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In MemoriamThornton Sterling '36
(November 29, 2008)
It was the afternoon following a win versus Ole Miss. I was driving
along in Oxford looking for a gas station when I saw him. Over the last
five years, I had seen him everywhere the Baylor baseball team had
played. On this particular day, he was walking along the side of the
road with a jacket tied around his waist and a small bag over his
shoulder. I knew he had used his Greyhound senior citizen's bus pass
and found his way from Waco to Oxford. His name was Thornton Sterling.
Most of the Baylor coaches knew Thornton, and many of the players did
as well. He had a passion for college sports and a loyalty for Baylor
athletics that was unmatched. Through the years, he had numerous
opportunities to get on and off the Baylor athletic bandwagon. But
Thornton Sterling was a model fan. He did his homework on the players
and had a healthy respect for both the game and the opponent. That
means he knew that both mental and physical errors happen. He knew that
no matter how bad (or mad) he might feel, he would never feel as bad as
the players, coaches, or even their families who invested themselves in
a sport they love so much.
We actually gave Thornton a ride back on the team bus to Jackson,
Mississippi, that day, where he caught the Greyhound for Fayetteville,
Arkansas, and the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. He made it
back for our tough series at Texas Tech and enjoyed our later wins at
Oklahoma. And I had no doubt he'd be at the Baylor Ballpark for our
series the next weekend. No bandwagon for Thornton. Only a bus would do.
Steve Smith
Baylor head baseball coach
Eleanor Whilden Tinsley '46
(February 10, 2009)
Eleanor Tinsley was my former boss, my mentor, and my friend. When I
was a student at Baylor, she gave me an incredible start to my career
by allowing me to intern in her Houston City Council office for two
summers. She wanted me to learn everything I could about politics and
city government, and as I was about to graduate Eleanor offered me a
full-time job.
She called our staff the "Turtle Team," which came from her belief that
"even a turtle gets nowhere without sticking its neck out." This
petite, well-put-together, always polite, eternally proper Baptist
woman was an activist and fighter with a strong belief in tolerance,
civil rights, and quality of life for all. Her issues were
controversial for the time, and she meticulously fought the established
beliefs and handled the heat with grace.
By the time I worked for Eleanor, she was a well-established Houston
political veteran with battle scars to prove it. She had fought for
integration and the establishment of Houston Community College. She had
taken on the good old boys, as one of the first two women on City
Council, by pushing for smoking regulations, sign control, park
improvements, and the creation of the 911 system.
Eleanor continued to help and support me with counsel and friendship in
the years after I worked for her. I don't think there will ever be
anyone else like Eleanor Tinsley--she changed me and certainly changed
Houston for the better.
Russ Frank '94
Houston
Hazel Tunstead Watson '48
(December 28, 2008)
My mother was a midwife, x-ray technician, pharmacist, and graduate of
seven institutions with five master's degrees. She taught at a
university, home schooled her two kids, and completed the courses to
teach Ikebana flower arranging--all while working alongside my father
in his missionary service.
Known as the Walking Encyclopedia, the teenagers called her "rocket
shoes" because she walked so fast! A fantastic woman who served Christ
with all her mind, body, and soul, she was the most awesome mother
anyone could possibly ask for.
Beth Watson Ward '71
Glen Allen, Virginia
Patricia Cobb Lee '64
(November 24, 2008)
Although our mother never held an official title, she was a Baylor
ambassador, proud of that heritage and the threads of green and gold
weaved through her life. The fourth generation in her family to attend,
she sent her four children there. Not long after, Mom went to work on
her thirteen grandchildren. She was pleased to see the first, Suzanne
Gregory, enrolled. No doubt many more will follow.
Mom loved the memories and traditions around her Baylor friendships.
The rich, decades-long relationships she enjoyed and sustained are
testament to the type of person Mom was. This depth of relationships
was recognized by all who knew her well and will be part of what we
miss most.
One of Mom's Baylor friends put this well in a note sent to us during
her final weeks. She told us she admired our mother because her
Christian faith never seemed to waiver, her love for our dad was
constant, she respected each child's and grandchild's differences and
loved us as we are, was willing to help any way she was asked, never
seemed to put herself first, was a faithful daughter, and loved her
friends, in spite of their warts.
We couldn't agree more.
Colleen Lee Gregory, att. '82-85, Spring
Janet Lee Kaiser '87, Houston
Stephen Lee '91, Houston
Melanie Lee Fowler '99, Houston
N. Lee Dunham, MA '65
(January 18, 2009)
Dad grew up in an era when family was first and many of his life
decisions were driven by his desire to support us, but he was primarily
an educator. He started teaching in a little country school and wound
up as dean of Hannibal-LaGrange College in Missouri.
He was also one of those guys who thought about the other person first.
He was loyal and believed in the Lord, and that drove a lot of his
decisions, too, and led him to his work with the Missouri Baptist
Foundation, which ultimately led him to Baylor. Dad did many things for
Baylor University, but people may not know that Dr. W. R. White
assigned him the responsibility of working with Earl Hankamer and
others to raise the money for the School of Business. They were going
to name a building for Hankamer, but Dad suggested they name the school
itself in Hankamer's honor.
After retiring, Dad was national chaplain of the Holiday Rambler Club,
and he and Mom traveled all over. He got a lot of joy in giving back,
but that was just a continuation of the values he always lived.
My dad once said that he hoped the world was a little better because he lived in it. As his son, I can proudly say it is.
Cecil L. Dunham '58
Waco
Jim Mattox '65
(November 20, 2008)
Jim Mattox, as Texas attorney general, had a sign in his office
identifying himself as "the people's lawyer." He was identified in
politics as liberal in his philosophy because he was very concerned
about the rights of individuals. In the attorney general's office, he
made concerted efforts in the courts toward enforcing child support
laws and was concerned about open records at a time when it was not the
matter of great public concern it is today. He was for sunlight in
every way. He wanted to represent all citizens and not be the lawyer
for state agencies alone.
My first knowledge of Jim was during our state constitutional
convention in 1973, when he was a member of the House of
Representatives and I served in the Senate. Though we disagreed about
the best way to provide equal educational opportunities in Texas, we
became friends. In 1985, he invited me to Austin to serve as his first
assistant.
Jack Hightower '49, LLB '51
Austin
"In Memoriam" provides members of the
Baylor family the opportunity to remember the lives of Baylor faculty,
alumni, and friends. Send your contribution (no more than three hundred
words; please include your name, address, and class year if applicable)
to Lisa_Asher@baylor.edu or to the Baylor Line, One Bear Place #97116, Waco, TX 76798-7116. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.
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