|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In MemoriamHarry Chavanne
(October 24, 2008)
A lifetime friendship that would continue into generations to come
began between my father and Harry Chavanne as classmates at Rice. His
wife, Hazel, and my mother became close friends, followed by their
children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren today (who hold many
Baylor degrees among them).
Throughout the years, we knew Harry to consistently build his life
around his faith, his family, and his friends. He was sincerely
interested in other people and seldom talked about himself. His
business success enabled him to contribute substantially to Baylor,
Rice, and countless churches and other institutions, always championing
Christian principles and business ethics.
Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a
life by what we give." Ask anyone--Harry was a "giver." He was
exceedingly generous in sharing whatever he had, and his interest
continued in every endeavor or person he helped along the way. In fact,
he was a genuine benefactor in that he did so much so quietly,
eschewing public recognition, that only God knows all the good that he
did on earth. He walked the corridors of power and knew the folks who
mopped them. He hunted with the doorman from his building.
It is said that the true measure of a man is in what he does with the
opportunities that life presents him. Harry was once asked how long he
wanted to live. He replied, "As long as I can contribute to someone
else's life, I want to be around."
By that measure, at ninety-six, he died too soon. With that measure, he lived long and well.
Emily George Tinsley '62
(with Steve Wells '90, MDiv '97, DMin '03, Pastor, South Main Baptist Church)
Sidney Charles Hudson
(October 10, 2008)
In my teenage years, I was a baseball fanatic. I was blessed with a neighbor who could afford the Sporting News,
a weekly newspaper with extensive write-ups about all the players and
games. Sid Hudson had not reached the majors yet, but he was being
written up as one of the future pitching stars by his performances on a
minor league team in Florida. He quickly became one of the finest
pitchers in the Major Leagues.
After finishing his playing career, Sid became a baseball scout. And in
1958, I came to Baylor to be on the baseball coaching staff. There I
got to see more of Sid Hudson. After his Major League coaching career
concluded, Baylor was fortunate to get him to agree to coach on their
pitching staff. His renown as a pitching coach enabled Baylor to get
some outstanding pitchers.
That was Sid Hudson the baseball player, the scout, and the coach. But
he was so much more. A family man, he was kind and gentle. He carried
himself tall but was so unassuming that it was hard for him to say "I."
He couldn't say, "Here I am." But he would say on greeting, "There you
are," making you feel that you were the important one.
Getting to visit in Sid's baseball memory room was always a treat, and
I was allowed to visit a number of times. Each item held a story, and
he could be pushed to tell it. But, Sid, I will not need to visit that
room again to remember you, for you will always be alive in my heart.
E. E. "Dutch" Schroeder '49
Former Baylor baseball coach and associate professor, HHPR
Thomas E. Turner
(August 16, 2008)
If ever there were a human rolodex of Texas and Baylor history, it was
Tommie Turner. You name the topic, and he had you whipped, from
politics to sports to Baylor life. No contest, game over, period.
I had the pleasure of working with him for years in the Baylor news
office, and co-worker Alan Hunt and I would eat lunch with Tommie while
he held court. He was one of the all-time great storytellers, and he'd
have us falling out of our chairs at the Bill Daniel Student Center.
After a long career with the Dallas Morning News,
he became Abner McCall's assistant in 1967. Turner told us that he and
McCall would often drive to Dallas, Fort Worth, or Austin for a quick
speech, then hit the nearest Dairy Queen for their "executive lunch,"
one served wrapped in tissue paper in a red plastic basket. They always
kept the receipt for the records. True Baptist stewards at work.
When the computer craze hit in the mid-1980s, Tommie was totally
unfazed. He was "old school" and preferred his trusty Underwood
typewriter. New technology to him meant having to replace the ribbon.
Historian, writer, speaker, adviser, devoted husband, and family
man--Turner fit all those labels. Next time you hear a rumble in the
heavens, it probably isn't a Texas thunderstorm--it's likely Tommie
Turner cracking up a heavenly chorus with one of his funny one-liners.
They were all gems.
Keith Randall, MA '87
College Station
Dr. Joseph Hawkins Jr. '33
(October 6, 2008)
In the days Dr. Joe Hawkins returned to teach neuroanatomy and
neurophysiology at Baylor, his students--undergraduate and graduate
alike--knew they were in the presence of greatness. Joe had a
distinguished aura about him that commanded their ultimate respect,
admiration, and love. They knew of his remarkable contributions through
their reading of the text material--he was far too modest ever to have
told them. And they recognized in his demeanor and his extraordinary
knowledge that his selection as a Rhodes Scholar from Baylor in the
1930s had been based on a genuine thirst for the discovery of truth.
His faculty colleagues in biology were no less impressed. We were all
profoundly grateful that President Herbert Reynolds had invited him to
return to his alma mater to teach and to encourage young biologists to
undertake meaningful research.
After his retirement, he called me every few weeks to check up on
Baylor. He was keen that Baylor never lose sight of its mission to
build strong and capable men and women of stature.
Joe had grown up on the Baylor campus. His father had been chair of
German for decades, a heritage that gave Joe a dazzling knowledge of at
least a dozen different languages. But it had also given him a clear
picture of his own blessed days as a Baylor student and an
understanding of the kind of rich nourishment he wanted every Baylor
student to experience.
He gave those gifts lovingly and generously, to faculty colleagues and
students alike, and I doubt that anyone ever understood the meaning of
the "Baylor family" as deeply as he. He personified the very finest,
brightest, and best of people that Baylor is so dedicated to making.
Dr. William D. Hillis '53
Cornelia Marschall Smith Distinguished Professor of Biology
Gay Gibbs Farnsworth '76
(May 7, 2008)
Many Baylor alums lost a dear friend when Gay Gibbs Farns-worth died.
Gay was a tireless volunteer and earned many honors in her thirty years
as an educator and civic volunteer in Arlington. She received the Heart
of the Year Award, the Distinguished Service Award, the President's
Award from the American Heart Association; the YMCA Leadership Medal;
President's Awards from both Theatre Arlington and the Junior League of
Arlington; AISD Teacher of the Year; the Women's Shelter Legacy of
Women Award for volunteerism; and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Woman of the Year in 2006. And Fort Worth Magazine named her one of the top three volunteers in Tarrant County in 2008.
She taught in the same classroom for thirty years, never asking for a
transfer when the demographics of the school changed. Gay's support for
non-profits serving women and children continued even at her memorial
service, when pink cards and envelopes with donation information for
several organizations were handed out.
As Cindy Riddlehoover Myers '77, a Baylor Chi Omega sister and
Arlington friend, said, "Things I learned from Gay: unconditional love
and friendship, hospitality and graciousness, community service,
education, travel, and loyalty."
Stacy Mays Sharp '76
Amarillo
Kyle Ogle '93
(October 29, 2008)
On October 29, Kyle Ogle--a faithful husband, an honorable father, an
exceptional son, a remarkable brother, and an extraordinary friend--won
his battle with cancer. Long-time friend Tommy Saxon '93 granted him
the Best of Life Award at the celebration service on November 3. Saxon
described a theme in Kyle's life, "He did everything well, except
quitting."
Thirty-eight years was the time allotted for Kyle's life, and he drank
every moment up. He leaves a legacy of life squeezed for the very last
drop. The legacy will include courage to face the darkest of life's
challenges, intentionally making an impact in the lives around him,
facing the reality of circumstances in life, keeping things
light--always finding an opportunity to laugh, communicating with loved
ones openly and often, and taking care of the details in life.
Kyle gave to us an example of how to lean into struggles and find the
very best in people and circumstances. Instead of asking "Why me?" he
asked "Why not me?" and embraced the struggle wholly. He was determined
that every day of life would be an opportunity for abundance of loving,
laughing, joking, and doing the things he loved.
Hunting was one of his loves, bow-hunting by pulling the cable back
with his teeth. He was most passionate about his family--always
grateful for his bride Darla, who fought valiantly and loyally by his
side. His children, Turner and Katherine, were miracles he never took
for granted. They are what motivated him to fight and the ones his
legacy will impact the most; however, all that knew him will have the
opportunity to live well because he gave us the example of "the best of
life."
Jeff Turner '92
Dallas
|
|
|
|
|
.jpg)
