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Alumni by Choice Program Offers a Place for EveryoneBy Todd Copeland
The word "family" often comes up in conversations about Baylor, and for
good reason--Baylor people are a close-knit bunch who seek out
opportunities for fellowship and take care of each other. Of course,
they also welcome newcomers.
 One
program designed to expand the family circle is the Alumni by Choice
program. Established in 1986 by the Baylor Alumni Association, the
program provides a unique opportunity for alumni to honor their friends
and family members who love and support Baylor--even though they didn't
attend the university--by designating them as an alumnus or alumna "by
choice."
Nominees are honored at an annual event at the Hughes-Dillard Alumni
Center, where the Baylor Alumni Association and Baylor's president
present them with official "Alumni by Choice" diplomas as family
members and friends look on. The first ABC recipient was Merrie Beckham
(pictured), and she continues to be the ceremony's featured speaker
more than twenty years after her first performance.
"Merrie is a typical recipient of the award. She came from California
and didn't have anything to do with Baylor," said her husband, C. T.
"Sparkey" Beckham '49, a Dallas businessman and former Baylor regent.
"Our first date was when Baylor played California out in Berkeley in
1953. She said, 'What's Baylor?'"
She soon found out exactly what Baylor was. The Bears won the game 25-0.
After the couple married and moved to Texas, they began attending
Baylor's home football games and Homecoming, and then their three
children chose Baylor for college. The end result of these connections
was that Merrie felt that she belonged to the Baylor family.
"Like other recipients, Merrie considers her Alumni by Choice designation as a badge of honor," Beckham said.
Beckham added that the Alumni by Choice program is a wonderful way to
reach out to parents of students who come to Baylor from other states.
Such parents may not initially know much about Baylor, but they are
introduced to Baylor by their children and then, like Merrie, come to
think of themselves as part of Baylor over time, he said. "The Alumni
by Choice program gives them status as a true Baylor Bear," Beckham
said. "It's also a great program for Baylor's faculty and staff who are
graduates of other universities."
In appreciation for what the Alumni by Choice program has meant to
them, and in recognition of its ongoing value to Baylor, the Beckhams
recently made a gift of $10,000 toward the program's endowment as part
of the Baylor Alumni Association's Sesquicentennial Campaign. The full
endowment goal for this distinctive program is $100,000. To date, the
Alumni by Choice fund has received more than $13,000 in gifts and
pledges.
Beckham said he hopes that his and Merrie's gift will prompt others to
join them in underwriting the Alumni by Choice program. "I particularly
hope that past recipients will continue to show their excitement about
Baylor by contributing to this program's endowment," Beckham said.
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