shoulder blades come in contact with the mat for two seconds.

At that point, the match is over. A match is also stopped and a technical fall is awarded anytime a 15-point lead is established.

In individual match scoring, two

points can be awarded for a takedown, which occurs when wrestlers are standing on their feet and one wrestler takes the other one down to the mat and has control of his/her opponent. Two points can also be awarded for a reversal. A reversal is when one wrestler is in a down position and is being controlled by the opponent, and the wrestler then reverses the situation whereby he/she is now the one in control.

If a wrestler being controlled by the opponent in a down position gets up and away to a neutral standing position, then he/she has executed an

escape and is awarded one point.

Either two or three points are awarded for a near pin. When a wrestler puts the opponent on his/her back for two seconds, he/she will be given two points.

If a wrestler holds the opponent on his/her back for five or more seconds, he/she will receive three points.

Penalty points may also be awarded for rules infractions such as illegal locking of hands, illegal holds, stalling, and unsportsmanlike conduct.

In cases of ties, a two minute overtime period is held, and the first points scored wins.

Cheer and Dance Wayland announced the hiring of Kristen Jones as coach of the new Competitive Cheer and Dance program.

Jones is a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University where she was a member of and later an assistant coach for the nationally ranked SFA Pom Squad. Most recently Jones has served as the assistant director of the national champion McLennan Community College Dance Company.

As a member of the American Dance and Drill Team staff and the Universal Cheerleaders Association, Jones teaches clinics and camps, and judges cheer and dance team try-outs and contests across the nation. She also taught and developed gymnastic and competitive dance programs for two

years for the Boys & Girls Club of Deep East Texas. Last fall, she was nominated for consideration to receive a NISOD Excellence Award.

Jones, who is currently an adjunct professor at both McLennan CC and Baylor University, received a bachelor's degree in communication advertising with a minor in kinesiology from SFA in 2005, and is pursuing a Master of Applied Arts and Sciences degree from SFA. Track and Field Both the men's and women's teams from Wayland Baptist captured second place at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Johnson, Tenn. The Pioneer men scored 52 points on the final day of competition to finish with 56.

Azusa Pacific University won it's fourth straight title and seventh since 2002 with 71 points.

The Pioneer women narrowly missed out on their third straight National Indoor Championship. WBU was edged out by Oklahoma Baptist, 68 points to 67. Wayland won each of its previous two NAIA titles by a single point.

Three Pioneer men earned national championship honors in individual events. Myrun Roundtree won the triple jump on Saturday with a leap of 15.72-meters or 51-07, establishing a new school mark. The freshman from Bonham, Tex. rebounded from a disappointing day on Friday when he fouled on all his attempts in the long jump, an event in which he was the favorite.

Kirby Dunn, a senior, won the 1,000-meters in a school-record

Sharp honored

by WBCA Three decades ago, Marsha Sharp, BS ’74, and Kay Yow sat together on committee after committee as women’s basketball transitioned into an NCAA sport. Through the rest of their careers, the sometimes rivals but longtime friends each built elite women’s basketball programs, Sharp at Texas Tech and Yow at N.C. State. “(The sport) was so young,” Sharp said. “We all experienced that growth because it was so young and that gave us a kind of common bond besides being competitors.”

The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced that Sharp will follow Yow as the recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sharp, who coached the Lady Raiders for 23 seasons, joins a list of 27 recipients including former Wayland Baptist coach Harley Redin and current Tennessee coach Pat Summitt.

Sharp famously developed the Lady Raider program, winning the 1993 national championship and earning herself seven Southwest Conference and Big 12 coach of the year awards along the way.

“I think where her teams played and the championships that they won, she was kind of a pioneer in women’s basketball,” Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers said. “She is admired and respected by women’s basketball coaches from this era on back to the time when she had those dominating teams.”

At the time, Sharp worried more about trying to win the next game or sign the next recruit than about the national attention her program brought both Tech and sport. Now she realizes it has enabled her work off the court.

“We were really blessed,” Sharp said. “We were able to win some titles, and when you do that you’re able to have a platform to do some things within the community and maybe nationcontinued, page 21

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time of 2:25.19, and freshman Kennedy Kithuka established a new school record in the 3,000-meters with a winning time of 8:08.53.

Also on the men's side, the 4x400-meter relay team of Jerry-Lee Davis, Andre Hamilton, Fernando Barrio and Caleb McLean won a national championship with a time of 3:12.91.

Kithuka was the runner-up in the Mile, establishing yet another school record with a time of 4:08.89. He also anchored the Distance Medley Relay team which was the fourth place team. Dunn, Jarrod Morris and Mario Scott joined Kithuka on the DMR. On the women's side, Kimberly Smith swept the sprint events for the third straight year, capturing the national championship in both the 60- and 200-meters. She set a new meet and school record in the 60 with a time of 7.20, and was named the Women's Outstanding Performer by the championship committee, her first such award. A junior from Jamaica, Smith was not beaten in a race during the 2010 indoor season Joining Smith in the 60-meters were sophomore Bianca Grant, who finished fourth with a time of 7.62, and Keliesha Ross, a senior, who crossed the finish line in fifth place at 7.72.

Kydia Echols captured her first individual national championship with a win in the 600-meters. The senior, who ran a 1:32.19 to set a new school record in the preliminary round, ran a 1:32.47 in the finals.

WBU's Latanya Nation, one of the favorites in the triple jump, severely injured her hamstring on her fourth attempt of the morning on Saturday and was unable to make her final two jumps. She wound up earning one point in the event, jumping 11.98 meters (39-03.75) on her third attempt, but Nation was also forced to withdraw from the finals of the 60-meter hur-

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dles. The runner-up in the hurdles a year ago, she had the top time coming out of the semi-finals on Friday.

As it has the past two years, the women's race came down to the meet's final event, the 4x400-meter relay. The Lady Bison crossed the finish line in the event first, just under two seconds faster than the second place Pioneer team of Ross, Smith, Leandria Lee and Echols. Both teams beat the winning time of a year ago, with OBU running a 3:44.94 and Wayland a 3:46.48.

Flying Queens The 2009-10 basketball season came to an end for the Flying Queens in the opening

Wayland freshman Aubrey Pedigo clears the way to the basket during first round action at the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament on March 4. The Queens lost to Lubbock Christian 68-64 to end their season.

Facing Page: Wayland point guard Tommie Sanders gets caught in the trees during a game at Southern Utah.

Sanders, a hard-nosed player, will return to lead the team next season.

game of the Sooner Athletic Conference as the WBU women fell in a close game to Lubbock Christian, 68-64. The Queens finished the season with a record of 17-13.

The Queens found themselves in and out of the NAIA Top 25 throughout the season, but came up short in their bid for the national tournament. The Queens were competitive throughout the season, but had trouble putting the game away once they had a lead. Wayland held leads in all three games against LCU as well as having late leads against Oklahoma City University. A home loss to Oklahoma Christian as well as an early loss to Northwestern Oklahoma State University really hurt the team down the stretch as the Queens fought for position in the conference.

The Queens lose only three players this season in point guard Jessica Walker, guard Edite Kresa, who missed the last half of the season with a torn ACL, and post player Shamon Doss. Head coach Tory Bryant has already signed a few players, including a sophomore transfer from Emporia State, Jessen Tucker, who is a shooting guard.

Pioneer Basketball The Wayland Pioneers basketball team struggled in the early portion of the season, but finally found a rhythm and came on strong toward the end. However, a 1-9 start in conference play was more than they could overcome, missing out on the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament, finishing one game behind rival Lubbock Christian for the eighth spot in conference.

While the Pioneers got off to a slow start, they finished 6-6 in their final 12 games, with wins over SAC tournament champion John Brown, SAC runner-up Rogers State and Oklahoma City University. Overall, WBU. Overall, WBU was 11-16 on the season.

Pioneers coach Robert Davenport and his staff have been working the recruiting trail and have already secured recruits to fill the vacated roster spots. Davenport said with a large number of players returning it will be nice to not have to start all over with a group of players. He hopes the returning players can build on what they did this year and just pick up where they left off.

ally, causes you have a chance to be a part of.”

Like the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund. Yow fought breast cancer for 22 years before dying of it in January 2009. At that time the WBCA had already established a fund in her honor, and last year Sharp became its first executive director.

The fund, which uses an upside-down pink ribbon as its logo, raised $1.7 million in less than two years after its inception. At Yow’s request, the money is being used to fund clinical trials and cancer research.

“She felt like the last four years of her life she was able to live and live with quality because she had the benefit of some experimental drugs,” Sharp said. “So we’re trying to raise money and put it all into research and put clinical trials with it so maybe people can live with the disease a little better.”

Sharp has also served on the Women’s Protective Services board and co-sponsored the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Gala. She is currently president of the YWCA Board of Directors.

“I’ve really tried to find causes that I believe strongly in,” Sharp said. “Anything to do with children or folks that need a little bit of a helping hand are things that have always caught my eye.”

She stepped down as the Lady Raiders’ coach in 2005, after amassing a 557-175 career record. Since then she has served as Tech’s Associate Athletic Director for Special Projects.

She was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 1999, the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2000, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

“I think she’s deserving of this award just from a standpoint of what she did to contribute to the growth of women’s basketball in the ’80s and a ’90s,” Myers said.

The Jostens-Berenson Lifetime Achievement Award is named for Senda Berenson, who introduced basketball to her female gym students at Smith College in 1892, one year after Dr. James Naismith invented the game.

The WBCA will formally recognize Sharp at it its awards luncheon April 6, during the NCAA Women’s Final Four in San Antonio.

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ee the world

S

through the eyes of a Wayland student on just $28 a month

I

magine having a part in the worldwide spreading of the Gospel for only $28 a month. At Wayland Baptist University and the Wayland Mission Center, we’re training ministers across all academic disciplines, raising up a future generation of Christian leaders who will impact their chosen vocational field as well as the kingdom of God. We’re sending students into the mission field while they’re still learning, growing and realizing their call. Then, we’re sending them into the world with degrees in math, science, history, business, education, fine arts and religion – as well as a calling to spread God’s word to a hurting world.

The proposed new Flores Bible Building and Wayland Mission Center will allow the university to continue our long tradition of encouraging and empowering young people of all backgrounds to do the work of Christ around the world.

For only $28 a month over three years, you can make a “grand” commitment to this project and impact student lives for generations to come. For a $1,000 investment, you too can have a part in the greater mission of Wayland.

We can’t all go... but we can train them, send them, and support them as they go.

About the facility The new Flores Bible Building will feature two stories on the classroom and office side, with the large chapel and lecture hall adjoining. The following will be included: g Six classrooms seating 30 each, outfitted with basic technology g Chapel with 300-350 capacity, with technology and raised stage g Lecture hall with 80-90 capacity, in stadium seating fashion g Offices and workroom for the Wayland Missions Center g Conference room and seminar room g Faculty and staff office suite with reception and break area g Interactive TV equipment in one classroom, wireless capability in entire building g Student lounge on lower floor g Computer laboratory for writing and languages.

Estimated cost of the religion building and mission center project is $11 million, and approximately $5 million has been raised to date.

We hope to break ground on this beautiful new addition to the WBU campus as soon as possible. Please plan to be part of this exciting Second Century at Wayland through support of this project.

Missions is changing our students’ lives!

“I think I’ve seen a change in myself just in conversations, letting there be a purpose behind them. It definitely taught me that it wasn’t about comfort and how I wanted to feel but about glorifying him and making his kingdom known despite how I feel.

“I think this has taught me to be intentional with everything, that everywhere I go is a mission field. It has to be a missional lifestyle.”

Allison Vetter, Junior Music Education Major Go Now Missions 2009, Kissimmee, FL

“God has taught me most that he can use a person with whatever gifts they have and in ways one can never imagine. I have seen God work in the lives of the people we are ministering to just by the joy on their faces, the love they have poured out onto us, the over 250 people who have come to Christ.”

A.J. Haney, Senior Media Communications Specialist Major Kenya Mission Trip 2009

“I went into the summer looking for what God wanted me to do. I’ve always felt that I’m supposed to serve him some way through the church but didn’t know how.

“I definitely learned that (missions) is not a career thing for me, but I feel like as a coach and teacher, I can still be a missionary in my career. I feel like God’s given me an opportunity to reach the people that I’ll be working with.”

Haley Hill, Junior Education/Coaching Major Tokyo 5:9 Project 2009

q I want to make a “grand” commitment to the new Flores Bible Building. q Contact me regarding estate

Name __________________________________________________ Phone ______________________ Address ____________________________________________________________________________ City ________________________ State _____ Zip ________ Email

* Naming opportunities are available throughout the facility. * Gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent the law allows.

_____________________________ q

I want to make my gift at one time. I have enclosed a check for $______________.

q

I want to make a one-time gift by credit card of $_______________

q

I would like to draft monthly from my bank account $_________. (Include voided check.)

q

I would like to draft monthly from my credit or debit card $__________ . q Visa

q MasterCard

q American Express

q Discover

Name on card ______________________________ Card number ______________________________ Clip form and return to: Wayland Advancement, 1900 W. 7th, CMB 621, Plainview, Texas 79072 or give online via credit card at https://give.wbu.edu.

planning, gifts of stock, insurance or other gift opportunities.

The President’s Pen

Love is evident all over Wayland campus, system

Dr. Paul Armes

“

Wayland is a family – a place where people genuinely care for and love each other. At each Wayland location, this spirit lives and moves and breathes.

”

Robert Browning once wrote, “Take away love and our earth is a tomb.” His observation is not only correct. It is, in fact, profound.

Everywhere I look on the Wayland campus, I see signs of love.

Wayland embraces a passionate love for learning. I think that is part of what John Masefield meant when he talked about the appeal of higher education: “There are few earthly things more beautiful than a university – a place where those who hate ignorance may strive to know, where those who perceive truth may strive to make others see.”

Wayland has some of the finest academicians in the world. They are men and women who know their fields of instruction so thoroughly that they have been awarded the highest academic certification (a terminal degree) an individual can earn. More than 80% of the professors at Wayland hold such certification.

Wayland is also a place at which faith is embraced and loved. The spiritual dynamic of our campus is truly compelling. Everywhere you look you can see evidence of vibrant discipleship. We have a large number of students who participate in international mission trips. But we also have students who visit nursing homes in Plainview and Hale County; they work on local Habitat for Humanity projects every week; they teach and mentor at-risk high school students—all because of their faith in Christ. This generation of students feels the strong call of Jesus to be “salt” and “light”, and they are changing our world.

Wayland is also a family—a place where people genuinely care for and love each other. I have been on many faith-based campuses throughout the years, and I can tell

you that there is something uniquely special about this university. It’s the way students, staff, faculty and administration greet each other. It’s the calls, notes, emails and voice mail messages that come your way when you have faced a time of illness or disappointment. At each and every Wayland location, this Spirit lives and moves and breathes.

Thanks for being a part of this family. We are grateful for your prayers and your love.

You need to know, though, that we live in a very challenging time for faith-based higher education. For example, because of the recent downturn of investment markets, our endowment has declined in value. And while we are confident that the economy will eventually rebound, the harsh reality of the present is that there will be fewer scholarship dollars available to our students for the foreseeable future. Over 90 percent of those attending Wayland receive scholarship assistance. That gives you some idea of how important your giving is to the university.

When I sit down with individuals and ask them for major/transformational gifts, one of the questions I’m often asked is “What percentage of your alumni contribute annually to your school?” Those major universities who have an engaged and committed alumni base will approach a number of around 50 percent. Unfortunately, we don’t come close to that goal. But we’re improving. And with your help that number will get significantly better with time.

One other thing: don’t believe for a moment that unless your gift is a large one, it is not significant. Nothing could be further from the truth. All gifts are important.

Thanks for your support of and love for this university. Grace and peace…

What the President is reading: Rework by Jason Fried and David Hansson; Food Rules by Michael Pollan; Lone Star Rising by Elmer Kelton

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Thinking Out Loud

Share our vision for missions My heart has been touched recently by something I read in the obituary of a longtime minister, by a recollection of a sermon preached by Wayland’s ninth president, by the reminiscing of a WBU graduate who was a missionary, and by the words of a generous alumnus at chapel.

An obituary for Dr. C.H. Murphy Jr., a former trustee who died in January at the age of 73, said “His wife and three sons were with him to hear his final words, ‘I fulfilled God’s purpose.’” A 40-year ministry as pastor and missions director testify to that.

Dr. David Jester, Wayland president from 1981-87, spoke in chapel March 10. He highlighted the many places – including the nation of Nigeria – God has taken him and his wife Marie (unfortunately, she suffered a severe foot injury the week before and couldn’t make the trip) in their 50 years of ministry together.

When he first came to Wayland and led one of the Mission to Brazil trips that Baptists were making during the early 1980s, I served on his team. One of his sermons was taken from Acts 26:19 where the Apostle Paul tells King Agrippa, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.” Whether as a missionary, pastor, educator, or in secular ministry, David Jester has certainly been faithful to the call of God on his life with Marie doing the same in a variety of ways.

Because Wayland is putting out the first new directory in five years, I received quite a few contacts from alums, including a wonderful note from Carolyn Belshe, BSOE’87 and MBA’88. She is a retired United Methodist missionary to civil war-torn Mozambique where she helped care for orphans – “those little guys who were made boy soldiers and the little 5-7-year-old girls so prostituted that we had them 3-4 months to alleviate the physical harm, infections and such.” About four years ago, the orphanage was renamed in her honor. What a magnificent tribute!

In acknowledging the academic and spiritual nurturing of Wayland professors, Carolyn wrote: “Both were incredibly important during those days of opening up a life of a missionary calling from my early childhood at age

seven when I had a vision of being with children in Africa. Again, at 15, the vision reoccured to me. I was 48 by the time I actually entered the African country of Mozambique where I saw that hut and affirmed my calling to missions there. Thank you, Wayland, for studies being made available on schedules and locations which I could do while working in healthcare administration in Lubbock and San Angelo and driving the highways of West Texas to accomplish these goals.”

Dr. Jester challenged the chapel audience – particularly the students – to be open to God’s leadership in a world badly in need of the loving transformation of the gospel. It echoed what 1987 graduate Dr. Michael Davis said about why he and his father have endowed a scholarship in loving memory of his mother and brother, “because we believe that you will make a difference in a world that desperately needs it.”

While God may not be giving most of us a “vision” to go into missionary service, we can pray for and financially support those who have that vision and that calling on their lives as so many from Wayland have had through its history.

Our missions program, spearheaded by Dr. Rick Shaw in the academic area and Donnie Brown in Baptist Student Ministries, continues to give young people as well as older adults an opportunity to do hands-on missions work in a variety of ways both in the U.S. and aboard. Dr. Shaw’s vision is to give every student an opportunity to do cross-cultural missions before he or she graduates. Those mission efforts may lead to career opportunities or short-term efforts in the future.

Giving on a systematic basis of just $28 a month (over a 3-year period you can make the “Grand Commitment” of $1,008 – but all gifts are appreciated), you can help someone from Wayland make a world of difference for the Kingdom’s sake.

Won’t you pray about it, talk about it – and just do it? A pledge card appears elsewhere in Footprints. You can help a student fulfill God’s purpose as they are obedient to the vision the Heavenly Father has put in their heart.

Danny Andrews Director of Alumni Development

“

God may not be giving most of us a vision to go into missionary service, but we can certainly pray for and financially support those who have that vision and that calling on their lives.

”

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Development

An enduring legacy Why donors choose endowed scholarships

By Teresa Young

Above, Dr. Paul Armes stands with the newly unveiled plaque marking the Davis Memorial Endowed Scholarship.

At right, Dr. Mike Davis (left) joins Danny Andrews, Director of Alumni Development, at the podium of Harral Auditorium as he reads the citation dedicating the Davis Memorial Endowed Scholarship during the March 10 chapel.

30 footprints

Over the years, despite what special emphasis or campaign the university has undertaken, it seems more and more friends and alumni have chosen to donate in the form of an endowed scholarship.

This “forever gift,” as Director of Development Hope English calls it, appeals to many because it literally lasts generations, with only interest pulled annually to provide scholarships and the main corpus remaining in investments untouched.

But we believe a big reason behind the popularity of scholarships is the fact that they are directly linked to students and their efforts to seek their dreams through an education at Wayland. We all know what a treasure a college degree is, and those of us with WBU ties know the treasure is even greater for those who experience it in a Christian setting where morals and values are lived and teached, where the Great Commission is tied to each academic field and where the spiritual formation and growth of each student is valued alongside their schoolwork.

To meet our students is to know that such gifts are helping these bright, optimistic minds achieve their goal of serving Christ in whatever career path they choose. You can’t help but want to help them get there.

So it’s no surprise that faithful alumni and friends continue to come forward and share of their blessings to become blessings to our students. Just this semester, Wayland has dedicated two new scholarships, with the Tommy

and Billie Claire Browning Endowed Scholarship featured during the homecoming luncheon and the Davis Memorial Endowed Scholarship officially recognized at the March 10 chapel featuring former president Dr. David Jester.

The Davis Scholarship came about in large part to alumnus Dr. Michael Davis, a 1987 graduate, who has seen the value and blessing of giving to Wayland consistently for a number of years. He and his father Everett Davis shared the Harral Auditorium stage that Wednesday as they dedicated their scholarship in memory of a beloved mother and son.

The scholarship was established in memory of Joanne Clark Davis, who died Dec. 23, 2009, and Mark Davis, who died Feb. 14, 1995.

A graduate of Nucla High School in Colorado, Joanne married Everett Davis on May 19, 1961, in Grand Junction, Colo., relocating to Pampa in 1965. The couple had two sons: Mark, born Aug. 19, 1962, and Michael, who graduated from Wayland in 1987 and now lives in Mercury, Nev. While raising children, Joanne worked as an insurance billing clerk and office manager for physicians in Pampa until her retirement in 2005. Mark graduated from Pampa High School in 1980 and Clarendon College in 1992. He worked as a barber, a chef and in medical billing until his death.

Davis shared his love for Wayland during the chapel and encouraged students to make a difference. He also shared his testimony for giving, which we have printed on the opposite page.

Foundation’s gift will help WBU students with mission trip costs

Why I Give

by Michael Davis, BS’87 In Goethe’s Faust: Part I, Heinrich Faust laments that he has studied philosophy, medicine, jurisprudence, and theology. Despite advanced degrees in these disciplines, he feels that he can know nothing and that he is still the same fool as when he started.

My studies have less breadth with degrees only in philosophy, history, and education. Like Heinrich Faust, however, I’ve discovered that what I know does not matter. What matters is what I do, and what I do only has value as it brings hope and help to others.

Scholarships at Wayland paid 90 percent of my tuition costs. Caring faculty and staff fostered in me a desire to complete my education and to return to Wayland a portion of the time, love, faith, and resources that made that education possible.

My parents, my brother, and

Wayland’s faculty and staff all contributed to my successes at Wayland and beyond. They made a difference.

I believe that we make a difference by doing what we can, when we can, and not by waiting for a future when what we can give now is dwarfed by what we “might” give later. Major contributions begin with actions and activities undertaken today.

While providing partial tuition aid for a single student may be insignificant on a grand scale, it significantly impacts the smaller scale of individual lives.

I know–I’m one of them.

Dad and I support Wayland through the Davis Memorial Endowed Scholarship, which honors my mother and my brother – two people who provided hope and help to us.

This small repayment of their love and of their investment in our lives also pays forward a faith that people with an education will make a difference of their own. Like education, the scholarship endowment is a gift that will keep giving.

Wayland Baptist University has received a grant for $250,000 from the James A. “Buddy” Davidson Charitable Foundation in Midland for missions work.

The gift will be used to establish an endowment in the foundation’s name, the annual interest from which will assist students in making foreign mission trips through the Wayland Mission Center. The foundation donated $150,000 up front, with the additional $100,000 to be given in 2011.

The James A. “Buddy” Davidson Charitable Foundation was established in memory of Buddy Davidson, a military veteran who held two degrees from the University of Texas in Austin, one in business and the other in law. Davidson worked with various oil and gas companies before starting his own oil company in 1979.

He was a generous man, contributing to many causes such as wildlife, children’s issues, animals and the environment. He was a strong believer in education, and the foundation has supported many universities with scholarships and professorships to make education accessible for students.

“The generosity of the Davidson Foundation towards Wayland Baptist University is truly transformational,” said Dr. Paul Armes, WBU President. “The endowment will not only enable many of our students to have life-changing mission experiences around our world, but it will also enable those students to change that world in positive and profound ways.”

Mission Center Director Dr. Rick Shaw added his own gratitude for the endowment, which will allow many more students to experience the life-changing missions experiences that occur annually. In addition, area churches may utilize the mission center to coordinate trips or participate in trips Wayland is taking as part of their own call to mission service.

“I am astonished by the sacrificial generosity of the Davidson Foundation, and their commitment to the cause of global missions through students,” said Dr. Rick Shaw, who is also assistant professor of religion and missions.

“The investment that the foundation is making will benefit the Kingdom of God in many places, and among many people, for many years to come. The Lord has blessed WMC with a definite demonstration of His grace through the Davidson Foundation.”

The foundation and its president, Buddy’s widow Sandra Davidson, will be honored at the March meeting of Wayland’s Board of Trustees. A bronze plaque marking the endowment will be dedicated at that time and will be hung in the new Flores Bible Building and Chapel when that project is completed in the future. Funds are still being accepted for the Flores facility, which will also house the WBU Mission Center.

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Classnotes

supporter of Wayland and spoke in chapel several times.

Surviving are his wife of 70 years, Anita; two daughters; and five grandchildren.

FACULTY, STAFF, TRUSTEES & FRIENDS CONCHITA HANSFORD, former music instructor at Wayland in the 1980s, is director of the Shawnee Honor Choir, an auditioned choir of 53 fourth through seventh graders representing 17 different schools in Shawnee, Okla., and the surrounding area. The choir is a part of the Young Singers of Central Oklahoma, the preparatory choirs of Oklahoma Baptist University.

Conchita is Music Preparatory director and OBU faculty member since 1990. During her 28-year teaching career, Conchita has taught a variety of university courses including early childhood and elementary music methods, church music methods, class piano, voice, and private piano. Active as a guest conductor and workshop leader, she has presented numerous workshops in several states and also directs the Young Musicians Choir at First Baptist Church, Shawnee. Her husband, Jim, former band director at Wayland, is band director at OBU. (conchita.hansford@okbu.edu; jim.hansford@okbu.edu)

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NICK HOWARD, former BSM director at Wayland, is regional director for Texas Baptist Student Ministries. He also has served at Rice, the Texas Medical Center, Tarrant County Junior College and UT-El Paso. He and his wife Susan have a son, Chris, a freshman at North Greenville University in Greenville, S.C. The Howards served as missionaries to Germany for seven years. Nick and Susan would love to hear from Wayland friends. (2929 Buffalo Speedway, Unit 313, Houston, TX 77098; bsmsouth@earthlink.net) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of DR. CHARLES MATHEWS, who died Nov. 25, 2009, in Austin at the age of 94. A World War II veteran of the U.S. Navy, he was the first Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Education at Texas Tech University in 1977. Mathews retired in 1985 after serving public education in Texas for more than 50 years. He was superintendent of Plainview schools from 1952-60, a strong

Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of DR. C.H. MURPHY JR., of Matador, who died Jan. 16, 2010, in Lockney at the age of 73. His wife and three sons were with him to hear his final words, “I fulfilled God’s purpose.” He served as a trustee for Wayland (1972-75) and Dallas Baptist University and in numerous capacities for the Baptist General Convention of Texas. He pastored for more than 40 years in Hedley, Silverton, Memphis, Friona, Lamesa and Irving. He created West Texas Farm Family Weekends, designed to equip and encourage families during the farm-family crisis of the late 1970s and early ‘80s. His passion for missions and for church planting was recognized by the BGCT by awarding Key Church status to First Baptist Irving. The last 11 years of his ministry, he served as Director of Missions for TryonEvergreen Baptist Association in Conroe. Surviving are his wife of 52 years, Raynita Kay; three sons; a sister; and seven grandchildren. (Box 182, Matador, TX 79244)

Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of BILLY R. “BUDDY” NAIL, Ph. D, of McDonough, Ga., who passed away June 30, 2009. A graduate of HardinSimmons and the University of Illinois, he was professor emeritus in mathematics and was former dean of Clayton State College in Morrow, Ga. He taught mathematics at Wayland in the mid-1960s. Surviving are his wife of 57 years, Glenda C. Nail; three daughters; a sister; and nine grandchildren. (325 McGarity Drive, McDonough, GA 30252) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of Pam Wheeler, who died March 4, 2010, in Abilene at the age of 62. She was an elementary and kindergarten teacher for 32 years, including 22 years in Clyde. Surviving are her husband LARRY WHEELER, former theater technical director at Wayland and now theater professor at Hardin-Simmons; a daughter; a son; a sister; and four grandchildren. (1634 Glenwood Drive, Abilene, TX 79605)

1940s Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of PATSY LOUISE WILLIAMS HUFF, EX’45, who died March 5, 2010, in Amarillo at the age of 81. She worked as principal’s secretary at Bonham Middle School and Caprock High School for 24 years, retiring in 1991.

Surviving are her husband of 52 years, Wallace; a daughter; three sons; two brothers; a half sister; and 10 grandchildren. (1951 S Seminole Street, Amarillo, TX 79103)

1950s Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of VELMA RUTH BURCH, 83, BS’50, of Young Harris, Ga., who died Dec. 7, 2009, in Murphy, Ga. She received her degree in education, music and journalism. Velma was the first paid director of music for Murphy First Baptist Church. She retired after 31 years from Murphy High School as an English and journalism teacher. Surviving are her husband of 57 ½ years, Doyle C. “Buddy” Burch, and a sister. (3222 Allison Drive, Young Harris, GA 30582; velbud@alltel.net) MARVIN DOWNING, BA’59, received the Readers Choice Award for Best Area Volunteer by the Weakley County Press in Martin, Tenn.

Marvin, who received his doctorate from the University of Oklahoma, is emeritus professor of history at the University of Tennessee at Martin. (112 Brooks Drive, Martin, TN 38237; mdowning37@charter.net) Christian love and sympathy to JOLLY ARNOLD PETERSON, BA’52, whose son, Beau Peterson, died Dec. 17, 2009, at the age of 50 during a heart transplant opera-

tion. He is survived by his wife, Josie, and twin daughters. Jolly is a retired vice principal of an intermediate school in Hawaii. (28720 Bonnie Way, Madera, CA 93638) CORTLAND SAVAGE, BA’54, retired in 2000 after serving as a bi-vocational music minister and earlier an adult probation officer in Orange. His parents, Chester and Alwyn Dysart Savage, both attended Wayland.

Cortland, who sang in the International Choir, and his wife, Jan, who worked in sales for Sears and Montgomery Ward, have five children and 10 grandchildren. (1413 Southland, Sulphur Springs,

TX 75482)

1960s LOIS ANN RUST TAYLOR, BA’54, is a retired elementary music teacher. She was a member of the International Choir. Lois, who attended her 50th class reunion in 2004, has a son and a daughter.

(3725 Fieldcrest Lane, Bedford, TX 76021) RICHARD HORN, BA’64, and his wife Joanie live in Austin. They retired from the Foreign Mission Board in 1996 after 23 years in Japan.

Their three sons are married and living in Portland, Boston and Austin, and they have two

grandsons and are expecting a granddaughter in the summer.

They celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2008 with a trip to Greece and the Greek Islands with a stop in Ephesus. “We are blessed with health that allows us to eat, ski, fish, walk and golf. So life is good,” Richard writes.

(12720 Timberside Drive, Austin, TX 78727; thehorn@austin.rr.com) LARRY D. KOCH, BA’67, is retired after 32 years as a pas-

Ring ceremony honors new graduates, President A second Wayland Ring Ceremony held in the Learning Center Atrium on Dec. 12, the morning of graduation, drew 18 participants, including nine alumni who chose to have their ring re-presented by Dr. Paul Armes, president. The event featured music by Eddie Turner and Dr. Gary Belshaw, comments from Alumni Association President Kevin Carter and graduating senior Rudy Garcia of Lubbock, a history of the ring by Alumni Director Danny Andrews and the Unbroken Circle led by Emeritus Alumni Director Joe Provence.

Another ring ceremony may be held in conjunction with spring graduation May 8.

Andrews has been encouraging juniors to consider purchasing a ring a year ahead of graduation and for seniors, who have not bought one earlier, to do so in the fall so that, in the future, only one ring ceremony will be held in December. Alums who have not done so previously will continue to be encouraged to participate.

Also, at the graduation luncheon, Andrews presented Dr. Armes, a graduate of Baylor University, with a special ring inscribed

Director of Alumni Development Danny Andrews (left) presents an official class ring to President Dr. Paul Armes at the graduation luncheon in December.

with “Pres.” Graduates received key chains and a special Wayland T-shirt featuring a jackrabbit – the university’s mascot for many years – and an adaptation of words from the alma mater: “Spirit strong, Courage bold.”

A crowd of about 400 attended the third post-graduation reception in the Laney Center, hosted by the Association of Former Students, as is the luncheon.

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Honored guest

Longtime surgeon reflects on changes in medicine

By Teresa Young When Dr. Ken Mattox graduated from Wayland Baptist University in 1960, the world was a far different place in many aspects. Now, after participating in more than 70,000 operations all over the world as a renowned thoracic surgeon, Mattox can attest to many of those changes in his own career field.

A native of Clovis, Mattox came to Wayland in 1956 on ministerial and International Choir scholarships. He soon became fascinated with his science courses and opted to study medicine instead.

Fast forward nearly 50 years and the years of medical school at Baylor College of Medicine, internships at the VA Hospital and many, many patients are far behind Mattox. But medicine is not.

Mattox serves as Chief of Staff at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston and is a professor at Baylor College of Medicine, now teaching other up-and-coming surgeons. But he admits he’s done a lot of learning over the years as well.

“When I first came to Wayland, medicine was simpler. There were only two categories of antibiotics and little heart surgery was being done. There were no HMOs, and most people paid in cash or had limited insurance,” said Mattox, speaking to a group of Wayland science students and faculty members in a lecture held Feb. 26 as part of WBU’s homecoming festivities.

At that time, he noted, technology itself was not as advanced.

The microchip had just been invented, the radio still had vacuum tubes and science students used huge desk calculators and slide rules.

By the time Mattox completed service in the U.S. Army and his medical school requirements and earned the position of Deputy Surgeon-in-Chief at Ben Taub in 1973, the landscape of medicine had already begun changing.

“The coronary bypass was being introduced, as well as heart valves, chemotherapy and trauma centers,” Mattox said, noting that organ transplantation was just beginning to become more common and HIV/AIDS had entered the healthcare arena. Computers were becoming more common as well, meaning the technology was about to create even more changes.

“We were pretty cutting edge in 1973, but about 50 percent of the procedures I was taught (in medical school) do not exist anymore,” Mattox noted. “About 50 percent of the approaches to surgery we use now were not available before 1980.”

Mattox addressed Wayland students pursuing careers in healthcare with advice on being prepared for the future in a field that is rapidly changing with technology and research. He encouraged students to know how to solve problems, to pay attention to detail, to develop a high work ethic and pursue perfection in all things. He also urged them to always take the hardest, high road in life.

The doctor also noted that healthcare is local, so students need to be in touch with the community in which they are serving.

When asked about the healthcare reforms being discussed in the news, Mattox said he believed some changes were needed, but not

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in the areas being debated.

“Is there a need for health economics reform? Yes, but only on the economics side,” Mattox said. “The need for reform now is an attempt at a redistribution of wealth and serving political issues.

(The government) should being the stakeholders together for their input – those involved in healthcare delivery.

“Decisions like right to life should be between a patient and a doctor, not a political one.”

In 1990, Mattox was named Chief of Surgery and Chief of Staff at Ben Taub, positions he still holds. Since 1973, Mattox has also been a surgical consultant for the VA Hospital, active staff at The Methodist Hospital, active staff and attending physician at St. Luke’s Hospital, and courtesy staff at Texas Children’s Hospital.

Mattox was honored by his alma mater in 1986 with the Distinguished Alumni Award, 26 years after earning the highest student award as a senior, the Citizenship Award. He holds numerous professional memberships in the healthcare field, has served on boards and commissions and has received many honors for his life of service. He has also written and spoken extensively on various medical topics and his research interests are in medical trauma and thoracic surgery.

He and wife June, whom he met as a student while she served as Wayland’s first campus nurse, live in Houston.

tor and 10 years as Associate Director of Baptist Men for the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Larry volunteered with Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief for 10 years before joining the staff at the convention. Prior to that he served for eight years as the volunteer state coordinator.

He and his wife ELAINE LUTTRILL, EX’64, who is retired after 32 years as an RN, have served on mission teams to Bosnia, Zaire, and South Africa. Recently, they have been helping coordinate relief efforts and volunteers helping with the recovery in American Samoa following the earthquake and tsunami in September 2009. When not volunteering with disaster relief, he and Elaine enjoy taking short trips on their Honda Goldwing Trike. They have four children and 11 grandchildren. (500 Skyline Drive, Taylorsville, KY 40071; elkoch420413@bellsouth.net) JIMMYE BLAKNEY SMITH, BA’64, a retired paralegal, was one of 500 members of the Society of Decorative Painters whose handpainted ornaments were displayed on the Christmas tree at the Renwick Gallery’s Grand Salon in the Smithsonian Museum. All ornaments were painted on wooden supports measuring approximately 3 ¼-by-4 ¾ inches. It was not required that the entire painting be reproduced but only a representation. (89 Zmuda Lane, Glenwood, AR 71943)

1970s BILL COLEMAN, BA’72, recently retired as Hale County Chief Adult Probation Officer after almost 32 years working in adult probation. He was in a runoff for Hale County Judge scheduled in April against incumbent DWAIN DODSON, BSOE’87. Bill has chaired the Habitat for Humanity board and is an elder at First Presbyterian Church. His wife Tammy works in Financial Aid. Their son, LUKE INGRAHAM, is a senior at Wayland. (2713 Jefferson, Plainview, TX 79072; cimailbox@nts-online.net) DR. GEORGE F. COOPER, BA’72, will mark 29 years as pastor of Grace Temple Baptist Church in San Angelo in June. He is an Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam. He earned a master’s degree at BMA Seminary in Jacksonville, Texas, and a doctor of ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He served as a state missionary and a church planter and, for more than eight years, George was a church health consultant with the BMA of Texas Missions Department in Waxahachie.

He and his wife of 49 years, Betty, have two children and four grandchildren. (1220 Ricks Court, San Angelo, TX 76905; drgeorge@gtministries.com) GERALD FREEMAN,

BSOE’77, recently was featured in the Wichita Falls Times- Record News. A boat enthusiast since 1954, he has repaired and sold boats at Freeman Marine since 1976 when he moved the business from his backyard. Freeman opened his boat shop near Lake Wichita about two-thirds of the way through a 35-year career teaching electronics and hydraulics at Sheppard Air Force Base. He and his wife Ruth have two children. (4516 Barnett Road, Wichita Falls, TX 76310) NELSON HAYASHIDA, BA’70, and his wife Sandra are volunteer missionaries to Zambia but come home for a visit every year. Nelson has doctorates from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the University of South Africa. (P.O. Box 418, Buchanan Dam, TX 78609; hayashidanelson@yahoo.com)

living in Henderson, Nev., with Cathy, his wife of 32 years. He has been in sales management for the past 15 years, working in the information management arena, providing outsourcing services to clients worldwide. Cathy is a senior escrow officer for a local title company. Without grandkids to spend their money on, they have three rescue dogs which occupy their devotion, Ken says. Of the three children, Sean, is the only married one, living in Denver and still working on that first major movie that he will direct. Daughter Shannan lives in Missouri, where she owns a home-grown pizza restaurant. Scott has been given a recovery diagnosis from his bout with Leukemia and has moved to Houston, working for Lockheed Martin in the Johnson Space Center. (kjourdan@cox.net)

DAVID JONES, BA’76, has assumed a new position as Vice President/Lending Compliance Officer to implement audit lending regulations for First Financial Bank in Abilene. He has been a loan officer for more than 32 years (the last 23 at First Financial Bank). He has moved from the River Oaks Branch (formerly Bank of Commerce) to the main office building on 4th and Pine (2nd floor). His wife Britt is alumni director at Hardin-Simmons University. (djones@ffin.com)

RUDY VILLANUEVA, BA’75, has three granddaughters starting for the varsity soccer team at Robert E. Lee High School in San Antonio.

Mercedes, a senior, plays fullback; Mariah, a junior, is a forward; and Maya, a freshman, plays center mid-fielder.

When not playing for their high school teams, they play for club teams and travel throughout the state. Rudy is a manager for USAA. He and his wife Diana have two children. (530 W. Branch Crossing, Spring Branch, TX 78070; cowboys14@gvtc.com)

KEN JOURDAN, BS’71, is

Christian love and sympathy

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to the family and friends of Gwendolyne Couts Tabor, who died Dec. 15, 2009, in Lufkin, Texas, at the age of 89. She formerly was a home demonstration agent in Paducah and teacher in Panhandle. Surviving are a son, KEN TABOR, BS’71; two daughters; and six grandchildren. (Ken: 4071 Morning Glory Road, Colorado Springs, CO 80920; sandratabor@comcast.net)

1980s CAROLYN BELSHE, BSOE’87, MBA’88, is a retired United Methodist missionary to Mozambique, where she trained the country’s first national in hospital administration. An orphanage for “boy soldiers” and little girls who had been prostituted was named in her honor. Carolyn,

who is in a new Doctor of Ministry program at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo., writes: “Dr. Wallace Duvall and many other professors of my time in Wayland guided and nurtured me not only through the BSOE and MBA academia, but through their spiritual guidance and concern. Both were incredibly important during those days of opening up a life of a missionary calling from my early childhood.”

(Carolyn.belshe@gmail.com) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of BILLY WAYNE BURGESS, SR., BSOE’82, who died January 6, 2010, in Lawton, Okla., at age 77. A native of South Bend, Texas, Billy was a U.S. Army veteran, serving in the Vietnam War and retiring at Fort Sill, Okla., in 1974 with the rank of master sergeant. He earned the National

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Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Meritorious Unit Citation, Bronze Star Medal and others.

He moved to Wichita Falls upon his retirement and taught ROTC in the high school. He later moved to Lawton and manager an apartment and commercial properties group. He was also an avid outdoorsman.

Survivors include his wife Betty, four children, nine grandchildren, two greatgrandchildren, and two sisters.

Two children preceded him in death.

DR. MARK DAVIS, BSOE’81 in Business (Wichita Falls campus) and '87 in Religion (Anchorage campus), is Associate Dean of the College of Business Administration at Harding University in Searcy, Ark. Mark is married to Penny, has two children and three grandchildren. Mark provides church leadership and teamwork training. His Web site is www.genesisleadership.com.

(603 Chesapeake Drive, Searcy, AR 72143; mdavis1@harding.edu)

u You don’t read it u You prefer to read it online u You don’t know why you get it... please contact us to take your name off the mailing list. We now have the magazine online and archive it there, so you can read at your leisure!

Email Danny at andrewsd@wbu.edu.

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Sgt. BEN LEAL, EX’86, is on his second deployment with the U.S. Army Reserves, stationed at Camp Striker in Iraq, where he works for the fuel area. Ben wrote of his memories in the Wayland BSU and in chapel and noted his appreciation for his time at WBU. “I had a real nice experience at Wayland as far as

spiritual focus. Wayland is a quality, first-rate university for someone going into the ministry or career world.” Ben works in logistics for the Corpus Christi ISD when he is not in deployment. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and is working on a master’s degree there as well.

He has been in the Army since 1987. He is pictured here holding the Wayland flag outside Al Faw Palace in Iraq with a colleague, Chief Stone.

The palace was one of many that belonged to captured leader Saddam Hussein. (benleal_5772@yahoo.com) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of ALICE BAKER MOFFITT, BSOE’85, who died March 6, 2010, in Borger at the age of 70. She was employed at Golden Plains Community Hospital (North Plains Hospital) from 1962 to 2009, serving as lab manager from 1977-2002. Surviving are a daughter; her mother; two brothers; and two grandchildren. (302 Baylor Street, Borger, TX 79007) U.S. Navy Senior Chief TODD A. SNYDER, BSOE’89 in nuclear technology from the Hawaii campus, has retired after almost 27 years of active and reserve duty in which he received

FUTURE PIONEER? Robert Chord Wilhite, ninemonth-old son of former Flying Queen Becca Whittle Wilhite and her husband James, sports a WBU T-shirt offered free to newborn children and grandchildren of Wayland alums. Contact Teresa Young at youngt@wbu.edu or Teresa Young, Wayland Baptist University, CMB 620, Plainview, TX 79072 if you’d like one. Provide us with the name of the child, the birth date and parents’ names and we’ll also send a certificate.

Feel free to send a picture of the new addition as well! many honors. He minored in Christian Studies and had a 3.86 GPA. His last assignment before retirement was Senior Enlisted Leader for Volunteer Training in Minneapolis, Minn. His civilian employment is with XCEL Energy’s nuclear generating plant in Monticello, Minn., where he is a senior technical instructor and Radiation Protection Department Training Coordinator. In addition to his military duties, Todd has been active in ministry every place he has been stationed as a Sunday school teacher/director, Brotherhood leader, and ministry leader.

Since 1987, he has carried on his own tract ministry, sharing

the gospel across 33 states and Canadian provinces and also including military bases in several countries. Since 2006, he has coordinated efforts to collect and ship Bibles to independent third world Christian missions. He and his wife Elizabeth have four children. (18721 Traverse Lane, Big Lake, MN 55309; horizonviewer2001@yahoo.com)

1990s Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of ELVIN ALROY CAMPBELL, BSOE’92, who died Dec. 30, 2009, in Temple at age 73. Elvin retired from the Dow Chemical Company in 1985 and from Texas A&M University in 1999. He served as a volunteer fire fighter and instructor for most of his life and in various cities. He also served as an adjunct fire instructor at the National Fire Academy in Washington, D.C. He also volunteered at the Lake Jackson Museum of Arts and Sciences and was a scuba instructor for many years.

After retirement, he enjoyed painting. He was an active member of Marlow Baptist Church. Elvin is survived by his wife, Jacqueline; two sons; a daughter; his brother; seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

STEVEN COLE, BA’95, is pastor at Northgate Community Church in Manteca, Calif. (www.north-

gatemanteca.com). The church is a part of the Brethren denomination based in Ashland, Ohio. Steven previously was on staff at New Community Church in LaGrange, Ga., for eight years. He and wife Beth have a 6-year-old daughter, Maggie, and a 10-month-old foster son, Patrick, whom they hope to adopt. (670 Northgate Drive, Manteca, CA 95336; steven@northgatemanteca.com) COREY CORNISH, BA’97, is assistant men’s basketball coach at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, which finished cochampions of the Red River Conference in the first year of the program. The No. 11 scorer in Pioneer history (1989-92), he was inducted into the Wayland Athletic Hall of Honor in 2008. He and his wife Brenda have two sons, including Todrick Hall, who recently did very well on the popular “American Idol” program, and Shaysten. (7750 Culebra Drive, San Antonio, TX 78207; ccornish@lake.ollusa.edu) JASON EDGE, BSOE’98, was named Procurement

Person of the Year by NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center’s Small Business Advocates Awards Program. Edge has served as lead construction specialist at Stennis Space Center since 2000, responsible for contracting all NASAdirected construction projects.

In work on two different projects, Edge helped the office exceed its goals for contracting small, disadvantaged and historically underutilized businesses as well as those which are service-disabled and veteran-owned. In addition to the SBAA honor, he received the NASA contract Specialist of the Year award in 2002 and a NASA Space Flight Awareness award for contributions to flight safety in 2008. (10600 Roberts Road, Biloxi, MS 39532) SCOTT HOOD, BSOE’96 from the San Antonio campus, is a 20-year Air Force veteran now employed as a civil service employee in the Mission Planning Cell for the United States Special Operations Command at MacDill AFB, Fla. He also obtained a master’s degree in

Do You have Wayland in your will?

In order to have complete records for the new Cornerstone Society, please notify the Office of Advancement of your intentions to make an estate gift to Wayland Baptist University.

Call (806) 291-3425 or email crossm@wbu.edu.

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Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma in 2002. He and his wife Kelly have one child. (campbell.hood@socom.mil) ANDREW JACKSON, BA’91, a former Wayland Pioneer basketball player (1986-90), has been named Hale County Chief Adult Probation Officer, replacing BILL COLEMAN, BS’72, who retired (see note in the 1970s). The Plainview native previously worked in the prison system and has been in adult probation since 1998.

The Hale County department has jurisdiction over Swisher and Castro counties and serves more than 1,400 clients across the three counties.

Jackson and his wife RHONDA SPRINGER JACKSON, BSOE’97, a clinical supervisor at Whiteaker Youth Center in Plainview, have four children and a granddaughter.

(1302 W. Seventh, Plainview, TX 79072; aljackson79072@yahoo.com) LOUIS KEALOHA, BSOE’91 from the Hawaii campus, a police captain with a doctorate in education from the University of Southern California, recently was selected as Honolulu’s new police chief. He was the unanimous choice of the Honolulu Police Commission to lead a department of 2,100 police officers and 550 support staff.

Kealoha, 49, is a 26-year veteran of HPD, most recently in the Juvenile Services Division. Louis has taught criminal justice at Chaminade

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University for 10 years. He and his wife Katherine, former city prosecutor and director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control since 2008, have one daughter, Kristina, 10.

KEVIN McINTOSH, AAS/BSOE’96, MBA’98 from the Wichita Falls campus, is a senior financial consultant with Columbia Bank’s CB Financial Services in Tacoma, Wash. He’s responsible for serving clients’ longterm financial planning needs and has been in the financial services and investment industry for 10 years.

GARY MILUNAS, BSOE/AAS, ASPEC’94, from the Wichita Falls campus, has been named program leader in the Health, Human Services, Environmental and Safety department in Trident Technical College’s Division of Continuing Education and Economic Development in Charleston, S.C. He is responsible for continuing education courses to train emergency medical technicians, limited radiographers, medical administrative assistants, medical assistants and phlebotomists. Gary, who received his MEd from American InterContinental University, has been an adjunct instructor at Trident Technical College for nine years. He is retired from the U.S. Air Force and has more than 28 years of experience in health-care training. His wife’s name is Jennifer. (144

GRAND COMMITMENT: Bob and Terry Essary Noblett of Plainview, who both received BA degrees in 1971, hand Alumni Director Danny Andrews a check to start their pledge to the Grand Commitment – $1,008 to Wayland’s Second Century Campaign – at $28 a month via bank draft. Bob is retired from the insurance business and Terry from teaching. “We appreciate the example the Nobletts and others are setting by giving a nice gift to Wayland on a systematic basis that fits their budget. We hope many other alums will participate as well,” Andrews said. The campaign’s major goals are to build a new Flores Bible Building-missions center-chapel, expand Fine Arts facilities, remodel Harral Auditorium, improve technology and add to scholarship endowment.

Red Cypress Drive, Goose Creek, SC 29445) Christian love and sympathy to the family of CONSTANCE “CONNIE” PINKERTON, BSOE’92, a graduate of the Anchorage campus, who died Jan. 1, 2010, at age 70. Connie spent a lifetime in service, most recently as hostess for the Wilkesboro (N.C.) Baptist Church, where she served 250 every Wednesday night. She also volunteered with the Wilkes County Correctional Facility and, while living in Alaska previously, had served for 27 years in the Big Lake Baptist Church nursery and worked at Providence Health Care System. She and her husband, the Rev. Jerry Pinkerton, Sr., received a

commendation from the Alaska State Legislature for serving more than 5,000 meals to firefighters and displaced families during the Miller’s Reach fire in 1996.

She is also survived by four sons and 14 grandchildren.

Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of Capt.

JASON D. WELCH, BSOE’97, who died Feb. 25, 2008. A Gulf War veteran, Jason attended the Hawaii campus and was stationed at the Pentagon at the time of his death. He enjoyed woodworking and working on cars. He is survived by his wife, Michelle; three children; his parents; a grandmother; and a sister.

JOEY WHITE, BA’95, and wife Trisha moved to Artesia,

N.M., where Joey began work as executive pastor at First Baptist Church in September 2009. He had been campus pastor at FBC McKinney for ten years prior and had also worked for Guidestone Financial Resources for three years. Joey earned his master’s degree from Southwestern Seminary in 2003. They have two sons, Lawton, 3, and Holden, 1. (jw.artesia@yahoo.com) THOMAS J. WHITE, BSOE’99 from the San Antonio campus, recently was promoted to Director of the Dean’s Office Operations at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio School of Medicine.

He assists in the development of goals and policies, as well as providing support and participating in seniorlevel management functions.

Particular emphasis of duties is on the coordination of special projects and efforts having a potentially positive impact for the school and

the university. His wife’s name is Jongsoon. (1528 Rainy Brook, Schertz, TX 78154; thomasjwhite1@gmail.com)

2000s

MARTA TURPIN BRAIN, BA’06, and husband Thomas welcomed their first child, Caleb David, on November 2, 2009, weighing 10 pounds, 1.1 ounces and measuring 22 inches long. Caleb was born in Clear Lake Regional Medical Hospital in Webster. He has a sister, Alexa, who is 8. The Brains live in Seabrook, where Marta is a stay-at-home mother. Thomas is an engineer with METECS in Houston after earning an aerospace engineering degree at the

University of Texas. Proud grandparents include WBU alums DAVID TURPIN, BM’96, and CINDY RHINESMITH, BA’98. (Marta: 1869 Capri Lane, Seabrook, TX 77586; martaye21@att.net; David: 1617 S. Avenue H, Portales, NM 88130; Cindy: PO Box 349, Brackettville, TX 78832) KELSEY CAMPBELL, BSOE’07 from the Anchorage campus, is in her first year first studying toward a Master of International Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in New York City. She is specializing in Economic and Political Development and concentrating on Russia and former Soviet states. She was released from active duty in the Air Force in May 2009 from Anchorage, Alaska, but plans to continue to serve the United States through research or government work.

(55 Tiemann Place, Apt. 38, New York, NY 10027; kelsey_lynn@mac.com)

Concert warms hearts despite icy weather Although an unexpectedly heavy ice and

N. and Billie Claire Browning Scholarship,

snow storm cut attendance from an expect-

attendees received about three hours worth

ed 900 to about 400, about $1,000 was

of great entertainment.

realized for the general scholarship fund

“We had many encouraging com-

from the Jan. 29 concert in Harral

ments from our audience, asking that we

Auditorium featuring Christian comedian

‘do it again,’ said Danny Andrews, Director

Dennis Swanberg and gospel artist Larry

of Alumni Development, who organized

Ford, who has appeared on most Gaither

the concert on behalf of the sponsoring

Homecoming videos.

Association of Former Students and

Combined with pre-concert music provided by Wayland ex Martin Duckett and vocalist Susan Browning, who joined her

Senior Adult Ministry of First Baptist Church.

“We hope to have a similar event, prob-

husband and his two siblings and their

ably next spring, and hope the weather will

spouses in recently endowing the Thomas

cooperate,” he added.

Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of JEANNINE CARTER, BSOE’06 from the Anchorage campus, who died in Nov. 23, 2009, in Anchorage at age 53.

Jeannine served in the U.S. Army from 1979-99, serving in various locations before moving to Elmendorf AFB to serve as base operator and at the 3rd Wing Supply and 3rd Medical Group. She worked for the National Parks Service, Department of Forestry and contracting at Fort Richardson. She loved the outdoors and traveling.

Jeannine and husband Robert had lost a son, Cameron, earlier. Survivors include her mother and brother.

SCOTT FERGUSON, MAM’05, from the Phoenix campus, current fire chief of Manhattan Beach, Calif., recently was named new fire chief for Santa Monica. In Manhattan Beach, Ferguson completed a strategic plan for the department, refined professional development for its members and forged relationships with regional stakeholders in emergency response and preparedness. He previously was chief officer in Peoria, Ariz., and Vancouver, Wash. He and his wife Maria

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39

Athletics names All-Decade teams in basketball As the final basketball season of the

son (88.8 percent). The Pioneers were

SAC Player of the Year. He was a two-

decade wrapped up, the Wayland

42-20 during his two years and reached

time first-team All-SAC selection, a

Baptist University athletic department

the NAIA tournament both seasons.

2006 NAIA third-team All-American and

put together a Men’s and Women’s

Statistics: 1,032 points (17.5 ppg), 344

was named SAC Freshman of the Year

Basketball Team of the Decade.

rebounds (5.5 rpg), 410 assists (6.6

in 2004. He is the decade leader in field

apg), 104 steals (1.7 spg)

goals made/attempted, 3-pointers

The all-decade teams are composed of outstanding performers of the Queens and Pioneers from 2000-2010

made/attempted, free throws made/ n Amin Norris (2001-03) – The

attempted, assists, games played and

and were chosen by select Wayland fac-

decade leader in rebounds per game

minutes played. Statistics: 2,074 points

ulty and staff members, as well as long-

and field goal shooting (55.9 percent)

(16.9 ppg), 381 rebounds (3.1 rpg),

time fans. The teams included three

among those with at least 400 shots,

477 assists (3.9 apg), 163 steals (1.3

unanimous selections: Pioneers Ty

Norris was a 2002 first-team all-confer-

spg)

Harrelson, Kendall Webb and Danny

ence selection and an honorable men-

Storey.

tion NAIA All-American. The Pioneers

Flying Queens All-Decade Team

made NAIA tournament appearances in Pioneer All-Decade Team n Nate Bridges (2003-06) – A two-

both of his years at Wayland, going 42-

two-time honorable mention All-SAC

ppg), 512 rebounds (8.7 rpg).

selection, Birkenfeld helped lead the

time NAIA Scholar Athlete, Bridges is the decade leader in blocked shots and

n Cassie Birkenfeld (2000-04) – A

20 overall. Statistics: 1,032 points (17.5

Queens to three NAIA Championship n Danny Storey (2004-08) – Only

Tournament appearances. She was aver-

steals. He started 92 of his 93 games,

the second Pioneer in school history to

aging a team-high 13.6 points a game

and the Pioneers made two NAIA

break the 1,000 point/1,000 rebound

when she suffered a season-ending

Championship Tournament appear-

barrier, Storey

knee injury in the seventh game of her

ances in his three seasons. Statistics:

was a 2008

senior year. Statistics: 1,213 points

1,011 points (10.9 ppg), 717 rebounds

second-team

(11.6 ppg), 393 rebounds (3.7 rpg),

(7.7 rpg), 150 blocked shots (1.6 bpg),

NAIA All-

229 assists (2.2 apg)

169 steals (1.8 spg)

American, a first-team All-

n Alison Cudnoski (2001-03) – The

n Matt Garnett (2002-04) – The

SAC selection

only Flying Queen to be named first-

Pioneers made appearances in the NAIA

and the SAC

team NAIA All-American in the decade,

Championship Tournament in all three

Defensive MVP

Cudnoski was a second-team All-NAIA

seasons Garnett played at Wayland. He

in 2008. He is

Tournament team member in 2003. A

was a 2004 NAIA honorable mention

the decade

transfer from Texas Tech, Cudnoski

All-American, an NAIA Scholar Athlete

leader in

earned first-team all-conference honors

and a second-team All-SAC selection.

games started

her senior season, helping lead the

Statistics: 810 points (9.1 ppg), 320

(123). Storey shot 54.9 percent from

WBU women to the Elite Eight in the

assists (3.6 apg)

the field in his four-year career and

2003 NAIA Championship Tournament.

made two NAIA tournament appear-

Statistics: 964 points (14.6 ppg), 503

ances. Statistics: 1,425 points (11.5

rebounds (7.6 rpg), 74 blocks (1.1 bpg)

n Ty Harrelson (2001-03) – The first Pioneer to be named NAIA first-

ppg), 1,032 rebounds (8.5 rpg) n Rose Ouma (2008-09) – Ouma

team All-American and NAIA Player of the Week, Harrelson holds the WBU

n Kendall Webb (2003-07) – The

led the Queens to their first NAIA tour-

season records for most assists per

all-time leading scorer in Pioneer histo-

nament appearance in four years in

game (6.8 in 2002-03), the single-game

ry, Webb became only the second

2009. A transfer from Lewis and Clark

record for assists (15 vs. Schreiner) and

Pioneer to be named NAIA first-team

Community College, she was a 2009

the best free throw percentage in a sea-

All-American and the first to be named

40 footprints

continued on page 41

All-Decade team, continued

have two grown children.

third-team NAIA AllAmerican, the 2009 SAC

University. He and his wife Sarah live in Converse. (agutierrez@excellence-sa.org)

Defensive Player of the Year and the SAC Newcomer of the Year. She finished second in the NAIA in steals.

Statistics: 507 points (14.9 ppg), 290 rebounds (8.5 rpg), 151 steals (4.4 spg) n Cami Rea (2000-03) – Rea helped lead the Queens to two NAIA Championship appearances during the three years she played in this

her freshman season at the

decade (she also played dur-

University of New Mexico,

ing the 1999-00 season).

Shaw was a third-team All-

She was a two-time NAIA

SAC honoree her sophomore

Scholar Athlete, a 2002 NAIA

season, a first-team All-SAC

honorable mention All-

selection as a junior and a

American and a second-team

second-team All-SAC hon-

all-conference selection. She

oree as a senior. Statistics:

holds the WBU career

1,002 points (10.9 ppg), 446

records for most 3-pointers

rebounds (4.8 rpg), 409

made and attempted, is tied

assists (4.4 apg), 203 steals

for the single-season record

(2.2 spg)

for 3-pointers made and is tied for the single-game

n Shaun Weaver (2000-

record for 3-pointers made.

01) – Weaver wrapped up a

Statistics (three years only):

sterling four-year career in

1,157 points (11.8 ppg), 360

the first year of the decade.

rebounds (3.7 rpg), 215

A 2001 NAIA honorable

assists (2.2 apg), 116 steals

mention All-American,

(1.2 spg)

Weaver won SAC Defensive Player of the Year honors

n Stephanie Shaw

and was a second-team all-

(2002-05) – Shaw helped the

conference selection.

Queens to two NAIA champi-

(Statistics (2000-01 only):

onship tourney appearances,

270 points (8.4 ppg), 281

earning second-team NAIA

rebounds (8.8 rpg), 125

All-American honors in 2004.

assists (3.9 apg), 104 steals

A Plainview native who spent

(3.3 spg).

MATT GARNETT, BA’04, MCM’06, was recently named head men’s basketball coach at McMurry University in Abilene after serving as assistant coach there for two seasons. Garnett, who was an NAIA All-American while playing for the Pioneers for three seasons, coached at the high school level in Midland before and was briefly at WBU before joining the McMurry staff. Garnett replaced Ron Holmes, who coached at McMurry for 20 seasons and stepped down to work solely as the athletic director. Garnett and his wife, the former ANNA ROMERSBERGER, BM’06, have a daughter, Faith, who will be 2 in July. Anna worked as a choir director in the public schools for several years but is a stay-at-home mom now. (garnett.matt@mcm.edu) ADRIAN GUTIERREZ, MEd’04, from the San Antonio campus, Director of Instructional Technology for the School of Excellence in Education, writes A. Gutierrez’s Instructional Technology blog. He has three teacher certifications and is working on his principal certification. He also received a BA in Speech Communication from Southwest Texas State

TY HARRELSON, BA’04, continues to play basketball overseas, currently for the GiroLive Ballers in Germany.

He was named Player of the Game after a 10-point, 13assist and 8-rebound performance against his former team, Beyreuther, which is leading the league. Ty was a standout for the Pioneers during his time at Wayland.

Navy Chief Petty Officer DAVID L. JONES JR., AAS’06, BSOE’09, from the Wichita Falls campus, was promoted to his current rank while serving at Naval Hospital, Jacksonville, Fla. Jones was promoted based on sustained superior job performance and proficiency in his designated specialty.

KELSIE JACKSON, BA’07, son of Steve and TERESA JACKSON, BA’03, and grandson of Merle Jackson, former Plainview residents, was awarded a Master of Arts in History degree from the University of Houston, summa cum laude, in December 2009. He is a doctoral student at the University of Houston, specializing in U.S. history during the Revolutionary Era, and works

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41

as a legal research aide for a law firm. Teresa is a fifthgrade social studies teacher in the Aldine ISD. (Kelsie: 24015 Lestergate Drive, Spring, TX 77373; kelsiejackson@gmail.com; Teresa: same address; jacksonsinhouston@comcast.net) AMANDA KING, BA’08, is a special education teacher in Childress, where her husband Chad is pastor of First Baptist Church. She received her degree in language arts and psychology. They have two children. She is a big fan of the Texas Longhorns and recently wrote “An Ode to Colt” (QB McCoy) on her ChilChat blog. (1209 7th Street NW, Childress, TX 79201; amandaking19@sbcglobal.net) KEVIN LEGGETT, BA’03, MEd’08, and wife AMANDA (WILBOURN), EX’00, are back in Plainview, where Kevin is employed at the Mabee Learning Resources Center at Wayland as circulation and reference assistant.

They have two children, Caedmon, 8, and Presley, 4, and are expecting their third child in June. Amanda is home-schooling the children.

(2800 Mesa Drive, Plainview, TX 79072; leggettk@wbu.edu; amanda.leggett@gmail.com) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of ANNETTE LOPEZ, BSOE’06, who died March 9, 2010, at age 45 after a long battle with cancer. Annette was a native of Port Lavaca

42 footprints

and had worked for USAA for 20 years, most recently as Bank Sales Director in consumer loans. She was an active member of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church. She is survived by husband Rick, four children; and five siblings.

T.J. MESSER, BA’03, and wife NANCY (PAYNE), BBA’01, welcomed their second son, Joshua, in August 2009. He has a big brother, Trenton, who is a kindergartener. The Messers live in Artesia, N.M., where T.J. is recreation/children’s minister for First Baptist Church. He is also working on a Master of Divinity degree through Golden Gate Seminary. Nancy is a stay-athome mom. Proud grandparents include WBU alums JEFF MESSER, BA’76, and wife DONNA, BS’76. (T.J. and Nancy: 319 West Grand, Artesia, NM 88210; Jeff and Donna: 2222 S. Fannin St., Amarillo, TX 79109) Nightmare Recording metal band Six-Minute Century announces the addition of bass guitarist MICHAEL MILLSAP, EX’01. Michael has been playing bass since the age of nine, and began performing at age 13. Professionally, he has played many styles of music from swing dance and country to rock and heavy metal. Michael recently played with ‘80s rockers Axe, has

backed up national gospel group The Imperials, and notably beat out bassists from across the United States for the bass slot in “TEXAS: The Musical Drama” in Palo Duro Canyon.

JOHN L. MOORE, BSOE’00 from the Amarillo campus, has been appointed as the new independent ombudsman at the Texas Youth Commission. He spent 25 years as a U.S. Marshal and also was a state trooper and officer in the Amarillo Police Department. (P.O. Box 1345 Denison, TX 75201) LISA MURRY, BSOE’04 from the Hawaii campus, writes a blog called Words of Encouragement. She says, “I am a mother of five (three by birth and two by choice). I have finished three degree plans (Business Administration, Occupational Education/Corporate Training, and Religion). I have taught in and out of the church arena, and I love the joys of education and seeing people obtain valuable information that they may not have possessed before. I am three classes away from obtaining my MBA. I was in the Air Force and am medically retired. I am a Christian who is answering the call of God!” JESSICA RIEMERSMA, BA’09, is a SEGUE intern working through Go Now and SEGUE ministries. She is helping teach English as a Second Language, including to several Hindu refugees

from Bhutan, using Bible stories. She also helps these refugees adjust to life in America. (576 Sabine Creek Rd., Royse City, TX 75189; riemerwesta@yahoo.com) DOUG SHELTON, BA’05, and his wife MEG (MANSDORFER), BSIS’05, welcomed their first child, a son named Ryan Jay, on Feb. 17, 2010, weighing 7 pounds. He was 20.5 inches long. Doug is minister of youth at Spring Hill Baptist Church. (14300 Coralbean Court, Brooksville, FL 34613)

AMBER WATSON SMITH, BS’07, is administrative assistant in the Office of Communications at Wayland.

Husband Jason, BA’06, is working on a master’s degree in business at WBU and works at the Plainview Country Club. They have two children: TJ, who will be 5 in May, and Courtney, turning 2 in August. (801 Quincy St., Plainview, TX 79072; smitha@wbu.edu) ANNE WEAVER, BA’06, completed her master’s degree in music at Texas State University in 2008 and is the worship leader/music director at First Christian Church in

Possible honors Longtime basketball coach nominated for Hall of Fame again Men’s Championship game. A finalist

By Danny Andrews

needs 18 of 24 votes from the Honors Harley Redin, longtime basketball

Committee for election. The inductions

coach at Wayland, was nominated again

will be Aug. 13 at the Hall of Fame in

for The Naismith Memorial Basketball

Springfield, Mass.

Hall of Fame among finalists who will be

Redin, 90, who has been nominat-

considered for election to the Hall in

ed several times in previous years, is

2010. This year’s list includes two-time

recognized as one of the greatest coach-

NBA MVP and 14-time NBA All-Star Karl

es in basketball after leading the Flying

Malone of the Utah Jazz and Scottie

Queens from 1955-73. He compiled an

Pippen, a six-time NBA champion as a

overall women’s coaching record of

member of the Chicago Bulls, both first-

431-66 (.867), including a 76-game win

time nominees.

streak from 1955 through 1958 while

They will be considered along with

leading Wayland to two undefeated sea-

previous finalists, such as legendary

sons (‘56, ‘57).

high school coach Bob Hurley of St.

Redin captured six AAU women’s

Anthony's in Jersey City, N.J. and

Redin, in a file photo from his early coaching days at Wayland.

Cynthia Cooper, who helped the Houston Comets win four WNBA titles.

Also headlining the list for 2010 are three legendary teams, including the 1960 United States Men’s Olympic

national championships (1956, ‘57, ‘59, ‘61, ‘70 and ‘71), served as coach the USA women’s national team and, earlier

American Red Heads, a finalist selected

in his career, coached the Wayland

by the Women's Committee.

Baptist men’s team (1948-57). Redin

The Class of 2010 was to be

was inducted to the Women’s

Team, the 1992 United States Men’s

announced April 5 at a news conference

Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville,

Olympic “Dream Team” and the All-

in Indianapolis prior to the NCAA’s

Tenn., in 1999.

San Marcos. She is also an accompanist for various groups and directs the handbell choir at the church. (annecw515@gmail.com) NEWMAN WHEELER, BSOE’03 from the Lubbock campus, works for Universal Hospital Services, a medical supply and equipment company and the largest moveable medical equipment buyer in the U.S. He now is with the Delta Division team in San Antonio, overseeing the Central and South Texas area.

“Being in operational management with a medical company, I use a lot of what I learned at Wayland in skills

dealing with people in motivation, growth and leadership.” He and his wife Gina have two children. (822 Artisan Way, San Antonio, TX 78260; ndwheeler@uhs.com)

Alumni directories coming soon Alumni who ordered the new directory from Harris Direct should be receiving a copy in late April or early May. It is the first new directory printed by Wayland in five years.

A company official

KENNETH D. WHITE, BSOE’10 from the Wichita Falls campus, has been manager for Biomedical Maintenance of Sheppard Air Force Base, where he is a master sergeant. He is retiring this month after more than 20 years of service. His wife Denise is a phlebotomist for Willis Knighton Medical Systems. They have two sons. (kenneth.white09@gmail.com)

said that although a surplus of directories is not printed, a few might be available due to cancellations or returns. Alumni who did not purchase a copy but wish to do so may call Harris Direct’s customer service number at 1-800-877-6554 for more information.

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43

Pageant winners relocated to Harral hallway display Thanks to a gift from Wayne Evans

Development. “We hope

of Jupiter, Fla., pictures of 37 former

to have the display com-

Miss Waylands and the current holder of

pleted this spring and

that title are now on display in the east

have a formal dedication

hallway of Harral Memorial Auditorium.

during the Miss Wayland

The original photos in varying sizes

Pageant next fall. We

and displayed in a variety of frames

appreciate Mr. Evans’ gift

were resized in 11-by-14 format and

to Alumni Services in

framed identically by Don’s Photography

2007 that provided the

Studio in Plainview, which has taken

funds to build the Victory

most of the Miss Wayland photographs

Bell we use in parades

since 1972.

and at sporting events

Photos have been on display on the second floor of McClung Center.

and for other special proj“We think Harral is an appropriate

ects.”

Unfortunately, there is not sufficient

place to display the photos since the

The gymnasium in the Laney

room to display all the photos where

Miss Wayland Pageant is held there

Activities Center is named for Evans, a

they can be easily seen by the public

every year. Our plan is to use a display

standout basketball player for the

and not all were identified.

case in the Harral hallway for Miss

Pioneers in 1959-60 and 1960-61. He

Wayland memorabilia as this is an

received the Distinguished Alumni

featured each Miss Wayland to that

important part of university history,” said

Service Award in 2007 and was awarded

point.

Danny Andrews, Director of Alumni

an honorary degree in 2008.

The Winter 2007 issue of Footprints

WBU donor Dean to be added to country music hall of fame Country music artist and sausage entrepreneur Jimmy Dean will be induced into the Country Music Hall of Fame in May. He was selected for the veterans era category.

Dean, who lives with his wife Donna, a former country entertainer, in the Richmond, Va. suburb of Varina, will join the hall that was created by the Country Music Association in 1961 in Nashville, Tenn. He and three more inductees will bring the total to 112.

The Deans gave Wayland Baptist University $1 million in stock in 2007 – the largest single gift apart from an estate in the history of the university.

Jimmy Ray Dean was born in Olton on Aug. 10, 1928, and raised by his mother, Ruth Dean, in Plainview. She taught him piano at age 10, which led him to pick up harmonica and accordion in his teen years. Dropping out of high school at age 16, Dean joined the Merchant Marines for two years before

44 footprints

enlisting in the U.S. Air Force. Stationed at a base in Washington, D.C., Dean first performed publicly with a band called the Tennessee Haymakers at clubs around the area. He remained in the area after he left the Air Force in 1948 and created a new band called the Texas Wildcats, which performed both in clubs and on WARL Radio in Arlington, Va. In 1952, Dean toured the U.S. military bases in the Caribbean before returning to Washington, D.C., to record his first single for Four Star Records. “Bummin’ Around” was released in 1952 and hit No. 5 on the country singles chart.

Over the next few years, Dean would host a weekly TV show on ABC featuring country singers and then a similiar show for CBS. In 1961, Dean wrote and recorded his signature song “Big Bad John” in Nashville. The song, which established his flair for spoken narratives, went to No. 1 on both the country and pop singles charts.

Dean and “Big Bad John” received the

1961 Grammy Award for best country and western recording.

Additional popular singles followed in the next few years. “Dear Ivan,” “Little Black Book,” and “P.T. 109” (about John F. Kennedy’s military adventure) all reached the top 10 on the country singles charts while “To a Sleeping Beauty,” and “The Cajun Queen” charted in the top 20.

From 1963-66, “The Jimmy Dean Show” aired on ABC, and its host earned the nickname “The Dean of Country Music.” Dean also appeared on various TV shows and in the James Bond Film “Diamond are Forever.”

During the late ’60s, Dean broadened his interests after buying a Texas hog farm and transforming it into the Jimmy Dean Meat Company in 1969.

Sara Lee Corporation acquired the company in 1984, but Dean continued to be company spokes-person and chairman of the board for nearly 20 years.

Alum maintains online classes while deployed Online education has proven a boon for many schools, including Wayland, with many students finding the accessibility and flexibility of course work and discussions the perfect fit with jobs and other life responsibilities. But one aspect not normally focused on is the flexibility of online education for faculty members, who also have options of completing their course responsibilities from the comfort of home and in hours outside the regular office schedule.

Michael Keller, a 1987 MBA graduate of Wayland, 2009 Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award winner and husband to art professor Dr. Candace Keller, is learning that first-hand – with an added twist – as he teaches classes adjunctly for his employer, Texas Tech University, while on deployment to Camp Arifjan in Kuwait with the U.S. Army Reserves.

Keller, whose civilian job is Program Director and Assistant Professor in the Clinical Services Management program at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, is also a colonel in the 321st Civil Affairs Brigade based in San Antonio. Over the past years of Keller’s involvement in the Army Reserves, he’s been deployed to six nations. Currently, he’s serving as commander of the Civil Military Operations Center for the camp, arriving in San Antonio and then to Fort Dix, N.J., in late October 2009 before shipping to Kuwait with his team. In that role, Keller is overseeing the mission to provide humanitarian aid to Iraq and

Afghanistan in support of Coalition Operations in the countries.

Keller’s unit receives 40-foot containers from non-governmental organizations in the U.S., packed with goods including school supplies, medical supplies and equipment, shoes, clothing, sports equipments, blankets and tents.

He expects to be overseas until around October 2010.

Just as Keller was shipping out to San Antonio, midterms at Tech were hitting, so his online classes had to continue as with as much consistency as was possible. He said the only hitch came during training at Fort Dix. “The training schedule was intense and at times unpredictable. This was complicated with slow internet speeds that slowed my work in the virtual classroom,” Keller said. “I am able to deal with the classes that I teach due to the great support of the staff and faculty back in Texas and due to having good internet connectivity here in Kuwait.”

Though a world away from Tech, he started four additional classes in the spring term online as well, teaching two graduate courses and two undergraduate courses in the areas of healthcare administration and human resource management as well as a special top-

ics/research class. In the past, Keller has taught adjunctly for Wayland in the healthcare, marketing, finance and hospital administration areas.

Though it may be a totally different situation than normal, Keller said there are benefits to the arrangement from his side of the desk as well. For one, he is able to empathize more with students who are deployed during school terms and must complete work online and increasing his own cultural awareness.

“I see this opportunity as a chance to demonstrate that distance education allows not just the student to be anywhere in the world, but also the teacher,” Keller said, adding, “I have not told any of my students that I am overseas in the hopes that I might better evaluate the outcome of this experience.”

Keller noted that deployments are difficult for families, employers and the military personnel themselves but can be successful when good training and support from all sides are present. He is fortunate, he noted, to have all of that.

“My wife Candace has given solid support and encouragement throughout my military career. Without her I would not have gotten to where I am in the Army,” noted Keller. “The employer support from Texas Tech is tremendous, and is something that reservists do not take for granted. The support that I have allows me to focus on my military duties and responsibilities without any concern about returning to my job and teaching career.”

New savings program benefits WBU alumni, friends The Association of Former Students wants to remind members about the new Wayland Savings Connection, offering savings on movie tickets, travel, shopping and more. This service is free to all alumni.

To save, find the special URL link on the alumni Web pages under “Services,” then set up your membership access with an email and personal password you create.

After setting up your account, you can get in with your email address and password.

If you need help saving, call toll-free 866-681-2347 for assistance. Members can use this number for help maneuvering through the website, looking for specific merchants, etc. Member service hours are Monday-Thursday 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (CST). They are

closed on Saturday and Sunday.

The Wayland Savings Connection features savings on national stores like Target, Cold Water Creek, Foot Locker and more retailers, travel savings on hotels, car rentals, cruises and packages, an online “mega-mall” with factory-direct products and discount movie tickets to most of the major theatre chains.

footprints

45

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID 1900 West Seventh Street, CMB 437 Plainview, Texas 79072-6998

Craftsman Printers, Inc.

on the scene

Address Service Requested

Stay in touch with Wayland!

The Association of Former Students of Wayland Baptist University n Call us at 806.291.3600 n Contact us by e-mail at andrewsd@wbu.edu or susiev@wbu.edu for Class Notes, address changes, chapter information

Your autograph, please Robert Black (right), associate professor of music at Wayland, gets Dr. Gary Manning, professor of religion, to sign a copy of his new book, A Search for Authentic Christianity, during a book-signing event in the WBU University Store held in January. Manning spent a semester on sabattical revising, updating, reworking and reorganizing the work of his mentor, Dr. Nat Tracy, into a more reader-friendly textbook for use in his Spiritual Formation classes. The book is available through the Wayland store and through Hastings in Plainview.