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Alum's Gifts Form a Tale of Two Awards
By Todd Copeland
 It's
fair to say that Jack K. Dillard '72, JD '73, is the kind of guy who
stays true to the causes he believes in and backs up his words with
actions. And supporting the Baylor Alumni Association (BAA) is one of
the most important of those causes for Dillard, who is district
director of state government affairs for Altria Client Services Inc. in
Austin.
It was while serving as president of the alumni association in 1989
that Dillard began the process to create two of the BAA’s signature
annual awards, the Price Daniel Distinguished Public Service Award and
the George W. Truett Distinguished Church Service Award. And now, as
part of the Sesquicentennial Campaign, he has stepped forward and made
gifts to fully endow both of those awards.
"Baylor was involved in the battle over the fundamentalist issue, and
there had been a lot of talk at that time about the great example of
George W. Truett as a pillar of traditional Baptist life and a strong
supporter of Baylor," Dillard remembered. "At that point, I was looking
for a way to send a message to Baptist ministers all over Texas that we
appreciate the efforts of pastors and other religious leaders who are
providing outstanding service to the denomination."
An 1897 graduate of Baylor, Truett was pastor of First Baptist Church
of Dallas for nearly fifty years and also served as president of both
the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist World Alliance. Each
year since 1990, the BAA has given the Truett Award to individuals who
have exemplified the life and works of Truett and shown his notable
commitment to personal religious liberty and separation of church and
state.
Back in 1989, Dillard’s thoughts about a way to honor alumni serving
the church led him to reflect on Baylor’s motto, "Pro Ecclesia, Pro
Texana," and that in turn led him to recommend the creation of an award
that would recognize the remarkable public servants Baylor has
produced. "Price Daniel was the hands-down candidate to name the public
service award after since he was our most distinguished alumnus in
public office," Dillard recently told the Line.
And so was born the Daniel Award, the Truett Award’s "brother." A 1931
Baylor graduate, Daniel is recognized as holding more prominent offices
of public trust than any other individual in Texas history. His career
in both state and national politics spanned four decades and included
all three branches of government, including service as speaker of the
Texas House of Representatives, state attorney general, U.S. senator,
the thirty-ninth governor of Texas, and Texas Supreme Court Justice.
Also presented annually since 1990, the Daniel award is given to
individuals closely tied to Baylor, in honor of their work as elected
or appointed public officials at the local, state, or national level.
Previous recipients include former Texas governors Mark White and Ann
Richards, former FBI director William Sessions, former U.S. Ambassador
to Sweden Lyndon Olson, and former Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme
Court Thomas R. Phillips.
With his campaign gifts of $25,000 for each award, Dillard has
single-handedly enabled the alumni association to achieve the endowment
goals for the two awards. His motivation to make the gifts, he said,
came from his belief in the BAA's value to the Baylor family. And that
belief definitely runs in the family. Dillard’s father, the late Jack
H. Dillard '38, JD '69, served as the executive director of the BAA
from 1946 to 1954, when it first became a separately operated
organization, and he was president of the alumni association from 1958
to 1959. Jack's sister, Diane, served as president of the BAA in 1999.
And finally, the funding for construction of the Hughes-Dillard Alumni
Center began in 1976 with a gift from his uncle and aunt, Raymond '30
and Genevieve Dillard, and their children (Jack's cousins), Nancy
Dillard Franklin '59 and Hughes Dillard '70, in memory of Mrs.
Dillard's mother, Annie Hughes.
Dillard said he hopes his participation in the BAA's Sesquicentennial
Campaign will encourage Baylor alumni and friends to make gifts toward
the endowments of the other programs that have yet to meet their
campaign goals, such as those for the Baylor Line magazine and Homecoming.
"I believe the Baylor Alumni Association is vital to Baylor," he said.
"For alumni who are interested in protecting the value of their degrees
and strengthening Baylor, a gift to the Sesquicentennial Campaign is an
important step to take."
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