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Member Snapshot: D. M. Edwards '76By Judy Prather
 D.
M. Edwards enjoys giving visitors a tour of his Tyler home. He usually
starts in the garage, where the 1971 Fleetwood Cadillac bought during
his Baylor days is lovingly preserved. With Tyler roots going back four
generations, Edwards actually chose Baylor over Princeton because it
was handier for driving home.
Fueled by a love of history and beauty, this 1976 BBA graduate is
obviously a collector. Everything has a story--from each piece of
European glassware to his Civil War memorabilia. "If I run out of room
for my collections," he jokes, "I just buy a bigger house." The house
also serves as corporate headquarters of Edwards Investments, which
includes extensive real estate holdings and businesses in Tyler,
Shreveport, Houston, and Odessa.
Another collection of which Edwards is especially proud is the list of
names of Smith County-area students who have received a scholarship
from the East Texas Baylor Club. In 1986, Edwards was founding
president of the area alumni chapter, which established an endowed
scholarship program just three years later. He has chaired the
scholarship committee since 1996, and the club has provided assistance
to more than one hundred students in earning
their Baylor education.
In 1990, Edwards also suggested the name and format for Baylor's Old Main Society, recognition for those who give
to the university through estate planning. Since its establishment,
gifts and pledges to Baylor run into the hundreds of millions of
dollars.
But the tour of Edwards's house is not complete without a stop in his bedroom closet. That's where he keeps his boots--
all 126 pair of them--from the skins of an African tree toad to a Texas
turkey. Edwards is pictured here wearing one of his twelve pair of
"Baylor" boots. "If Baylorites come through Tyler," he says, "tell them
to call my office. We'll give them a tour of the boots."
For more on D. M. Edwards, go to "Getting the Boot."
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