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Life Members Believe in Value of Annual Gifts
By Todd Copeland
 You
may not know Dr. Lewis V. "Jerry" Pentecost '52, MD '56, and Patsy Ruth
Vaughan Pentecost '52, but they are shining exemplars of how members of
the Baylor family can—over time and through a variety of ways—make a
significant difference in the strength of Baylor University and the
Baylor Alumni Association (BAA). And as a representative couple, the
Pentecosts' journey as members of the alumni association even mirrors
the BAA's own evolution as a membership-based organization.
In 1978, just after incorporating as a separate, nonprofit
organization, the Baylor Alumni Association launched its life
membership program. The Pentecosts were among the first to join,
becoming life members number twenty-eight and twenty-nine.
Since 1978, more than thirteen thousand alumni have followed the
example set by the Pentecosts. As life members, these individuals have
chosen to invest a larger sum than the cost of being an annual member
with the knowledge that their membership will be good for life and that
their gift will be placed in the BAA's permanent endowment.
Twenty-three years later, in 2001, the BAA created a membership plan
that allows life members—as well as annual members—to support the
alumni association through a variety of annual giving levels, including
the Torchbearers Society (starting at $1,000) and gold ($500-$999),
silver ($250-$499), and bronze ($100-$249) designations.
The growth of the Torchbearers Society during the past seven years has
been a particularly noteworthy success story. In 2007, the BAA set a
goal of increasing the number of Torchbearers Society members to two
hundred each year as a component of its Sesquicentennial Campaign. Last
year saw significant progress in that area, with 147 individuals or
couples giving at the Torchbearer level during the 2007-08 membership
year.
Many of those donors were already life members who decided to directly
assist the alumni association in meeting its annual giving revenue
goal—on top of the portion of the BAA’s endowment proceeds that
resulted from their initial life membership gift.
Jerry and Patsy Pentecost were among those life members who became
Torchbearers last year, making a $1,000 gift, and they have already
begun contributing toward a Torchbearers Society designation for the
2008-09 membership year.
"We believe the Baylor Alumni Association, as an independent and
representative organization, is a very important entity," Jerry
Pentecost said. "It’s imperative to keep the voice of the alumni strong
for Baylor's overall health. Because of that, it's imperative to
provide financial support to the alumni association. We believe that
making an annual gift on top of our life membership is an important
thing to do."
Pentecost noted that giving to Baylor University and the Baylor Alumni
Association shouldn't be viewed as an either-or proposition. Alumni
should give to both, he said. And, sure enough, the Pentecosts have
walked their talk, giving generously to their alma mater over the
years. They also have been part of the Bear Hunters program for Baylor,
helping to recruit students from their hometown.
Today, the Pentecosts live in Point Comfort, a small town across the
bay from Port Lavaca on the Texas coast. Jerry was a family practice
doctor from 1957 to 2002—first in Galena Park, near Houston, and then
in Port Lavaca. These days, Jerry still practices medicine on a
part-time basis, and the couple always takes the time to travel up to
Waco for Baylor's annual Homecoming celebration—when they also get to
see their granddaughter, an engineering student at Baylor.
Patsy, in fact, has only missed Homecoming a couple of times since
graduating with a business degree in 1952. She was one of the original
Golden Girls, twirling the baton with the marching band, and she makes
a point of performing with the alumni band during halftime of the
Homecoming football game. "We have a sincere love for Baylor, and we
think helping the alumni association is to Baylor’s benefit," she said.
"The more I love Baylor, the more I want everyone to care about it. And
the Baylor Alumni Association is a great way to build up that love."
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