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In MemoriamPaul Baker
(October 25, 2009)
Famous actor Charles Laughton was on target when he described Professor
Baker as “irritating, arrogant, nuts—and a genius.” Baker was a
creative dramatist, but he was likewise a creative teacher who had the
ability to inspire students to creativity. Few persons have brought the
national spotlight to Baylor as he did. Theatre Arts, Time, and Newsweek
all wrote of the Baylor Theater and its genius. Baker attracted to the
Baylor campus the likes of Laughton, Burgess Meredith, Eliot Elosofin,
and Frank Lloyd Wright. They came not for large fees but for the
privilege of working with a great mind.
An aspect of “Prof’s” life often overlooked was his deeply spiritual
nature. Son of a Presbyterian minister, his belief that the image of
God was in all persons motivated his work. He believed that every child
is born with intellect and creative potential. He told students that
they were unique and each one of infinite value. A part of the work of
the Baylor Theater story that is sometimes neglected was the Children’s
Theater. Baker was responsible for the first class for African
Americans on the Baylor campus as a part of the children’s theater
program.
One of Baylor Theater’s triumphs was Thomas Wolfe’s Of Time and the River,
a novel shaped into living drama by students. There was a scene in the
play set in an Ivy League drama class with a line I have never
forgotten: “Is it any wonder that among Professor Hatchers’ young men,
few birds sang?” In Professor Baker’s classes, every bird sang.
Rev. Raymond Bailey ’59
Waco
Edith Bond, alumna by choice
(August 10, 2009)
“Edie B.” was our beloved Athenean/Kappa Kappa Gamma sponsor. Along
with her devoted husband, chemistry professor Dr. T. J. Bond, Edie
served hundreds of Baylor students during her sixty-six years in Waco.
While I’ve never seen the job description for “sorority sponsor,” I
feel certain it did not demand the level of commitment that the Bonds
so willingly gave. I can’t recall a meeting, party, formal, rush event,
or Sing practice that they did not attend. Why did they do it? Clearly,
they loved students. The door to their home was never locked. Though
it’s been more than thirty years, I can vividly recall walking in their
side door to a welcoming hug. I spent many nights in their spare
bedroom—a home away from home for me and so many others.
I don’t fully comprehend what compels some people to give their lives
away so extravagantly to others. Edie will always be ageless to me. And
while Waco will not be the same for me now that she’s gone, I know
heaven just got a lot sweeter.
Kayla Lister ’78
Dallas
Charles Wellborn ’46, MA ’50
(October 1, 2009)
The death of Charles Wellborn seemed to me to signal the ending of an
era. He was my brother; for a few years my pastor, as he was to so
many; and always my best friend.
Among his obvious gifts as preacher, teacher, writer, and actor, he had
a more personal one—that of being a caring, available, and
non-judgmental listener. It would be hard to estimate how many of us
were blessed by his wise counsel.
Through today’s lens, his authentic concern with social
issues—especially those of race—have received emphasis. But though his
pioneering leadership in those areas was significant, it was not the
primary focus of his ministry. He was an adult when he became a
Christian, and he never forgot what it was like to be lost and what he
gained in Jesus. It was to the sharing of that experience that his life
was primarily committed.
Somehow, I must learn to do without this kind and loving man, but I
will always remember the way he held up Jesus to me. For that, as for
many things, I shall ever be grateful even as I say to him a final, “Go
with God, my dear brother.”
Dr. Faye Wellborn Robbins ’49, MA ’56
Fort Worth
Vernon G. Garrett Jr. ’47
(October 30, 2009)
My dad LOVED Baylor! He had Baylor ties, boxers, socks, suspenders,
shirts, a bright-green blazer, and wide-brimmed Baylor cowboy hat, all
of which he loved to wear. Many friends have told me that the world is
a bit more drab now that he is not here to “show his colors.”
His favorite job as partner at Arthur Andersen was that of recruiting
manager. He loved bringing Baylor’s brightest and best accounting
majors to the Houston office. We’ve often wondered if Arthur Andersen
would have had the same fate if he had not retired, because he always
looked for the most ethical and well-rounded students to hire. He was a
master interviewer and had an uncanny gift of being able to read people
well.
He was also very tolerant of others. One of his favorite sayings was,
“There’s no pancake so flat that it doesn’t have two sides.” He
believed strongly in honesty and diplomacy. He felt that there was
always a way to work out differences as long as we really listened to
each other and didn’t call names or say things we would regret later.
His take on the problems facing Baylor was that no one would agree to
serve as a regent or pay hundreds of dollars to be a member of the BAA
if he didn’t love Baylor, so we just need to compromise. His voice of
reason and ethical standards have spoken to me all of my life. In any
crisis or time of decision, I just think of him and choose the high
road, even if no one else notices.
Thank you, Baylor, for all of the joy you brought to his life! We will miss him terribly.
Elizabeth Garrett McCarty ’70
Houston
Nick Klaras ’52
(October 4, 2009)
Loyal friend. Generous supporter and giver. Involved citizen who was not a spectator. That was Nick Klaras.
Nick Klaras was my friend. Our friendship began sixty-four years ago on
the campus of Baylor University. During those years, I experienced the
warmth of his personality and the encouragement of his words. I knew
him as a loyal friend. He understood the value of friendship, and he
knew how to maintain a relationship. He was a giver. He was not a taker.
He readily accepted his responsibility to those around him. He was not
a spectator to life. Nick was prepared to get involved in his church,
his school, and his community. He was a leader by nature.
Though he had areas of interest, he never lost sight of what was important—his faith, his family, and his wide range of friends.
Dr. Milton Cunningham ’50
Waco
Charles E. Hoyle ’72
(September 7, 2009)
Charlie Hoyle represented the kind of person that we should all aspire
to be, on both the personal and professional sides of our lives.
He was a dedicated and caring teacher and mentor to both undergraduate
and graduate students at the University of Southern Mississippi. He
will be remembered for his honesty and fairness and also his passion
for thoroughly educating students by challenging them while maintaining
a pleasant environment for learning.
His enthusiastic, insightful, and creative tendencies enabled him to
solve some of the most critical and compelling fundamental and applied
problems in the radiation curing field. He earned world renown as a
photochemist with special emphasis on the photochemistry and
photophysics of polymers. He was the author of more than 160 refereed
publications, and his work has been cited nearly twenty-five hundred
times.
Yet, despite his own success and status in the field, Charlie was one
of the kindest, most humble, and caring individuals that one could ever
hope to know. He was always the first to praise and encourage others,
whether those were students, his colleagues, or those striving to
understand polymer photophysics and photochemistry. He was a tireless
laborer in organizing meetings and symposia, and he actively pursued
academic-industrial collaborations with the insight that contributions
from both sides were critical.
He will be missed by all of those who knew him.
Dr. Robert Lochhead
Director, School of Polymers and High Performance Materials
The University of Southern Mississippi
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