BAA Bylaw Revision

At the annual meeting of the Baylor Alumni Association—to be held at 3 p.m. on Friday, October 23, during Homecoming in the chapel of Truett Seminary—members will vote on a proposed change in the organization’s bylaws, in addition to electing officers and new directors. A recommendation from the association’s Nominating Committee led the Board of Directors at its September meeting to pass a motion for a bylaw revision that will change the terms of directors to coincide with the organization’s fiscal year.

Currently, directors serve for the calendar year, but the proposed revision will result in directors’ having June 1 - May 31 terms.

Specific language in the bylaws will be changed in Article IV, Section 2. The two references to “beginning with the first day of January” will be changed to “beginning the first day of June.” Also in Article VI, Section 5, where the bylaws read, “shall continue as such until December 31 of each year,” the language will be changed to indicate “May 31.”

The bylaw change, if approved, will take effect in January 2011. Directors who would have rotated off the board on December 31, 2010, will have their terms extended by five months.

The association will elect an interim president to serve the five months from January 1 to May 31, 2011. The Nominating Committee has selected 2007 association president George Cowden III ’76, JD ’78, to serve in that capacity. At the meeting, the association will vote on Cowden as president-elect. In addition, the members will vote on Roland Johnson ’73, BSEd ’76, JD ’79, as president-elect, with his presidential term to run from June 1, 2011, to May 31, 2012.

Elected last year, Emily George Tinsley ’61, of Houston, will become president on January 1, 2010, and serve for one year. For the 2010 term, other officers nominated are Silas Ragsdale ’75, of Childress, as secretary and Lori Watts Hirons ’84, of New York City, as treasurer. Also nominated to serve on the Executive Committee are David Malone ’73, of Austin, and Shelba Shelton Jones ’76, of Dallas. David Lacy ’79, of Waco, will serve on the Executive Committee as Immediate Past President.

Nominated to serve as regional directors with three-year terms are Bob Barkley ’79, JD ’80, of Dallas; Jan Huggins Barry ’72, of Fort Worth; Amy Hightower Brees ’79, of Austin; Collin Cox ’97, of Houston; Charlie Jones ’75, JD ’78, of Waco; Shelba Shelton Jones ’76, of Dallas; Cully Lipsey ’73, JD ’75, of College Station; Jerry Marcontell ’58, MD ’63, of Rye; Bette McCall Miller ’67, of Pittsburgh; James Nelson ’04, of Waco; Tony Pederson ’73, of Dallas; J. Andrew Rice ’75, of Dayton; and Rufus Spain, of Waco.

Eight members are slated for election as Key Constituent Directors, serving three-year terms: Bill Cooper ’54, MA ’59, representing faculty; Elizabeth Coker ’89, JD ’92, of Livingston, law school alumni; Robert Feather ’50, of Dallas, Heritage Club; Bryan Fonville ’09, of Waco, young graduates; Maxine Hart ’56, School of Business; Ken Hugghins ’75, ministry alumni; Phil Lineberger, ministry alumni; and Seth Witcher ’72, BS ’74, medical alumni.

In addition to the elected board members, several members are appointed to serve by the board president. For the 2009 year, Tinsley has announced these appointments, all with one-year terms.

At-large directors: Sherry Blackwell Hawkins ’61, of Waco; Matt Miller ’57, of Houston; Ella Wall Prichard ’63, of Corpus Christi; Parker Short ’09, of Dallas; Keith Starr ’83, of Tyler; and Alan Ytterberg ’82, of Houston.