Footprints Summer 2010 by Wayland Baptist University

footprints Summer 2010

Raising the bar Wayland alums push health and fitness to competitive levels WBUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wellness program grows as waistlines shrink Pioneer track team wins Outdoor National Championship

Inside: One Studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Miracle w A Win-Win Situation

ee the world

through the eyes of a Wayland student on just $28 a month

We can’t all go... but we can train them, send them, and support them as they go. For more information on the building campaign, log onto www.wbu.edu, click on “Friends and Donors” and then click on “Special Funds/Campaigns” on the blue bar.

magine having a part in the worldwide spreading of the Gospel for only $28 a month. At Wayland Baptist University and the Wayland Mission Center, we’re training ministers across all academic disciplines, raising up a future generation of Christian leaders who will impact their chosen vocational field as well as the kingdom of God. We’re sending students into the mission field while they’re still learning, growing and realizing their call. Then, we’re sending them into the world with degrees in math, science, history, business, education, fine arts and religion – as well as a calling to spread God’s word to a hurting world. The proposed new Flores Bible Building and Wayland Mission Center will allow the university to continue our long tradition of encouraging and empowering young people of all backgrounds to do the work of Christ around the world. For only $28 a month over three years, you can make a “grand” commitment to this project and impact student lives for generations to come. For a $1,000 investment, you too can have a part in the greater mission of Wayland.

q I want to make a “grand” commitment to the new Flores Bible Building. Name __________________________________________________ Phone ______________________ Address ____________________________________________________________________________ City ________________________ State _____ Zip ________ Email _____________________________ q

I want to make my gift at one time. I have enclosed a check for $______________.

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q Contact me regarding estate planning, gifts of stock, insurance or other gift opportunities. * Naming opportunities are available throughout the facility. * Gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent the law allows.

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Name on card ______________________________ Card number ______________________________ Expiration _________ Signature ________________________________________________________ Clip form and return to: Wayland Advancement, 1900 W. 7th, CMB 621, Plainview, Texas 79072 or give online via credit card at https://give.wbu.edu.

FOOTPRINTS - Volume 57, No. 1

Features

Editorial Board Danny Andrews, BA’72 Publisher Teresa Young, BA’94 Editor Jonathan Petty, BA’95 Assistant Editor

FOOTPRINTS is published by the Association of Former Students at Wayland Baptist University. No outside advertising is accepted. Wayland Baptist University is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Wayland is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the associate, baccalaureate and master’s levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-6794500 for questions about the accreditation of Wayland Baptist University. Non-profit rate postage paid at Lubbock, Texas 79404. Telephone (806) 291-3600. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to FOOTPRINTS, Wayland Baptist University, 1900 West 7th St. CMB 437, Plainview, TX 79072. Wayland Baptist University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex or national origin in administration of its policies, admission policies, scholarships and loan programs, athletic and other school administration.

With the nation focused on the problem of obesity, alumni in various fields are part of the fitness and health movement as Wayland adds a wellness component of its

Alumni Officers Kevin Carter, BBA’93 President Sally Dillman Eaves, BS’75 Vice President Danny Andrews, BA’72 Director, Alumni Development Susie Vera, AAS’84 Secretary Executive Board Dr. Gary Abercrombie, BS’73 Dr. Barbara Allen Carr, BA’89, MEd'92 Rose Ann Chavez, BSOE’06 Tyke Dipprey, BSOE’96 Brenda Gonzalez, BA’73 Mike Manchee, BS'94, MEd’97 Joseph Mares, BA’98 Richard Miller, BS’87 Daleyn Schwartz, AAS’85 Caren Smith, BA’92 Dion White, BA’92, MBA’96 Danny Wrenn, BA’84

Raising the Bar

own.

18 One Student’s Miracle Wayland track runner Edward Taragon gets a new lease on life and a set of “American parents” in a most surprising miracle worked by God.

Win-Win Situation 30 AEstablishing a charitable gift annuity at Wayland can pay big dividends for you in return rates now and result in a bigger gift for the university down the road.

Departments On the cover: An image from Dreamstime.com illustrates the theme of health and wellness in this issue, along with photos of alums Priscilla Edwards and Jennifer Rankin, featured inside.

Student Spotlight

News in Brief

Athletics Review

President's Pen

Thinking Out Loud

Development Feature

Class Notes

If you have any questions or comments about Footprints, drop an e-mail to Danny at andrewsd@wbu.edu, Teresa at youngt@wbu.edu, or write to us in care of the Wayland Alumni Office.

Raising the bar Edwards makes health and fitness a priority By Jonathan Petty

or some, health and fitness comes easy. For others, finding the motivation is difficult. For Priscilla Edwards, it was a

choice. At 5-feet, 11-inches, the long, lean Edwards is the quintessential picture of physical fitness: Broad shoulders and a narrow waist with lean rippling muscle. A former track athlete at Wayland, Edwards has never shied away from exercise, but the decision to live a life committed to health and fitness was a personal choice that even she faced once her days of competition were over. “Nobody in college tells you what happens next when you are an athlete,” Edwards said. “Unless you join a league or a club or something after college – or you become a pro which is a very small percentage of the population – you fall into a little pocket where there’s nothing for you to do.”

Moving in Growing up on the west coast of Barbados, Edwards was no stranger to track and field. She started running in elementary school and never stopped. She ran all through school and once she completed her formal education, her coach asked her if she would like to run for a college team.

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Edwards was open to the idea, knowing she would travel to the United States and face an academic challenge as well as athletic competition. Edwards’ coach put her in contact with Wayland. “(Wayland) Coach Rick Beelby was looking for a hurdler and my coach was looking for an opportunity for me to continue to compete,” Edwards said. “They found each other and I ended up here.” Wayland wasn’t the only school that contacted Edwards about joining its track team, but it was the one that seemed to care the most about her future. She said a school in South Carolina had shown some interest, but the coach didn’t seem to be too concerned with her personal well-being. “He didn’t ask me anything about myself. He didn’t ask me anything about my family,” she said. “He didn’t ask me about anything other than track. Coach Beelby was the warmest person on the phone. He had the most concern for me, and he wanted me to actually graduate. He was more concerned about me getting a degree and athletics was second, and that worked for me. That’s why I ended up here.” Edwards embraced the small town and the university. Her hometown of St. James is a very “close-knit community” and she did not want to live in a big city. Plainview was perfect for her. She said there was some culture shock, and she had to get used to the idea that people in the U.S. drive everywhere instead of walking, but she quickly adapted to the cultural differences. The weather, however, was another story. Edwards said she was extremely excited the first time she saw snow. That excitement quickly dwindled and 10 years later she still has not adapt-

ed to the chill that comes with a West Texas winter. “At home there is just the rainy season and the dry season. There is no snow. It’s hot and humid and I lived on the coast, so there is always a nice sea breeze,” Edwards said. “I was so excited when it snowed. I put on about four layers of clothes, ear muffs, a hat, small gloves, big, giant, go-skiing gloves, boots and a coat that went half-way down my legs. I was ready. “I walked outside of Owen Hall. The wind hit me, and I turned around and walked right back inside. This was not going to work.” But that was about the only thing that didn’t work for Edwards while at Wayland. A six-time NAIA AllAmerican, Edwards still holds the school record for points scored in a heptathlon with 4,725 in 2004 and is second in the pentathlon with 3,328 points scored in 2003. She was also named an NAIA Scholar Athlete in 2002, ’03 and ’04. She graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and completed her Master of Business Administration in the spring of 2005. With her degrees in hand, Edwards was ready to take the corporate world by storm. But her designs on a corporate office soon faded as she found another love. Edwards spent a little more than a year working in

Wayland’s admissions office for career and practical training, and she realized that she loved working in higher education. Edwards now works in the office of institutional research and has been charged with developing the school’s study abroad program. “I really want to stay in higher education,” she said.

Staying Fit Edwards’ time at Wayland has also brought her notoriety among fellow employees as an expert in physical fitness and exercise. When Wayland started its new wellness program under the leadership of Ron Appling the Human Resources director, Edwards was asked to serve as a “wellness coach,” someone who could help others reach their fitness goals. She jumped at the opportunity. The program is designed to offer employees incentive and motivation to exercise, eat right and develop a healthy corporate culture. “Before we started this wellness program, I was thinking of starting a walking club or something like that, because I thought we could all use a little more exercise,” she said. “When I learned we were doing this, I was very excited.” After all, Edwards had seen the benefit of healthy choices in her life, as well as the down side of choosing a more sedentary lifestyle following her days as an athlete. Once she was no longer eligible to compete, Edwards

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took a break from exercise. “I stopped working out for close to a year. My body was tired,” she said. “I had been running since I was in primary school so I decided it was time to give my body a break.” She didn’t like what happened next. “I put on some weight,” she said. The undesirable results motivated her to make a change. “I wanted to take the weight off,” Edwards said. “I got to the point where I was frustrated enough to do something about it. My desire to be healthy was greater than my desire to eat a slice of pizza.” As a former athlete, Edwards already knew how to design an exercise program. She sat down and wrote out a six-week guide with the goal of losing 15 pounds. “I wrote out my cardio. I wrote out my strength training and my rest days,” she said. “I structured my meals where I would eat five meals a day and I would drink a certain amount of water.” Edwards followed her plan and watched as the weight began to disappear. At the end of the six weeks, she had lost the full 15 pounds. “I could have lost it sooner, but I was sticking to the plan,” she said. “I made some mistakes along the way, but I didn’t beat myself up. I stayed positive and reached my goal.” Once she reached her initial goal, Edwards evaluated the results. “I asked, ‘Now what?’” she said. “I wanted to make more improvements.” Edwards decided she wanted to add more lean muscle mass, so she changed her diet, changed her workout plan, put herself on a threemonth program and checked off her goals as she met them.

Facing the competition Edwards was so successful in reaching her workout goals that she soon set out on a new adventure. “I went to a body building show in Lubbock,” she said. “I saw the women on stage and realized they weren’t any different from me. I can do this.” Edwards signed on to compete in her first

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show in 2008, increasing her workout routines in preparation for the competition. She completed strong cardio workouts in the mornings and lifted weights in the evenings. The work paid off as she finished 10th out of 19 in the competition. Edwards was pleased with the results, saying she never really focused on winning the competition, but on reaching her goals. “Of course, I wanted to win. I’m competitive,” she said. “But it was about accomplishing a goal and challenging myself and being around people who were doing the same things. It was about enjoying the process and learning.” It was definitely a new experience for Edwards, who said she really had no idea what the competition was all about prior to attending the first show. Not wanting to focus specifically on bulking up for body building competition, Edwards chose to compete in the figure competition. Figure is one of several categories in which women can compete under the body building umbrella, along with fitness and bikini shows. Edwards said figure contestants are judged on their overall physique, looking for balance and symmetry. She said presentation is also very important to figure judges. “Are you having fun? Are you happy to be on stage?” she said. “You are wearing 5-inch heels; you are water depleted; and you have been working out for all these months. Then you get on stage and you have to pose and smile and love it. You must have confidence on stage.”

Edwards admitted she had to work on her confidence level. It wasn’t that she was not proud of her physique, she just wasn’t used to showing that much of it to people in a public forum. A modest woman, she had to get used to the revealing clothing that contestants wear on stage. Not one to shy away from the competition, however, she will once again don the two-piece and the 5inch heels and take the stage this summer as she competes in another figure competition. This time around, Edwards wants to improve her overall look. She has once again changed her workout routine and is already in better condition than she was for her first competition. She also said she is working to bring out more definition in her legs to complete the balance with her upper body.

Making the choice While body building and fitness competitions may be a far cry from what the average desk jockey is trying to accomplish in a health and fitness routine, Edwards said it is important to make the right decision and make being healthy a priority in one’s life in order to see the desired

results. “You don’t have to work out two to four hours a day to be fit,” she said. “A lot of times I just recommend for people to do things that fit into their lifestyle. If you don’t like to lift weights, then don’t lift weights. Walk your dog. Play with your kids. Go swimming. Do Zumba. If you like to dance, then dance. It has nothing to do with lifting weights and running all the time. It has to do with what fits into your lifestyle.” While Edwards works out for nearly two hours a day six days a week, she said it is important for her to vary her routine. She works on different exercises and different body parts each day in order to not only break up her routine, but also challenge her body to maximize the results. “The fitter you get, the more difficult your workout needs to be, and the more you need to challenge your body,” she said. “I used to do a lot of weights, but I’ve incorporated more calisthenics, lunges, squats, jumps and things like that.” A healthy diet is also an imporContinued on Page 11

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Raising the bar Rankin climbing the ranks in competitive body building By Jonathan Petty hen the Village People penned their classic 1970s hit Y.M.C.A., they definitely weren’t familiar with the Y in Plainview. While someone listening to the song might find it fun to “hang out with all the boys,” those same boys may be hard pressed to keep pace with YMCA fitness director, body builder and model, Jennifer (Brigman) Rankin. Rankin, who graduated from Wayland in 2005 with degrees in physical education and business administration, has parlayed her love of fitness, exercise and an overall active lifestyle into a successful career as a fitness instructor and competitor in regional and national body building shows. Through her success, she has also earned a contract as a fitness model for Optimum Nutrition. Not bad for a small-town Texas girl whose options out of high school were Wayland or the Army.

Coming to Wayland A graduate of Eula High School, Rankin came to Wayland after issuing an ultimatum to her parents who wanted her to stay closer to home. “My parents wanted me to go to junior college in Abilene,” Rankin said. “At that time, the junior college was in an old building. It was so

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dirty. I thought, ‘This is going to be my college experience? I don’t think so.’” Rankin said her parents had just put her older sister through school and were concerned about paying for her education if it turned out that college was not meant for her. But Rankin insisted on going to a good school where she could focus on her dream of owning her own business. “I told them I had been a good student. I had never quit hardly anything I had ever done, and I was not going to that junior college,” she said. Rankin and her high school cheer coach put together a highlight tape and submitted it to Wayland as a video tryout for the WBU cheerleading squad. The Wayland coach liked the tape and invited Rankin to join the squad and attend school. While

visiting the campus, Rankin also met with the track coach, who said she was welcome to walk on, a move that a semester later would result in her earning a track scholarship. Now, she just had to get her parents’ approval. Rankin had also been meeting with an Army recruiter who visited her high school. A paratrooper, the recruiter talked to Rankin about joining the parachute team. “That sounded fun to me,” she said. “So, I sat down with my parents and told them I was either going to parachute school in the Army, or to Wayland to run track and be a cheerleader. They chose the Wayland route.” Rankin was no slouch on the track team. A former high school state qualifier, she made the NAIA nationals several times for Wayland,

and she still holds the outdoor school record for the pole vault at 10 feet, 4 inches. She is second in school history for the indoor pole vault with a height of 9 feet, 6.25 inches, and she is sixth in scoring in the pentathlon and fifth in scoring in the heptathlon.

Finding Her Niche Rankin was more than just an athlete and she was determined to reach her educational goals, tailoring her academics to fit her desired career path. She had plans of going into business for herself, working as a personal trainer while owning and operating a gym. With this in mind, she focused on business administration and physical education, earning a double major in the academic disciplines. After graduation, Rankin accepted

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a job working in Wayland’s Registrar’s office. The job filled a need for the new graduate, but it didn’t fit in line with what she wanted to accomplish in life. “I learned very quickly that it wasn’t the place for me,” she said. “It was a great first job, and I had an amazing time working for my alma mater, but that really wasn’t my cup of tea.” The ever-active Rankin needed a job that pushed her physically. She applied for the position of fitness director at the local YMCA and has been there for the past three years. Rankin serves as the fitness director, child watch director, and supervises the youth and teen fitness programs as well as the Silver Sneakers program for senior citizens. She is also busy in the community, planning a 5k run every year, working with America on the Move and facilitating the Moo-A-Thon race for children at Plainview’s annual Cowboy Days. She is also working toward CEO certification that would qualify her to be an executive director of a YMCA facility. “I wear a lot of hats here, but it’s great,” she said. “I learn so much about all the different aspects of running a fitness business.” Rankin also designs and implements personal training programs, and she is in charge of purchasing and maintaining the equipment in the weight and cardio exercise rooms. She also teaches spin classes and fills in when the water aerobics instructor is absent.

Striving to Compete The move to the YMCA was a positive one for Rankin in many ways. Not only did it get her out from behind a desk, but it also allowed her to once again focus on her own health and fitness. “When I worked at Wayland, I kind of just stopped working out,” Rankin said. “I lost a lot of the lean muscle I had gained while doing track-and-field. I just got out of the

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habit. When I got the job at the YMCA, I started working out again and being active, and putting that muscle back on. My body started changing again.” That change didn’t go unnoticed by her co-workers as one of the trainers encouraged her to look into competition. Rankin had often wondered about the competitive side of body building, but wasn’t sure if she could compete. “I had always looked up to women who do that and take care of themselves so well,” she said. “It was like this thing that was out there that felt unattainable.” Rankin began to research the sport and eventually contacted a professional body builder in Lubbock. “We set up a meeting so they could just look at me and give me the thumbs up or thumbs down as to whether this was in my future, or even possible,” Rankin said. Not only was Rankin given the thumbs up, but they encouraged her to compete in the West Texas Classic just 10 weeks after their meeting. “That day, I got started on a competition diet and preparation and competed 10 weeks later,” Rankin said. A novice at competition, Rankin placed second overall, earning a spot in an upcoming national competition. “I’ve been going strong ever since,” she said. Rankin competes as part of the National Physique Committee organization in figure and bikini competitions. Figure and bikini

Rankin appeared on the cover of LifeStyle magazine.

YMCA Fitness Director Jennifer Rankin talks to WBU psychology professor Brian McClenagan during an afternoon workout session at the Plainview YMCA. are two sub categories under the body building umbrella. Rankin explains that the figure competition is more of a feminine, athletic version of body building where women compete with more feminine posing, but still show their athleticism through strong muscle tone and symmetry throughout their physique. “Bikini is not really a step down from that, but you are not looking for the striations in your muscles,” Rankin said. “It’s a ‘softer’ competition. You don’t have the rigid, stiff posing and quarter turns. It’s more about showing your personality and having fun and all of that.” Rankin said while figure and bikini competitions are part of body building, the contestants are not trying to bulk up like true body builders. She said they are still trying to look good and present a feminine physique.

Becoming a Model Rankin was so successful in the early going of her competition career,

that she reaped almost instant benefits. In fact, some benefits came so quickly that she thought they were a scam. Just five weeks into preparing for her initial competition, Rankin was contacted by a representative from Optimum Nutrition, “one of the largest and most accessible nutritional supplement companies in the world.” The representative had seen some pictures of Rankin on her MySpace page and thought she would be a good fit for the company. The photos simply showed her progression from week one of her preparation for competition through her fifth week. “They were just progressive pictures of how I was looking at the time,” Rankin said. “I got an email from the athlete and trade show manager. He was asking me if I would like to be a sponsored athlete with their company.” Rankin was so surprised, and skeptical, that she asked them to wait until she completed her first compe-

tition to see how she did. When she placed second, the company jumped at the chance to offer her a sponsorship. “So I signed with them and it’s been fabulous ever since,” she said. Rankin has appeared in print ads and on the company’s Web site. She was featured in a full-page ad in Oxygen magazine and made the cover of Lifestyle magazine. She also made the cover of the company’s 2010 calendar. “It’s really amazing how I’ve been blessed in this industry, still living in Plainview, and all the opportunities I’ve had,” she said. Ranking finished 10th overall in her first junior national competition in 2009 and recently qualified for nationals again after placing second at the Lone Star Classic in Plano in her first bikini competition.

Personal Fitness While Rankin has taken fitness to a level most people will never achieve, she said making healthy

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lifestyle choices should still be a priority for everyone. “The biggest reason is just quality of life,” she said. “You can do the things you enjoy and not have to worry about taking high blood pressure medicine or high cholesterol medicine. It’s just so much easier to control things like that.” She admits, however, that joining a gym can be intimidating. Walking into a busy exercise center and watching some of the regulars working out can be overwhelming for people who are just getting started. Rankin deals with that in her daily job as she welcomes those considering joining the YMCA. “One thing I tell people when they come here is to not focus on everything around them,” Rankin said. “It’s easy to see a really fit person on the treadmill running 10 miles an hour and you look over there and think, ‘Oh my gosh! I can never do that.’ But you don’t know where that person has come from. You don’t know if a year ago that person weighed 150 pounds more than they do now.” Rankin said the key to getting started is setting small goals. It could be something as simple as drinking fewer diet sodas and replacing them with water. Once that goal has been reached, set a new goal and continue to increase your activity level and challenge your body. “A lot of people try to just do everything all on the first day. They work hard and the next day they wake up and can’t move and they didn’t lose 20 pounds. They just give up and never come back,” Rankin said. “Do a little bit; keep it progressive and just keep going.” It’s simple advice that Rankin follows in her own life as she prepares for her national bikini competition. She will compete in several shows this year and is hoping to earn her professional bodybuilding card. That is not an easy accomplishment, but Rankin says she is ready for the challenge. “What I do is a few steps beyond what I would suggest for average health and fitness,” she said. “It’s definitely hard and takes dedication, but I love it.”

Continued from Page 5 tant part of reaching fitness goals. Edwards said people probably don’t want to follow the same diet she follows, especially when she is training for competition; but making smart choices about what they eat can have enormous results. She said it is important to eat plenty of fruits and vegetable, whole-grain cereals and breads, and lean protein. It is also important to stay away from processed, fatty foods. But even if one chooses to eat pizza or cake, they should make the choice to eat a piece of pizza or a piece of cake. Not the whole thing. “It’s about balance,” she said. “You can eat the food you love; you just have to eat it in the correct portions.” For Edwards, there is no questioning the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. “You’re healthier. You’re happier. You’re more productive. You have a better quality of life,” she said. “You live longer.” Health and fitness has become an important part of Edwards’ everyday life and she loves talking to people about their fitness goals. While she is paid for her consulting work as a wellness coach, Edwards admitted she will gladly help anyone who asks. From those who need help setting up a workout routine to those who just want a little advice on how to complete a specific exercise, she has answered and will continue to answer any questions people ask. But while she will gladly dole out fitness information and advice, she did recommend that if you are suffering from back pain, or you can’t raise your arms, you might want to seek the advice of a physician or chiropractor. That’s really not her field of expertise.

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Raising the bar Wayland ex enjoys career in fitness administration By Jonathan Petty hen former Wayland student Dean Murphey completed his degree, he wasn’t sure what field he wanted to focus on for his career. What he did know, however, was that his future endeavors would always involve health and fitness as a way of life. Murphey came to Wayland in 1989 from nearby Hereford. Focusing on physical education, Murphey stayed at Wayland until 1992. He then moved back to the Amarillo area, got married, began working and eventually returned to school to complete his degree. He stayed close to home, however, completing a degree in kinesiology at West Texas A&M in 1997. With a degree in hand and family in tow, Murphey set out, looking for a career. “When I was a kinesiology major, I didn’t know if I was going to try to coach or find something in the fitness field,” Murphey said. “When I graduated, there wasn’t anything in the Amarillo area in the fitness field.” Murphey’s in-laws were from the Oklahoma City area, so he packed up and headed for central Oklahoma. “We moved here and just found the first job available in a fitness center,” Murphey said. While there, Murphey’s supervisor became his mentor and pushed him to earn his certification by the National Academy of Sports Medicine as a personal trainer. He was also introduced to the world of corporate fitness and eventually landed a job with KerrMcGee Oil and Gas, managing the company’s fitness center and working as a personal trainer. Employees of Kerr-McGee paid a $20 fee and had access to the fit-

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Dean Murphey is pictured with his wife, Kristi, and their daughters, Kimmer, 12 and Kenzie, 9. ness center, personal trainer and a fully staffed clinic. “People could work out any time they wanted,” Murphey said. “I was the personal trainer if they needed it. I set them up on programs and taught classes.” Murphey spent eight years with Kerr-McGee, learning the business and loving every minute of it. When the company sold, Murphey took his knowledge and experience in health and fitness and found a new job. For the last three years, Murphey has been managing the fitness center at Oklahoma City’s Gaillardia Country Club, a high-end country club with a members list that includes the likes of Oklahoma City Thunder all-star Kevin Durant and the University of Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops. As manager, Murphey oversees the day-to-day operation of the fitness center, planning programs and teaching classes. He manages the staff, personal trainers, massage therapist and tennis professional. He also oversees the operation of the country club swimming pool and café. With a job that keeps him so busy, Murphey still finds time to maintain his personal fitness level.

Much of his own exercise program is work-related as he works out with the classes that he is teaching or with the simple act of staying on his feet moving all day. Not only does Murphey earn a living at a job that he enjoys, but he sees the benefit of a healthy lifestyle. Even if he didn’t work in the fitness arena he says he would still maintain a regular exercise program. “I have been in and out of fitness programs and I can see a big difference when I am not involved in a personal program,” he said. “I know having a fitness program in your life makes you feel better.” Currently, Murphey maintains his fitness level with regular cardiovascular exercise three days a week and total body weight training another three days. Aside from the immediate benefits of looking and feeling better, he says that the long-term benefits are enough to keep him in the gym. “It’s important for me because my family has a history of cardiovascular disease, and having a family of my own, I want to be around for a while,” he said. “That’s not really in my hands, but I want to be as healthy as I can. I want to set exam-

ples for my kids and my family.” Murphey has two daughters, Kimmer, age 12, and 9-year-old Kenzie. Both are involved in sports and Murphey said it’s also important for him to be able to teach them the correct way to exercise. “It’s going to be important for me to teach them the right way to exercise and the true side of fitness before they are exposed to the myths and things that are out there that you see on TV,” he said. “They absolutely teach you the wrong thing.” Murphey said the biggest culprits are the ab machines that promise to flatten your stomach. “They may be great to help you exercise, but they don’t remove fat from your stomach,” he said. “That is a big battle in this field between television and actual personal trainers. There is a lot of misinformation out there.” Murphey recommends that people looking to get involved with a personal trainer should research the gyms in their area, making sure the trainers and the facility are certified and accredited. His next piece of advice is simple … start slowly.

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Raising the bar WBU program is trimming the fat – literally By Teresa Young

WBU Human Resource Director Ron Appling

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early a year ago, Ron Appling could not get his college class ring onto his finger. And his wedding ring seemed to be permanently melded to his left hand. Today, both slip on and off easily as Appling continues to shed weight he started losing in August 2009, when the university officially kicked off its Wayland Wellness program. As human resources director at WBU, Appling had the task of building a wellness plan from the ground up, unveiling the plan to employees and answering the barrage of questions that come with implementing such a program. While the process has been challenging at times – especially with Wayland’s unique system of 13 campuses spread across several states – the benefits are beginning to show. “Our goal is to eventually have 80 percent of our employees participating, and so far in Plainview and Lubbock, where we’ve started the program, we have about 70 percent,” said Appling, who started the wellness journey with wife Deanna and has lost 75 pounds himself. “Our main objective is to keep the healthy people healthy, get the critical people to moderately healthy and the moderately healthy to more healthy.” The reason for the kickoff was simple: skyrocketing health-care costs and rising insurance claims by university employees meant premiums on group insurance were following the same trend. Employees began having to pay a part of their own premiums in July 2009 – pre-

viously those were paid in full by Wayland – and university officials feared the pattern was only going to get worse. Coupled with concern for their employees’ health and wellbeing in general, Appling said Executive Vice President and Provost Dr. Bobby Hall said it was time Wayland investigated other measures to improve the health of its employees for their own good and to combat fiscal concerns to both workers and the university. A wellness program was the logical next step. The trend is not unique to Wayland, as companies of all sizes nationwide are finding health care more costly and harder to provide at reasonable rates to their employees. While still a relatively new concept for many, wellness plans are becoming more common as businesses try to protect their most precious asset – their people – and their dollars. “Like most organizations today, Wayland has experienced dramatic increases in health care costs. While we continually look for ways to better manage those costs, it became apparent that we also needed to develop a Wellness Program,” Hall said. “The program is designed to provide resources to assist employees in improving their own health, which will benefit both the employee and, ultimately, the institution.” Appling noted that the health issues facing Wayland employees were not unique to the university but were byproducts of the changes in society, which is largely less active on the job, more sedentary at home and more dependent on eating out and processed foods. To get the wellness effort underway, Appling first contacted Wayland’s benefits consultant, who directed them to a third party who implements wellness programs. The university already offered annual screenings to employees on-site, where basic biometrics were gathered and a variety of blood tests run to target any possible lurking health concerns. The next step was to have a Web site set up where employees can enter their data and have a health risk assessment completed. The assessment then makes suggestions for improvement and offers reading materials and hints for folks to improve their health and wellness. Employees can set up an action plan for improved eating or exercising and log their progress daily. Knowing that many employees might be starting from square one on a workout routine, Appling and the group developed a walking initiative to get employees started on something simple for most people to begin. Paired with

the Laney Center indoor walking track, the program was easy to implement. For those who prefer other types of exercise to keep on track, the Web site allows for a conversion from minutes of exercise or sports activities into “foot miles” and keeps track of how far employees have walked over time. Other aspects included bringing a Weight Watchers group meeting to the campus once each week for the convenience of employees who needed that assistance. Also, Appling enlisted the campus’ certified personal trainers to guide employees who desired a more personal approach to designing their fitness plan. While not everyone needs outside motivation to get fit, Appling said incentives definitely work with the majority of employees, so he developed a plan to reward folks for their progress. Milestones were set up according to the distance to each of Wayland’s campuses – starting with Lubbock at 45 miles and ending in Hawaii – with certain prizes available at each milestone. The program has seen its successes so far and the administration believes it will continue to benefit the university in various ways. Appling said while year one will close out with some leaner, healthier employees, in the long term Wayland may never know its full benefit.

Teresa Moore, BA’95, teaches a Zumba class in the Laney Center.

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Raising the bar Tips for starting a personal routine By Brandi Cook

Brandi Cook (BS ‘07, exercise and sport science) works in Wayland’s external records office and sidelines as a personal trainer.

1. Always see a physician before starting any workout program. You may not have had problems in the past, but you were also not working out. You will be putting your body through stressors different from what it is used to, so to ensure your safety, see your doctor, tell him your plan, and have a check-up. Understand why you are working out. Do you want to lose weight? Be healthier? Lower your cholesterol? Or maybe play in the park with your kids. If you are reading this, more than likely you have passed the point in your life that you will do something “because I said so.” Tt is imperative that you understand why it is important for you to take better care of yourself and the benefits of doing so. Assess your current fitness level. You will never know how far you’ve come unless you know where you started. Keep a journal and record every workout routine. Record your resting heart rate on day one. Time yourself for a mile walk/run. Figure out your body mass index. Every 6 to 8 weeks re-check these same things to track your progress. Set a goal! Your goals should be difficult but attainable. Set short-, mid- and longrange goals. These can be as simple as not needing to stop on your mile test or maybe being able to run a half marathon! Make appointments and keep them! Inevitably life happens. If you will view working out as a standing appointment you will be more likely to show up. If something comes up during the day schedule it around your appointment. Our health is important enough to work around. Rome wasn’t built in a day! Remember, it’s a process. There is no such thing as a quick fix. Start slow and work your way up. Gradually change your workout routine to ensure that you are working out each time. There is no such thing as a safe and effective diet pill or a miracle machine that will shed inches in a few days. Listen to your body!! If you are hurting, dizzy or short of breath, take a break and give your body time to relax. If the problem persists, take a day or two off so you do not seriously injury yourself. If necessary, see a doctor. I encourage my clients to take a week-long break every 6-8 weeks. This week off gives your body time to heal from the wear and tear of working out.

Student Spotlight

Amarillo student overcomes hurdle to move toward bachelor’s degree By Teresa Young AMARILLO – Past failures need not dictate a student’s future. Just ask Stephanie Morrow. A native of Amarillo, Morrow struggled for her entire high school career with one looming test: the TAAS math portion. A mental block and the stress of the important exam meant try after try to no avail. Years later, however, she’s a senior at Wayland Baptist University’s Amarillo campus, where she’s excelling in her coursework and loving school for the first time in a long time. “I made it through a lot and am proud of myself for making it this far,” she said. But getting to where she is now has meant a journey through a lot of pain and perseverance. When it came time for Morrow to graduate from Amarillo High School in 1996, she still had not passed the TAAS math test. She received a certificate of completion and moved on with efforts to pick up that final piece of the puzzle. After a few tutorial courses, she took the test again in 1999 and failed once more. Heartbroken, Morrow said she was sure she’d never pass and entered the work world, destined never to be part of the college scene. After a few years, she went to work for the Texas Department of Transportation and saw many possibilities for future advance-

ment. Education, she knew, would be a key component to that climb. But she had an infant son Peyton (now four) and wondered if she could handle the juggling act. “As he got older, I realized that if I wanted him to get a college education, then I needed one myself,” she said. Morrow learned of a special state program that pays for education and applied to receive the grants. Finally, in early 2007, she was accepted and began planning for college. “I just figured with as many more years as I have, and the fact that I love it here and want to move up, it was time to go back to school,” she recalled. Spurred by the testimonies of coworkers who had earned degrees through Wayland’s Amarillo campus, Morrow decided to check into the nontraditional location that afforded her the chance to maintain her full-time job and take classes in the evenings. She visited with an academic advisor, felt the fit was right, applied and enrolled in the next session. Then she hit a snag. As academic advisor Cindy Perez recalls, Morrow needed to produce a high school diploma or GED since she did not have any college credit hours. Only problem was, she didn’t have one. “She was heartbroken and in tears. I had to drop her administratively,”

Perez recalls. Morrow contacted Amarillo ISD about her options and was told she could pursue the GED or take the math test again and try to pass. She wanted that diploma, so the test was the natural route. In four weeks, she sat for the ninth time to tackle TAAS math. This time, she was more focused, less stressed and more mature. And she passed. The diploma came shortly and she marched back into WBU Amarillo and completed the enrollment process for the summer term starting in May. Since then, Morrow has not missed a term at Wayland, taking two or three classes each 11-week session and even making the Dean’s List this last spring term for the first time in her life. She’s already passed intermediate and college algebra with WBU, crediting very good teachers who were patient and encouraging. At the current rate, Morrow will graduate in the summer of 2011 with a Bachelor of Applied Science in management. She’s already thinking seriously about the MBA with Wayland immediately afterward, setting herself up for more future career success. Morrow has been with TXDOT for eight years, now as office manager for the special jobs department for the district.

Edward’s Miracle

Church, family helps Kenyan runner get new lease on life By Teresa Young

he West Texas wind is whipping, but Edward Taragon is undaunted. Alongside teammate Hildon Boen, he sets a steady pace around the track at Wayland Baptist University’s Hilliard Field, moving in smooth strides that cause his leg muscles to tighten and his heart to beat faster. There’s even a faint line of sweat forming on his brow, despite the cooler temperatures and windy spring afternoon. Running has always been a way of life for Taragon. A native of Kenya in West Africa, Edward knew that if he was fast enough, he could run for an American college, earning his university diploma, and leading to a better life back home for him and his family, who are farmers of potatoes and maize in a community with a large number of Christians. But an amazing set of circumstances a year ago nearly sidelined Taragon from running track forever, or at least at the collegiate level. But with help from a Plainview couple and their church, he’s been able to take it all in stride. Literally. New challenges It’s been a few years since Edward first set foot on U.S. soil, coming first to California to run track for a college there. During a

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routine physical there, doctors found a hole in Taragon’s heart, but no one instructed him to quit running. “I thought I was 100% healthy,” Taragon said. “I ran regularly and usually felt fine.” After a semester, though, the coach sent Taragon to Texas to run for Coach Brian Whitlock at Wayland in January 2009. He’d begun training for the indoor track season which was soon to begin when Wayland sent him for a physical as well. The news wasn’t good: there was indeed a hole, and if Edward continued to train at the same level, it might cause more damage to his heart. For Taragon’s own safety, Whitlock had to break the bad news. Wayland could not let him run and risk further damage or even death. And since his education was tied to his track scholarship, he’d have to find a way to pay the difference if he wanted to stay on at the university. Both sets of news were devastating to Taragon. That’s when Wayland Richardson and his wife, Debbie, stepped in. “He called us just crying, saying they were going to send him home,” said Debbie. “So we came to get him and find out what happened.” The Richardsons had known

“

We believe God brought him

here to us because of the route he

Edward only a few months, introduced when he began attending Plainview’s Colonial Baptist Church with track teammate Bradley Sell and ended up in their college Sunday school class. Drawn to Taragon’s faithfulness and sweet spirit, the Richardsons bonded instantly with the small Kenyan and he soon became an extension of their family. Edward had a very different upbringing in the bush of Kenya, where his family lived in thatched-roof huts without running water and hunted with bamboo spears. But that diversity only added to his charm as his positive attitude and smile made an impression on the Richardsons. “Everything is just so new to him. It has humbled us and our whole family,” said Wayland, a longtime employee of Xcel Energy, noting that the couple’s grown children and grandchildren have even welcomed Edward as an adopted brother of sorts. “We believe God brought him here to us because of the route he came to get here. Our mission field came to us.” Edward and a few other Kenyan runners who came to Wayland became regular fixtures at the Richardson home and even accompanied them on short trips out of town. They enjoyed providing him with new experiences and sights unlike anything he had seen. Debbie cooked regularly and let the boys cook traditional Kenyan meals for

their family, involving them in holidays, family reunion trips and other adventures. “When everyone else went home for Spring Break, Edward stayed here. He had no means of transportation, so we’d get to where we picked him up every night and he’d go with us wherever we went,” Debbie recalled. “He’s so genuine, so loving and so sincere. And so grateful for everything.”

came to get here. Our mission field came to us.” Wayland Richardson

Making a plan Little did Taragon know at the time exactly how grateful he’d become to the Richardsons, his American church and a bunch of strangers who helped him get past a difficult hurdle. When Debbie got that tearful phone call from Edward about the heart defect, the scholarship and his education status, she sprung into action. The family spoke to the church and raised the money to keep Edward in school for the semester, then set out to find out what could be done medically for the Kenyan runner. Surgery was indeed an option, and doctors said repairs typically were very successful. But as an international student, Taragon had no insurance to cover the expensive procedures. The hospital agreed to do the surgery if he could at least come up with the downpayment; then payments could be made until the balance was paid. When he called home to let his parents know of the situation,

Taragon said they were befuddled by the $26,000 price tag on the surgery. “They didn’t know what to do about it,” he said. “But their second reaction was to give everything to God because they couldn’t do anything about it. They were so thankful about how people have treated me here and they know I’m safe.” Meanwhile, his “American parents” were putting feet to their own faith on behalf of Edward. “We sent emails asking for prayer, and we knew God would provide,” Debbie said. “We put some money in of our own, then challenged the church and the community to match the money

Edward (above right) poses with his “American parents” Wayland and Debbie Richardson and his Kenyan track friend Hildon Boen during a visit to Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo.

Continued on page 20

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for Edward’s surgery. We shared his story with everyone we knew and a lot of people gave.” The church came through, rallying to Edward’s cause. Even the Richardsons’ grandchildren opted to save their allowances for four months and donated to Taragon’s medical fund. Wayland and Debbie were awed by the generosity they found everywhere around them. Soon, the downpayment was raised and the two-hour, arthroscopic surgery was scheduled for June 29, 2009. A pre-op session with the pediatric cardiologist found the situation even more miraculous. “The cardiologist said it was a common pediatric problem but was usually repaired while a child was a few months old,” Debbie recalled. “He said Edward shouldn’t be alive and he sure shouldn’t be running cross country and breaking records.” Debbie and Wayland documented much of the visit, the surgery and recovery to send home to Edward’s family, and they kept a solid prayer chain going for the months leading up to and after the procedure. Taragon admits he had plenty of anxiety himself. He worried that the surgery would have to be done open-heart, which might end his running career permanently and, by extension, his chance at an American education. He’d already settled on a major in mathematics with plans to pursue a career in structural engineering he can use to improve his home country. But peace soon prevailed. “Prayer really helped me. At home, my source was God, and I

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Edward made a new friend in Red River while on vacation with the Richardsons, posing with a stuffed black bear.

came all the way here, so I knew he’d help me,” Taragon said. “The church helped give me the courage also by telling me everything was going to be OK.” A new heart When the fateful day finally arrived, the Richardsons delivered Edward to the hospital in Lubbock for the procedure. If all went well, the doctor said he’d be out of surgery in two hours. Ninety minutes later, the doctor emerged with good news. “He said it could not have gone more perfectly,” Debbie said, beaming. “God really did it. The hole was one-and-a-half inch diameter.” When Taragon began to regain consciousness in the recovery room, he wasn’t even sure the surgery had yet taken place. When told it had and he would be able to run again, he was excited. “He immediately wanted to pray and thank God,” Debbie said. So they did. Taragon’s family – both in

Kenya and his adopted family here – as well as the church was elated at the success of the procedure and the prognosis of the doctor that with some recovery time, he would likely be running again. But the matter of his outstanding hospital bill remained. The Richardsons had vowed that if they had to pay the bill off themselves, a little each month, they would. In their eyes, it was a worthwhile investment. “He just wanted to get his education and go back and tell his people about Jesus,” Debbie said. Getting back to full speed would take a while for Edward, though, even with his otherwise healthy state. For the first few months, he had to take it easy and lay off even the jogging. Then in November, the doctor cleared Taragon to begin jogging for no more than 20 minutes at a time. The Richardsons got him a bicycle to get some exercise without the great exertion of running and work his way back to full strength. In December, the doctor released him to run competitively again, noting that his EKGs were normal and by all accounts the surgery had been successful. Edward immediately began training in his running, hoping to secure a spot back on the Wayland track team and prove to the coaches he was truly an asset. His first race on January 23, held at Texas Tech, he placed first in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:14.72, qualifying him for the national meet. Then on Feb. 6 at the next meet, he placed second, beating his own time by four seconds. He placed 17th at the nation-

“

I truly know without a doubt that he was placed here for us to help. In the

process, he has blessed us so much. Our lives will never be the same again.”

als preliminary race for the 5000-meter. With more time to train, Taragon has qualified for the outdoor nationals meet as well, in the 5,000-meter run as well as the 10,000 and the 3,000. He planned to stay with the 5,000-meter race for the outdoor meet, which began May 27 and wrapped up just three days before his 25th birthday. However, Taragon ran the 3,000-meter steeplechase event – one he never ran before the conference championships a month ago – and won the preliminary heat. He placed tenth in the finals. But Debbie said Edward had a moment of fear just before that January meet, even with the doctor’s assurance he would be OK to run. “He was a little uneasy the night before, so we prayed together,” she said. “I told him, ‘Don’t you think if you were running with a hole in your heart and God was holding you that he wouldn’t let you go now that it’s fixed?’” The miracle continues While Edward was getting back to normal on his running schedule and training for the Wayland track team, the Richardsons were continuing to faithfully make payments to the hospital for the procedure. Then one day, Edward came over with a letter from a collection agency and the couple set out to investigate the situation. “I called Covenant to check on the account and they could not find the records right off, so she said she’d have to look into it,” Debbie recalls. “I called back the next day and the lady had dug everything up and said that someone had paid the entire hospital bill, about $20,000. “I just burst out crying.” The hospital couldn’t share who the anonymous benefactor had been, but save for the anesthesiologist bill, the majority of the surgery has been paid. Debbie said she kept the news to herself for a few days but finally couldn’t stand it. “We told him there at church, and he couldn’t

Debbie Richardson believe it,” Wayland said. “I thanked God for sure,” Edward said with his usual quiet demeanor. “I just couldn’t believe the love of people, especially for someone like me that didn’t know anyone here.” The church and community have helped with Taragon’s tuition for the semester and are hoping he can get back on scholarship with WBU track, finish his education and return to Kenya to make a difference for others, paying forward the kindness he’s found here in America. “He feels like this is his home and he wants to stay here,” Wayland said. “His love for America is so refreshing. Our kids, to some degree, have no clue what we have and how little the rest of the world has. They realize now how much their money can help someone.” While Edward has definitely been blessed by his association with Colonial Baptist Church, the Richardsons and his Wayland experience, the couple will be the first to say they’re the ones most enriched. “We just love the young man. He makes my heart happy and my eyes water,” Wayland Richardson laughs. “It’s just too much God. He’s orchestrated all this.” Debbie, whom Edward calls “Mum,” concurs. “I truly know without a doubt that he was placed here for us to help. In the process, he has blessed us so much,” Debbie said. “Our lives will never be the same again, that’s for sure.” Edward Taragon, center, opens a shirt given to him by the Richardsons during a family Christmas at their Plainview home.

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News In Brief

Time capsule buried with centennial items Students, faculty and staff and their families gathered in McClung Center dining hall on Aprl 29 for a hamburger dinner and the burial of the school’s time capsule. Originally unearthed from outside Gates Hall in August 2008 as the centennial celebration began, the capsule was packed with memorabilia from the year and the era, set to remain in place until the university’s sesquicentennial celebration in 2058. The four-foot-tall capsule spraypainted with “WBU 2009” was loaded with items reflecting the current era. Centennial co-chairs Hope English and Teresa Young narrated the program as Dr. Estelle Owens, university historian; Danny Andrews, Director of Alumni Development; and SGA president Lauren Davis helped introduce items to be included. Along with centennial items, the capsule included technology items such as a flash drive, MP3 player and digital camera, printouts of Web pages, and clothing popular among WBU students to name a few.

n Chase awards grant to

benefit Artesia teachers Anew grant from the Chase Foundation is helping Artesia public school teachers further their education through Wayland Baptist University. Specifically, the $1,000 grants help teachers pursue graduate coursework offered through the Virtual Campus, Wayland’s online component that offers several master’s degrees in education as well as English and history. The grant began with the summer term and covered most of the cost of one course for teachers. The program will continue in each term of Wayland’s Virtual Campus while the $30,000 fund-

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Jonathan Petty, assistant director of communications, lowers the repacked time capsule into the hole off the Gates Hall porch after the university-wide event held April 29.

ing remains and may be renewed by Chase if it proves to be a success.

n Students honored as

school year wraps up Wayland presented the top award given to senior students and other academic and scholarship recognitions during chapel on April 28. The 2010 Female Citizenship Award was given to Kiana Bullard, a senior from Borger majoring in Spanish. While at Wayland, she has served as a member of Student Foundation and on the Baptist Student Ministry’s leadership team. She has worked as a resident assistant in Ferguson Hall dormitory and led dorm Bible studies. Bullard is a member of the Spanish club, Sigma Tau Delta English honor society and the Phi Alpha Theta history honor society, and has served on mission trips to Mexico and Louisville, Kentucky, where she will return upon

graduation and spend a year working at the Jefferson Street Baptist Center, a shelter for the homeless and urban poor. The 2010 Male Citizenship Award was given to Kevin Burrow, a senior religion major from Tulia. Burrow is a member of the 2009-10 President’s Ambassadors., Ministerial Fellowship, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has served as a resident assistant in Caprock Hall. Burrow has been on mission trips to Macedonia and Kosovo. Upon graduation from Wayland, Burrow plans to attend Truett Seminary at Baylor University where he has received a full scholarship.

n New master’s degree

in English unveiled The School of Languages and Literature announced a new Master of Arts in English to begin in August. The MA is a general program of study designed to prepare students for

teaching, further graduate school, creative writing and other related fields. The 37-hour program will be offered in a quarterly format, with courses in four 11-week terms per year. Each term will offer at least one online course as well as a combination of evening, weekend and hybrid classes in an effort to accommodate working professionals. Students may choose a thesis track that involves six hours of thesis work and an oral defense, or the nonthesis track that will require two additional courses. Both tracks will require a written comprehensive exam. Applicants must already have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university as well as 12 upper-division hours in English with a 3.5 grade-point average. Courses will cover a large variety of literature topics, including 17th and 18th century prose and poetry, Shakespeare, linguistics, romanticism, American literature, British literature and creative writing. More information is available online at www.wbu.edu.

n San Antonio partnership

saves Air Force money A partnership between Wayland’s San Antonio campus and the Lackland Air Force Base Education Center is resulting in savings of both time and money for the U.S. Air Force. The national testing center was able to be computerized and made more accessible for the base. Lackland's computerized testing has 38 DANTES and 34 CLEP tests available, all of which provide instant results instead of waiting the six weeks allotted for paper tests. The joint venture increased attendance and passing rates, led to a WBU agreement with Air University providing professional military educa-

tion testing at no cost to the Air Force, allowed establishment of a pilot program for technical school students and reduced Air Force costs more than $1 million for fiscal year 2010. Savings come from no contractor test fees and reduced course expenses through increased passing rates (each passed test saves $750). The pace of current attendance projects the NTC will administer 9,800 tests by Sept. 30. The NTC is available to all activeduty, Reserve and guard members, regardless of branch or duty station.

n Employees honored for

service year milestones President Dr. Paul Armes presented awards for those reaching year milestones in employment during an April banquet for employees. Pat Buchanan, associate professor of exercise and sport science, was awarded a special plaque and pin commemorating 30 years of service to Wayland, while Brenda Bass, a longtime employee in the external campus records office, was noted for 25 years of service. Twenty-year awards went to Dr. Lloyd Cannedy of the Wichita Falls campus and Plainview campus employees Dr. Greg Feris, athletic director and professor of physical education and recreation; Steve Long, assistant professor of communication and media studies; Dr. Paul Sadler, dean of the School of Religion and Philosophy and Professor of Religion; and Sheila Wood, coordinator of student financial accounts.

n Family with WBU ties

dedicates new scholarship Members of the Jenkins and Selman families celebrated a relationship with Wayland that spans nearly 90

years with a special new endowed scholarship, dedicated in April. The Jenkins-Selman Family Endowed Scholarship honors a large group that has benefited from a WBU education. J.J. Jenkins of Roswell, N.M., established the scholarship along with his late wife Edna, who is a WBU alum. The family has had several members study and graduate from the university, beginning as early as the 1920s with John Cooper Jenkins, who graduated from Wayland in 1924 while it was still a junior college, and Hubert Jenkins, who attended in the 20s. The next generation of the Wayland family included Robert Lee Selman and Lois Chaddick Selman, students in 1948, and Edna Selman Jenkins, a graduate of 1953. The more recent decades have included Meri Jenkins Schrader, a 1987 graduate; Summer Mohon Perkins, a 1998 graduate; Jessica Mohon Alayon, a 2001 graduate; Tamara Haney, a 2008 graduate; and Anthony Jenkins Haney, a 2009 graduate. The family said the desire to fund a scholarship came from a love for Wayland and “their conviction that this institution offers an opportunity for a superior education in an environment that encourages Christian growth.” The scholarship is designated for students from New Mexico.

Members of the Jenkins and Selman families gather for an endowed scholarship honoring many members of the family with WBU ties. Pictured are (from left) grandchildren A.J. Haney and Tamara Haney, daughter Nancy Haney and husband Ed, J.J. Jenkins, sister Nan Jenkins of Austin and her friend Timmi Kuykendall.

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Athletics Review

National Champs Pioneer men earn first Outdoor title MARION, Ind. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Wayland Baptist brought home its third straight NAIA Outdoor Track and Field Team Championship, only this time it was the Pioneer men's team that earned the banner. Led by the Outstanding Male Athlete Award winner, Kennedy Kithuka, the WBU men captured the title with 70 points, 19 better than second place Dickinson State. Kithuka dominated his two events. He lapped the entire field on his way to winning the 10,000-meters on Thursday, and although he didn't lap quite everybody in Saturday's win in

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the 5,000, the freshman from Kenya did cross the finish line 46 seconds in front of the second place runner. Kithuka, running all alone for the final eight laps Whitlock of the race, broke the school record with a time of 13:56.82 Pioneer head coach Brian Whitlock, who was named NAIA Coach of the Year, said after the meet

that finally getting that men's championship banner was a great feeling. "I couldn't be happier for our guys. It was a total team effort. "We had some great performances, but four guys in particular really stood out. Kennedy was a crowd favorite and got standing ovations at the end of both of his races. It was obvious how hard he was working and they really appreciated that. Kirby (Dunn) ran a lot of races and still managed to turn in some really great times under some really hot and humid conditions."

In his final event as a Pioneer, Dunn broke the 1:50 mark for the first time in his stellar career, posting a 1:49.45 in the 800meters. The senior finished as the runner-up in the event, and also was a big part of the second-place 4x800-meter relay team. The other two Pioneers turning in "studly performances," according to Whitlock, were sprinters Caleb McLean and Jerry-Lee Davis. "Caleb really gave it everything he had. He ran some great races in the open 400, and his splits in the relays were just super. Coach (Rohan) Thompson has been saying all year that Jerry-Lee was ready to break out, and he certainly did it at the very best time." Davis capped off a terrific three days with his eight-point performance in the 200-meters. The sophomore ran a personal best 20.97 to cross the line just .09 behind the winner. McLean highlighted his big weekend with a third-place finish in the 400-meters. The junior ran a 47.15 to give the Pioneers six points, and anchored both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay teams. Joining McLean and Davis on the 4x100 relay were Lee Prevost and Myran Roundtree. The foursome ran a 40.67 to finish third, while Andre Hamilton and Mario Scott made up the remaining part of the 4x400 team, which wrapped up the meet with a 3:10.82, and also crossed the finish line in third place. After getting off to a promising start, the two-time defending champion Wayland women fell to 11th place this year, scoring 29 points. The women scored points in two of the three relay events, recording a runner-up finish in the 4x800 on Friday. Elva Pedroza, Milca Villegas, Jennifer Secrest and Kydia Echols ran a 9:02.15 in the 4x8, finishing just ahead of third place Malone University. In the final event, Keliesha Ross, Leandria Lee, Milca Villegas and Echols posted a 3:50.60 in the 4x400 to come in seventh. The women's 4x100-meter relay team of Bianca Grant, Leandria Lee, Kimberly Smith and Keliesha Ross posted a 45.58 in the sprint relay and finished second, but was disqualified because they had tape on the baton. Smith, Echols and Lee each earned points in individual events. Smith saw her string of national championships in the sprints come to an end with a fourth-place finish in the 100-meters. The junior ran an 11.88. Echols, who finished her WBU career by running three rounds of 800-meter races, two 800-meter relay events, and two 400meter relay events during the three-day national meet, placed sixth in the 800-meter finals with a time of 2:12.02. A sophomore, Lee got a point in the 200-meter finals after running a 24.99 to finish in eighth place.

Pioneer senior Todd Weldon of Carlsbad, N.M., delivers a pitch during a game early in the 2010 baseball season. Weldon was selected by the New York Mets in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball draft in June.

Weldon drafted Wayland Baptist right-handed pitcher Todd Weldon was drafted in the 27th round by the New York Mets in the June draft. Weldon becomes the first Pioneer taken in the Major League Baseball draft since J.J. Peirce in 2001. A 6'5â&#x20AC;?, 215-pound flame thrower from Carlsbad, NM, Weldon led the Pioneers in wins during the past two seasons and set a school record for strikeouts in a season in 2009 with 120. He won 19 of the 30 games in which he started at Wayland, striking out 219 batters in 166-1/3 innings of work, and had four shutouts. Weldon, the 812th player selected in the draft, was the second draftee from the Sooner Athletic Conference. Lubbock Christian catcher Joe Staley was an eighth-round selection of the San Franciso Giants.

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Pioneer Baseball Wayland’s baseball team fell just short of making the national tournament this year. The Pioneers, ranked 31st in the final NAIA Coaches Poll, fell just two places short of making the 46-team field. This year's field was comprised of 32 automatic qualifiers from NAIA affiliated conferences, Association of Independent Institutions and unaffiliated groupings and 14 at-larges, which were determined using the final Top 25 rating. A year ago, the top 33 teams in the final rankings made the cut, but upsets in several conference tournaments were a major blow to Wayland's chances. The Pioneers finished the season with a record of 3219. They picked up three wins when it was learned that Bellevue University had to forfeit all but two of their games this season for using an ineligible player. Bellevue took three-out-of-four from Wayland back in February at Wilder Field.

Men’s Golf SILVIS, Ill. – The Wayland Baptist Pioneers saved their best for last in the 2010 NAIA Men's Golf Championships. The Pioneers shot a 293 in the final round at TPC Deere Run to finish in a tie for ninth place with a score of 1,214 (301-303-317-293). The Pioneers, ranked ninth in the final NAIA Coaches Poll, entered the final round in a tie for 13th place, but made up nine strokes and jumped over three teams to end up in the top 10 for the fourth time in the last five years. Junior Michael Loppnow earned All-Tournament honors for the second straight year, finishing in eighth place after shooting one-under 70 to complete the 72-hole tournament with a 293. Junior Matthew Webb and sophomore Bradley Sinnett also had good final rounds. Webb shot a one-over 72 to finish with 305 (73-81-79-72). Sinnett parred the last 18 and wrapped up the tourney with 307 (80-77-79-71). Yohann Vora, a freshman who was hampered by a wrist injury, capped off his first national tournament appearance with a four-round total of 320 (79-74-87-80). Another freshman, Jimmy Lu, was just one stroke behind (80-77-80-84).

Women’s Golf EDMOND, Okla. – The Wayland Baptist women's golf team finished fourth at the 2010 Sooner Athletic

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WBU golfer Jonathan Elliott, from South Africa, tees off at a tournament in Arizona. Conference Championship held at River Oaks Golf Club. The 16th-ranked Pioneers finished 29 strokes in front of 5th place Oklahoma Baptist with a 36-hole total of 665 (332-333). WBU sophomore Charlotte Guilleux, who entered the final round in 13th place after shooting a season-high 82 in the opening round, came back with a blistering 71 on the final 18 holes to finish fourth in the individual standings and earn All-Conference honors for the second straight year. Guilleux struggled on the front nine the first day, shooting a 44, but took 10 strokes off that total on day two. She finished the tournament with three birdies and 23 pars, and led the field in par 5 scoring with oneunder. Anye Magombe, who was tied with Guilleux after the first 18, wound up tied for 17th with a 167 (82-85). Freshman Nathalia Valencia finished just out of the top 20 in 21st place at 168 (83-85). Jennifer Perry (85-92-177) and Krisann Earp (88-93181) also competed for the Pioneers at the conference championships.

Pioneers tackle the gridiron For the first time in more than 70 years, Wayland Baptist University will field an intercollegiate football team beginning in the fall of 2012. WBU President Dr. Paul Armes, along with other members of the administration and Director of Athletics Dr. Greg Feris, made the announcement at a press conference on March 31. "We are thrilled about the return of football to Wayland Baptist University after 72 years," said Armes. "Our Board of Trustees, faculty, staff and students are all strongly in support of this endeavor. Campus spirit and atmosphere will be positively enhanced, and our community will be able to see collegiate football played locally again." The WBU football program will compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and the Central States Football League (CSFL). Seven teams currently make up the CSFL, including two Sooner Athletic Conference members, Southern Nazarene University and Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Other CSFL members are Bacone College, Langston University, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Texas College and Southwestern Assemblies of God University. According to Feris and Dr. Claude Lusk, VP of Enrollment Management, the decision to reinstate football came after almost three years of study. "We believe this is not only a sound athletic decision, but a good business decision for the university," Feris said. "We found there was ample opportunity to compete on both the regional and national levels; that there

WBU president Dr. Paul Armes addresses a crowd of media and community members during a press conference held to announce the reinstatement of football, beginning in 2012. were large numbers of potential college athletes that were not being given the opportunity to compete; and that we could use football to strengthen enrollment as well as adding an element of excitement and energy to the university." Search for a head coach will begin this fall, and Feris says he hopes to have someone in place after the first of the year (2011). "We will be recruiting a group of young men that we are referring to as our ‘leadership class' to be on campus by the fall of 2011. This group will do everything that football players normally do in the fall with the exception of playing other schools. The fall of 2012 will be our first competitive year, and we will play a full CSFL schedule. By the second competitive year of the program, we will have the maximum scholarships allowed by the NAIA (24)." The new WBU team will practice on fields located to the west of Hilliard Field. Additional practice fields are set to be built to the east of Hilliard, as well. Games are tentatively scheduled to be played at Plainview High School's football stadium.

Football Fun Facts u

u u

Football was played at Wayland during its earliest decades. The school was a junior college in its early years and the mascot was the Jackrabbit. Texas Tech defeated Wayland 120-0 during the 1925 season. E.W. “Jack” Jackson, a star player on the teams of the late ’20s who averaged five yards a carry from the fullback position, was inducted into the WBU Athletic Hall of Honor in 1995. He remains the only football player in the Hall. The 1928 Jackrabbits went 7-1-1. The 1929 Jackrabbits compiled a 4-3-1 record. One loss was to the College of the Mines (now the University of Texas at El Paso) during the first night football game ever played by two Texas teams. In 1930, the Jackrabbits went 8-1-1. One of those victories was a 6-0 decision over Texas Tech. Football at Wayland was disbanded shortly thereafter because of the depression, but was reinstated in 193637. The last football game played by a Wayland team came on November 8, 1940. The Jackrabbits lost to Decatur Baptist College, 32-0. Ernest Craigo, a 1993 Athletic Hall of Honor inductee, was the coach. The team finished with a record of 1-5-1.

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The President’s Pen

Wayland still pioneering in many ways, opening doors

Dr. Paul Armes

“

In all humility, I believe with all of my heart that Wayland is still doing the right things for the right reasons. You can be proud of your Wayland.

”

From the beginning, Wayland Baptist University has been a leader in doing the right things for the right reasons. Permit me to share with you just a few examples. We were the first four-year, liberal arts school in the former Confederate South to voluntarily integrate. We welcomed African Americans years before the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1964 were passed by Congress. We were one of the universities to embrace enthusiastically the opportunities and challenges of international education, largely through the leadership and encouragement of former President Dr. Bill Marshall. In the 1970s, Wayland caught a vision of the need for and opportunities of military education. We saw that such a program fit well into the mission and ministry of the university, and that it helped meet a pressing need in the lives of those men and women serving the United States of America as members of our Armed Forces. Through our External Campus program, we have also been a pioneer in the education of non-traditional students, i.e. adults procuring or completing their university degree and/or certification. Our external campus programs are designed to meet the needs of working adults. Additionally, in a number of locations, we are attracting increasing numbers of traditionally aged students because they like the context of the faith-based excellent education offered at Wayland. You can be proud of your Wayland.

Increasingly, American universities hear challenges from the public regarding outreach to the underserved segments of our society. It might surprise you to know that this past fall, more than 40 percent of those students enrolled in the Wayland Baptist University system were ethnic minorities. This represented more than 1,800 individuals, many of whom serve in some branch of the United States military. At our home campus of Plainview, more than 30 percent of last fall’s enrollment was comprised of minority students. This represents more than 325 students. I could mention many other creative and innovative things that we are doing, like the WBU Mission Center or the Welch Foundation student research program, if I had the space to do so. However, my Footprints editor limits the number of words I can write! In all humility, I believe with all of my heart that Wayland Baptist University is still doing the right things for the right reasons. It is one of the reasons why those of us who work at Wayland are proud to do so and why we sense that God still has his hand upon the life and ministry of this university in an especially profound way. Most of you know or remember the line from the university’s alma mater: “…pioneering Wayland, hail thy blue and gold.” It is still true. We are pioneers... …and we thank you for your partnership in this incredible journey.

What the President is Writing: Want a peek into the musings of Wayland’s President? Visit his new blog online at http://paularmes.com/

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Thinking Out Loud

Travels remind of God’s blessings, work among those with WBU ties The older I get (and, boy, is that happening way too fast) and the more I travel (which is not nearly enough), I am convinced of this: God is working in more places than just Plainview, Texas, and through more folks than just those with my denominational label, and has blessed a whole lot of people other than me by being associated with Wayland Baptist University. I know, I know. That’s no big revelation. But I think we tend to get pretty myopic about the things closest and most familiar to us and it takes getting away to get another perspective. God has blessed me twice in that area recently – on a combination work-vacation trip to Kansas City in May and a combination mission-pleasure trip to New York City in June. With Carolyn serving as navigator and special assistant to the pleasant voice emanating from my GPS, we made contact with almost 30 Wayland exes from the Panhandle through Oklahoma and Kansas and on to Kansas City. In Shamrock, Texas, Fleeta Shannon told us with tears in her eyes how much Wayland meant to her as a young widow with children, trying to get a good education and get on with her life. Within a fairly small radius in Oklahoma City and adjoining Edmond, we made contact with more than a dozen alums, including Clyde and Kay Cain, John and Alta Murphey, Roy and Sharon Moody, and Wayne and Robbie Bristow (likewise Gerald and Fontilla Johnson in Guthrie) who prepared at Wayland for a lifetime of service in ministry; Mary Sharpe, sister of our university historian Dr. Estelle Owens, who has served Village Baptist Church as a secretary for three decades; Tom Renfro, one of Wayland’s first technology guys, now plying that talent for the giant Integris health system and serving as an interim music minister; and former Flying Queen and 2010 Athletic Hall of Honor inductee Laura Switzer, who is a retired educator. In the course of conversations, I found out that former Pioneer basketballer Alfred “Bobo” Jackson is a deacon at Village Baptist and that Bernice Womack Day is the grand-

daughter of two of Wayland’s most beloved servants – the late Dr. Neil Record, assistant to the president, and his wife Hayley, assistant to the registrar. In Olathe, Kan., we met Randolph Marchman, who attended Wayland classes at Texas Instruments before there was even a Lubbock campus back in the 1970s. In Kansas City, we renewed acquaintance with Greg and Sharon Griffin and Randall and Donna Stotts who have been in pastoral and discipleship ministry in that area for several years and we also just missed Carolyn Belshe, a former Methodist missionary to Mozambique who is an “email encourager” to recent WBU grad Jessica Riemersma who is serving there now. I was privileged to go with 64 others – including 53 from the Worship Choir of First Baptist Church-Plainview; half of whom are WBU grads or have strong Wayland ties – to worship at the very multicultural Brooklyn Tabernacle, be blessed by their famed choir and to be further uplifted by a Scripture-quoting woman from Nigeria who sat next to me. We also did some major projects for Metro Ministries, which provides Saturday “Sunday School” onsite and in the five boroughs of New York for 20,000 kids a week, helped as monitors on some of the 47 buses they use to transport the children, and interacted with them during the teaching time. Pastor Bill Wilson, left on the streets in Florida at age 11, started the ministry in one of Brooklyn’s toughest neighborhoods 30 years ago and spends 50 weekends a year on the road raising money for an outreach in many major U.S. cities and about 25 countries. I will never forget what one of Metro’s staffers told me when I asked if such ministry doesn’t emotionally and physically wear you out. “I get tired,” he admitted, “but I’m able to do it when I combine my natural with God’s supernatural.” That is my prayer for all of us in the Wayland family, working wherever God wants to minister, combining our natural with His supernatural to advance his Kingdom on Earth.

Danny Andrews Director of Alumni Development

“

God is working in more places than just Plainview, Texas, and through more folks than just those with my denominational label. He’s blessed a whole lot of people other than me by being associated with WBU.

”

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Development

The Double Win Charitable gift annuities benefit donor, WBU By Teresa Young When it comes to investing money, folks want the best return on their dollar, even in a down economy. The same can be said for philanthropists, who typically want to leave the greatest possible gift to the charities they support. While there are many ways to donate to organizations like Wayland Baptist University, far too few consider the planned gift. In most cases, this gift not only benefits the donor during their lifetime but ends up benefiting the university more in the long run. A great example of that is the charitable gift annuity, which provides a large tax savings for donors up front, a small savings over the next few years and a steady income stream during their lifetime. According to the American Council on Gift Annuities, the charitable gift annuity involves a transfer of cash or other assets to a charity, who then in turn agrees to pay a fixed amount of money to one or two individuals for their lifetime. The gift becomes the property of the charity, so the donor receives a tax credit for the initial gift. When gifts such as this come to Wayland, they are invested with the Baptist Foundation of Texas for the lifetime of the donor and the pay-

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ments are pulled from the interest of the investment. The fixed rate of return depends heavily on the age of the donor making the charitable gift annuity, with older donors getting a higher yield. The shared benefit to Wayland and to their retirement income was what interested Juanita Clepper Parks to donate a charitable gift annuity that will one day become a scholarship for the Flying Queens basketball program in her name. As a former Queen from 1949-51, Parks said she and husband Lee had long discussed leaving a nice gift to Wayland in the future. “Wayland had paid my way to school for two years while I was on the basketball team; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to go. I had no money and my parents had no money,” she said. “This is a good way to give back, especially if it helps Wayland.” A brochure from another charity sparked Juanita’s interest in charitable gift annuities and she saw an option that would allow her to both make a generous gift to the university and ensure that their retirement years were covered in terms of living expenses. “I told Lee that this would be a good way to get a better return off the money we had in savings, especially since we’d both wanted to do something for Wayland,” she said. “It was a great thing for us. It’s been a real benefit to us to have the extra income off the annuity, and I’d highly recommend it for anyone who is older.”

In this WBU file photo, Juanita and Lee Parks of Midland (center) hold the bronze plaque marking the Juanita Clepper Parks Women’s Athletics Endowed Scholarship, dedicated in 2006 with their initial gift to Wayland. With them are thenVice President of Advancement Betty Donaldson and President Dr. Paul Armes.

Parks said the couple receives annuity payments quarterly and that has been a blessing in retirement. Lee retired in 1993 from Henry Engineering and Fasken Oil and Ranch properties. The two have lived in Midland for 46 years. Juanita left Wayland after her junior year and a season in which she was named an All-American and was able to travel the world with the Flying Queens squad. All of this was quite a shock to a self-proclaimed farm girl from Wheeler County who was recommended to Coach Sam Allen by a superintendent who had seen her play ball. On a whim, she enrolled, tried out for the team and earned a full scholarship. After two seasons, she married Lee Parks and the couple moved to Levelland. She was a homemaker and mother to four sons for many years. She eventually finished a teaching degree at University of Texas-Permian Basin after her children were grown, graduating at age 47. She worked as a substitute teacher in Midland for 12 years after that before retiring. The Parkses have 11 grandchildren and enjoy taking vacations each year, bringing along their family when able. With all the rich memories of her time at Wayland, Juanita said she is thrilled to be able to leave a legacy and support the next generation of Flying Queens. The charitable gift annuity option has been key to that. “I got to go places I never dreamed I’d get to go,” she says of her experience. Charitable annuities offer

some options for donors as well. They can choose to have the regular payments go to one individual or they may choose the “joint and survivor” agreement which means the payments continue for the lifetime of the surviving spouse at the death of the first spouse. Options include immediate gift annuities, where payments begin just after the initial contribution; the deferred gift annuity, where payments are set to begin at a future date at least a year after the contribution; or flexible annuities, where payment dates can be set later by the annuitant. “A charitable gift annuity provides the donor with much more income than a standard investment, plus the charity is guaranteed to receive their gift as well,” noted Mike Melcher, director of corporate development at Wayland. “It’s a win/win proposition for everyone.” For more information on the charitable gift annuity program, contact a development officer at Wayland at (806) 2913425.

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Classnotes FACULTY, STAFF, TRUSTEES & FRIENDS STEVE BARRERA, adjunct instructor of public administration at the San Antonio campus, is the new director of public safety and chief of police at the University of Texas at San Antonio, which has 29,000 students, faculty and staff. DR. CHARLES BASSETT, retired longtime administrator from Wayland, has moved from Weatherford to Texarkana with wife Rosalie. Charles was honored in February by the PanhandlePlains Pastors’ and Laymen’s Conference at WBU for 50 years of service to that group as secretary-treasurer. (4100 Moores Lane #136, Texarkana, TX 75503) MARTHA MORTON CROSS, MED’92, former Director of Major Gifts at Wayland where she worked in Advancement for nine years, married Scott Robison on June 12 at the

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Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas with the Rev. EDDY CURRY, BS’75, minister of education at Pioneer Drive Baptist Church in Abilene, officiating. Scott is an architect and principal owner at Hord Coplan Macht Inc., of Baltimore. (1432 Providence Road, Towson, MD 21286; martha.tech@gmail.com)

JESSICA FAUCETT, BS’06, an assistant professor of mathematics at Wayland, and her husband, JOSHUA FAUCETT, who is pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice, welcomed their first child, Hailly Gail Faucett, at 5:23 p.m. June 2. She weighed 6 pounds, 4.4 ounces. (2885 FM 2883, Plainview, TX 79072; faucettj@wbu.edu) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of JAMES BOYD HOGUE, Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems for the past five years, who died May 6, 2010, at the age of 64.

James was memorialized at a service on campus May 8 that was led by his School of Business colleagues. He was secretary of the Breakfast Lions Club, a member of the Plainview Writers Guild, and an avid fan of the WBU Flying Queens and Pioneers. Surviving are his wife, Linda Walker; five children and four grandchildren. Donations may be made to the James Hogue Scholarship Fund at Wayland, 1900 W. Seventh, CMB 621, Plainview, TX 79072. MARK ANTHONY PAIR, Piano Artist-in-Residence, received the 2010 Silver Star award from the Plainview Cultural Arts Council in May. Many of the previous recipients also have Wayland ties. A renowned concert pianist, Pair has presented more than 80 professional piano concerts and has been the guest artist with the Plainview Symphony Orchestra. At Homecoming 2010, he received the Distinguished Lifetime Service Award from the Association of Former Students. He is pianist for The Pastor’s Class at First Baptist Church, where he and his wife Helen are members. (1303 Amarillo, Plainview, TX 79072) JOHNNA POINTER, MEd’03, head coach of the

Flying Queens from 1996-2003, has been named an assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of Colorado. Previously, Pointer was the Administrative President for the Hoop 10 Basketball-Serious Basketball Instruction program in Amarillo. She guided the Flying Queens to a 155-48 record and seven NAIA National Tournaments, including three trips to the quarterfinal round. WBU won the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament title and she was the league’s Coach of the Year in 1999. Her teams finished in the NAIA Top 25 final rankings all seven years including the 1999 No. 2 final national ranking. She also coached in Bensberg, Germany, two years at Frank Phillips College in Borger and was a student assistant at the University of Texas. Johnna was a two-time AllSouthwest Conference performer for Texas from 1988-92 as UT won two SWC Tournament Championships and made four NCAA Tournaments including Elite Eights in 1988 and 1989. She also played for Athletes In Action for two years and participated in two Olympic Sports Festivals in 1989 and 1990. RUSTY RAINBOLT, assistant coach for the Flying Queens in 2007-08, is new head women’s basketball coach at Concordia University in Austin. He spent the past two seasons as assistant coach at McMurry, recruiting two straight honorees as American Southwest Conference Newcomer of the Year, and helping McMurry compile a 39-16 record.

Rainbolt and his wife, Audra, have two daughters. HARLEY REDIN, who restarted the athletic program at Wayland in 1946 and was the highly successful coach of the Pioneers and then the Flying Queens, was nominated again for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the spring. He is a member of seven honor halls, including the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. He and his wife, WILDA HUTCHERSON REDIN, were named Distinguished Benefactors in 2008 for their longtime support of the University, upgrading of Hutcherson Center and the Athletic Hall of Honor there and providing of an endowed scholarship. The court at Hutcherson is being named in their honor with official recognition due as the basketball season opens. (102 Kirchwood St., Plainview, TX 79072; Harleyredin@suddenlink.net) Assistant Dean HENRIQUE REGINA at the Hawaii campus received the Distinguished External Campus Service Award from the Association of Former Students during the annual Faculty-Staff Awards Luncheon. Regina has been with the school for nine years. He volunteers regularly for a number of church and civic organizations and is very active in the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii. He serves on a number of local education committees that serve interests varying from excellence in early childhood

education to improving outcome processes at the University of Hawaii. (hregina@wbu.edu) DR. PAUL VAUGHN ROSS, BS’67, Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences, has moved with wife Johnene to Waxahachie to be closer to children and grandchildren in retirement. (107 Willow Lane, Waxahachie, TX 75165; vross@wbu.edu)

anniversary on July 18. They both were in International Choir, assigned the costumes of Sweden when they arrived in the fall of 1958, and they soon began dating. Bob is retired chair of the Department of Mathematics at Howard Payne, where he taught for 30 years. He spent 11 years at Wayland and four at Houston Baptist. Bob also was music minister at Bethel in Plainview, and Jan was organist at College Heights. They have three children and 10 grandchildren. (902 N. Main #133, San Angelo, TX 76903)

1930s DR. BOB SARTAIN, BS’61, and wife JANET (BUTLER), EX’62, celebrated their 50th

Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of ROBERTA LUCILLE MAL-

ONE WOLFE BAILEY, AA’33, who died Feb. 8, 2010, in Houston at age 94. She also had degrees from Baylor and Midwestern University. She began teaching at age 17 and continued teaching public school music and other subjects in Texas and Oklahoma for 40 years. She was an accomplished organist and pianist, taught private piano lessons and served as organist and pianist in various churches. Surviving are her husband, Rev. Milton Bailey; three daughters; a stepson; a stepdaughter; two brothers, two sisters; and 12 grandchildren. The family requests donations to the Bessie and Clint Malone Memorial Scholarship at Wayland, 1900 W. 7th, CMB 621, Plainview, 79072, or online at https://give.wbu.edu.

Prints of WBU legends on sale through offices Two color prints of Wayland legends are available from the Advancement office. Kenneth Wyatt’s 18-inch tall-by-24-inch wide painting of “House Call,” depicting founder Dr. James H. Wayland making a visit to a rural residence – as he did in his “buckboard” to patients within about a 250-mile radius of Plainview – can be obtained for $75 (which includes handling). Proceeds benefit the general fund at Wayland. Van Redin has provided six numbered paintings of his father, legendary Wayland coach Harley Redin, done by artist Robert Hurst when Harley was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. The 11-inch wide by 20-inch tall painting features Harley wearing a jacket with a Queens logo towering above action between the Queens and an unnamed opponent. They are autographed by Harley, who was an inau-

(Above) “House Call” by Kenneth Wyatt; (at left) Harley Redin painting by Robert Hurst.

gural member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. The paintings are $120 each (including shipping) with proceeds going to the Flying Queens program. Both paintings can be ordered by sending a check to Advancement, Wayland Baptist University, 1900 W. Seventh, CMB 621, Plainview, TX 79072 or by credit card by calling 806-291-3425.

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Alum establishes social work scholarship honoring Jesters By Danny Andrews Wayland graduate and benefactor Dr. Mike Davis of Las Vegas, Nev., has started the David and Marie Hans Jester Endowed Social Work Scholarship to honor a former Wayland president and first lady. Proceeds will benefit the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences, assisting students preparing to enter social work as a career. The Jesters are retired and live in Louisville, Ky., where he is president emeritus of Mid-Continent Baptist College. They are active in their church, and he serves on many boards. During Jester’s tenure, Wayland moved from college to university status and graduate courses began, the McClung Center opened, Wayland started offering lifelong learning programs and new campuses were added in San Antonio, Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Please designate where applicable the specific scholarship and memorial given. (2815 Teague Road, Apt. 1406, Houston, TX 77080) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of Rev. JEAN PASCHAL STEPHENS, AA’39, who died June 12, 2010, in Louisville, Ky., at the age of 94. He also was a graduate of Howard Payne and Southern Seminary and pastored for 40 years, retiring at Sycamore Baptist Church. Surviving are his wife of 65 years, Nancy; three children; and two grandchildren. Memorials are suggested to Wayland Baptist, 1900 W. 7th St., CMB 621, Plainview, TX 79072. (206 Hemingway Road, Louisville, KY 40207) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of OLLIE ELAINE CULPEP-

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In March, at a chapel at which Jester spoke, the Davis Memorial Endowed Scholarship was dedicated. Davis and his father, Everett Davis of Pampa, provided most of the funding for the scholarship to honor his late mother and brother. Davis reported in early July that more than $10,000 of the needed $25,000 to endow the Jester scholarship has been received. He is hoping it will be fully funded by June 2012. “I appreciate the legacy of Christian service by David and Marie Jester, including their time at Wayland from 1981-87 when he served as president,” Davis said. “Much of their lives have been devoted to education

PER WILSON, EX’39, who died April 6, 2010, in Floydada at the age of 88. She taught at Lubbock’s Posey, Overton and Williams elementaries over a period of 32 years. After retirement she continued to teach computer literacy to senior citizens. She is survived by two sons; 10 grandchildren; and 16 greatgrandchildren.

1940s Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of MARGERET ELIZABETH CAMDEN BECK, AA’44, who died Jan. 26, 2010, in Waco, at age 86. Margeret enjoyed working with children at each church where she and her husband were members during his 33-year Marine career. In addition to Ed, survivors are a son; a daughter and

and social work, so I believe this is an appropriate recognition. I am gratified by the response we already have received and encourage my classmates and others to join in this effort,” he added. Davis, an honors graduate of the Class of 1987, is Manager for Nuclear Training Policy and Compliance for National Security Technologies, the company that manages the Nevada Test Site for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U. S. Department of Energy. Contributions may be sent to: Jester Scholarship, Wayland Baptist University, 1900 W. Seventh, CMB 621, Plainview, TX 79072 or may be made online with a credit card at https://give.wbu.edu. Wayland students have been benefiting for many years from the William Jester Scholarship established by the Jesters in honor of his father and the Ralph and Lucille Hans Scholarship in honor of her parents.

10 grandchildren. (5225 Lake Charles Dr., Waco, TX 76710) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of W.C. CARPENTER JR., AA’40, who died June 5, 2010, in Lewiston, Idaho, at the age of 95. He also graduated from Baylor and Southwestern Seminary and pastored churches in Texas, New Mexico and Idaho for 60 years. For 12 years he was Missions Director for the Northwest Baptist Convention in Portland, Ore. He served on the board at Southwestern from 1973-83 and was named Distinguished Alumnus for 1988. His wife of 48 years, Fannie Beatrice, died in 1989. Surviving are his second wife, Norma Kathryn; five daughters, including PAT MACDOWELL, EX’60, and her husband LES MACDOWELL, BS’62; MOLLIE BED-

WELL, EX’62; MARY PANTHER, BA’71; and MARTHA KENYON, EX’69, and her husband DEAN KENYON, BA’69; two stepchildren; a sister; a brother; and 35 grandchildren. (902 Burrell Avenue, Lewiston, ID 83501-5054) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of the Rev. JAMES OLIVER DUCKWORTH, AA’44, who died Nov. 4, 2009, in Tyler at age 84. He was a former Southern Baptist minister serving several churches in Texas and was chaplain at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. He also served in the Air Force Reserves, attaining the rank of colonel. His wife, Pansy Ruth McLaughlin Duckworth, died in 2004. Surviving are two sons; a daughter; and five grandchildren. JAMES D. ROBERSON,

AA’42, and his wife JOHNA R. BUTLER ROBERSON, AA’42, are retired – he from the Texas Workforce Commission and she from Veterans Administration finance. They have been married for 68 years and have two daughters and four grandchildren. (5341 Meadow Creek Drive, Austin, TX) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of ERNEST D. STEWART, AA’42, who died March 22 in Sweetwater. He was a retired Baptist pastor who had served all over Texas as well as in Nebraska and Kansas. He and his wife of 68 years, Geri, had a son, a daughter, six grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and four sisters. Ernest had earned degrees from Hardin-Simmons University and Southwestern Seminary. (1109 E. 12th St., Sweetwater, TX 79556)

1950s Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of SYLVIA RHEA COFFMAN CUNNINGHAM, BA’55, who died June 3 in Alamo, Texas, at the age of 79. She was a homemaker and former school teacher and worked alongside her husband, C.T. CUNNINGHAM JR., BA’55, a church planter for the

Home Mission Board whose pastorates included Second Church-Plainview, First-Hart, Pratt, Kan. and Alamo. In addition to Rev. Cunningham, other survivors include a son, Dr. Thomas Cunningham, and his wife JANET JOHNSON CUNNINGHAM, BA’84, a teacher at Estacado Junior High in Plainview; a daughter, Frances Steele, and 11 grandchildren. (C.T.: 809 S. 13th Street, Alamo, TX 78516; Janet: 306 Mesa Circle, Plainview, TX 79072) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of CHARLES CHENG-YEH LIU, EX’56, who died June 17, 2010, in Dallas at the age of 76. He attended Wayland after emigrating from China in 1952 and earned his Master of Science degree at the University of Illinois in Electrical Engineering. Charles retired from Texas Instruments after a long career which included opening the China market for TI in the mid-1970s. He was a consultant for Halliburton for 10 years. An active member of Prestonwood Baptist Church, Charles was instrumental in building 27 schools in impoverished areas of China with Wycliffe Resources SIL, a Bible translation ministry. Survivors include his wife of 46 years, Catherine; two daughters; two sons; two sisters; and eight grandchildren. (17412 Pauma Valley Circle, Dallas, TX 75287) DR. JAMES C. McGRAW, EX’53, was named 2010 Distinguished Alumnus of the

University of Washington Dental School by its Dental Alumni Association. The award reflects contributions made over a long period of time. (1788 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, WA 98004)

LOMETA ODOM, BS’56, was announced in July as a 2011 inductee to the National Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. A native of Dimmitt, Odom played for the Flying Queens from 1952-56 and was one of only two athletes to earn AllAmerica honors four years. During her tenure, the Queens amassed a 115-5 record, including three AAU national championships and a second-place finish. She played on the victorious U.S. team in the Pan American Games of 1955. Odom’s 1,614 career points places her at ninth in all-time scoring for the Queens. After WBU, Odom taught science, health and physical education in Gruver, Spearman, White Deer and Plainview and coached as well. She retired in 1993. She is also a member of the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame, the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame, the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame, the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, and Wayland’s Athletic Hall of Honor. Odom joins

other WBU greats in the hall, including Harley Redin (1999), Dean Weese and Katherine Washington (2000), Claude Hutcherson, Patsy Neal and Marsha Sharp (2003), and Jill Rankin Schneider (2008). (7404 Wallace Blvd., Apt. 131, Amarillo, TX 79106; lometa.odom@sbcglobal.net) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of BILLIE RUTH HARPER RICH, EX’54, who died March 30, 2010, in Amarillo at age 80. She married Henry Bruce Rich Jr. in 1948 and they served in churches in Texas, New Mexico and Oregon. Surviving are her husband; three daughters; a son; two sisters; a brother; and 13 grandchildren. Memorials are suggested to Wayland, 1900 W. 7th, CMB 621, Plainview, TX 79072. (6929 Sedge Ave. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87120) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of RICE EUGENE ‘GENE’ WATSON, BS’53, who died May 28, 2010, in Fort Worth at the age of 79. He received a Master of Theology degree from Southwestern Seminary. He was a teacher for 31 years in the Fort Worth school system. Surviving are his wife, Wanda; a son; two stepchildren and three grandchildren. (111 St. Anthony, Crowley, TX 76036) PAT WILLIAMS, BS’53, a former manager for the Flying Queens, was honored by the Runningwater Draw RSVP as Volunteer of the Month for May. Pat is a retired teacher

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and pastor’s wife and lived in 22 different towns before returning to Plainview in 2005. She volunteers at the Museum of the Llano Estacado and is in Millennium Singers among other activities. She is a member of First Baptist Church, the Hale County Historical Commission, the Hi-Plains Genealogical Society and the Retired Teachers Association. Husband Leon died in 2001. SHe has three children. (901 Yonkers, Plainview, TX 79072)

1960s Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of NORA HOWE CHU, BS’62, who died April 7, 2010, in Hong Kong. Survivors include her husband, LAWRENCE CHU, BA’62. The Chus made a substantial gift in December 2009 in appreciation of Wayland’s influence in their lives. (G/F #11 Lane One, Wu Ka Sha Village, Ma On Shan, NT Hong Kong) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of OLLIE ONETA GARY, BS’69, MEd’84, who died July 5, 2010, in Hale Center. She had special education credentials and taught at Carr Middle School in Hale Center. Surviving are her husband of 60 years, Bill; five children; two sisters and 50 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. (1371 FM 37A, Hale Center, TX 79041) BETH LANDRY, BA’65, is retired from teaching English at Port Neches-Groves High

36 footprints

School and lived for six months in 2009 in Jerusalem. She taught at the Jerusalem School and lived in housing with three other teachers. Beth writes: “I lived in an Arab neighborhood and taught Arab students, about 85 percent Muslim. It was an incredibly wonderful experience. I was blessed to be able to see many sites in Israel and to experience Palm Sunday and Easter in Jerusalem. The Lord has blessed me with relationships with students and new friends from Jerusalem – both Arab and Christian.” She has two daughters and a granddaughter. (2816 Delta Drive, Port Arthur, TX 77642; marbeth@gt.rr.com) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of Martha Lucile Hunt Loyd, who died April 20, 2010, in Colorado Springs at the age of 81. She worked in banks during each of her husband’s pastorates and served as a Sunday school teacher for grades 1-3. Surviving are her husband, REV. KEITH LOYD, BA’61, sons Randy and Terry, daughters Keithann and Janis, four grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren. (2118 N. Circle Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80909-2019; kloyd@q.com) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of DALE LEE SCHWARTZ, BA’60, who died Dec. 1, 2009, in Lubbock at the age of 75. A U.S. Army veteran, he had served as a Boy Scouts executive and then taught school in Texico, N.M., for 25 years. His

wife, GERRY REICH SCHWARTZ, BS’59, was a teacher and administrator in the Clovis school system for many years. Also surviving are a son; a daughter, his mother; two sisters; and six grandchildren. (10318 Knoxville Place, Lubbock, TX 79423) MARY LOU SERRATT, BA’64, who has served in leadership roles in church, area and state Woman’s Missionary Union organizations, received the Dellana West O’Brien Award for leadership development among women during the June 14 meeting of the national WMU. She has worked with women from numerous countries in several roles since planning her first mission trip in 1975. Serratt served as vice president of WMU of Texas and a volunteer multiethnic consultant, among other leadership roles. She also writes for national WMU for the Missions Plan Book, a resource written in basic English for smaller or new churches, multicultural congregations and deaf congregations. She and husband DELBERT, BA’58, a retired pastor and Director of Missions in the Amarillo area, have two children. (3405 S. Virginia St., Amarillo, TX 79109; Marylou_ser@suddenlink.net)

Odessa, TX 79762) BENNY BURNETT, BS’79, coached the Dale, Okla., Lady Pirates to the Class 2A state championship with his daughter, Brenna, earning tournament MVP honors. She was an all-stater and voted by the Oklahoma Coaches Association as the Female Athlete of the Year for the state. She will play basketball for one of Wayland’s Sooner Athletic Conference rivals, Oklahoma Baptist, next season. Benny, who also is middle school principal, was named Girls Basketball Coach of the Year by the OGBCA. His son Braeden’s team lost in the state semifinals. Braeden will be a junior this fall. Benny’s wife, Lisa, is an elementary teacher. (302 Teri Lane, McLoud, OK 74851; burnettbenny@ netscape.net)

1970s

RANDY DAY, BA’74, is founding pastor of New Beginnings of Fort Stockton, where he has lived for the past 10 years. He has been in full-time music ministry since graduating from Wayland with most of those years concentrated at FBC Kirbyville and seven at FBC Fort Stockton. He and his wife Jody will be celebrating 25 years of marriage in December. They have homeschooled five daughters and one son and also have five grandchildren. (sixdaydad@yahoo.com)

DON ALLEN, EX’79, is a financial planner for senior adults. He and his wife, Kathy, have two grown children. (4130 Springbrook Drive,

MELANIE APPLETON GALLAGHER, BA’74, recently retired from the Texas Teacher Retirement System after 32 years of service credit

Homecoming 2011 dates announced – 18 of them as a school librarian. She is now a sales representative for PermaBound Books for West Texas and Southern New Mexico. She and her husband, Bob, live in El Paso with their three dogs, Jasmine, Izzy and Fifi. She is a frequent storyteller at her church and in her community. Melanie recently helped to start a Prayer Shawl ministry in her church. She enjoys all kinds of needlecrafts, particularly quilting. (6882 Orizaba, El Paso, TX 79912; melgallagher9@juno.com) LINDA BRICKER HAYES, EX’70, is retired from teaching. She and her husband, Don, met while teaching in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. They live near Fayetteville, Ark., and have a grown son. Linda donated her 1970 annual to our collection. Her best friend is LYNN GRAY WELCH, BS’71, whom she met at Wayland. Linda is a retired educational diagnostician for the Lamesa school district. (Linda: lhayes40@ gmail.com; Lynn: lawwelch50@suddenlink.net) DAVID NALL, EX’70, recently won Gospel Album of the Year at the Texas Country Music Awards Show for River Jordan Gospel Collection No. 1. David has been writing and recording gospel music steadily since 2006 and has won numerous awards, getting heavy airplay in many European markets as well. He is a pharmacist in Justin, near Fort Worth. (123 Daisey Lane, Justin, TX 76247; pharmnall@yahoo.com)

Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of JOHN TRUETT, BA’77, who died July 5, 2010, at 69. Truett was a retired pastor who earned his master’s degree in theology from International Bible Institute and Seminary. He and wife Dianna were retired in Plainview and attended College Heights Baptist Church, where John taught the exceptional ministries Sunday school class. He is survived by two sons, Lee and Glenn, and two grandchildren. (1300 Dallas St., Plainview, TX 79072) CHUCK WILLIAMS, BA’74, founder and senior pastor of Live Oak Community Church in Lubbock, is the author of “Eternal Route 66” to help readers discover life’s purpose as they explore historic Route 66 and relevant passages in each of the 66 books of the Bible. For almost a month in 2004, Chuck and his wife, ANN GLAZENER WILLIAMS, BA’73, who is a substitute teacher, drove the entire length of Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica writing, photographing, and meeting people to produce the book. He spoke in WBU chapel shortly after the book came out in 2005. More information is available at www.eternalroute66.com. Their son, Rich, will complete his MBA this month and works at UT-Dallas. His wife, Johanna, works for HH Architects in Dallas. (5728 108th Street, Lubbock, TX 79424; chuck@eternalroute66.com)

Homecoming 2011 has been scheduled for Feb. 24-26. More details will be announced

those honors may be made by Dec. 10 to Danny Andrews, Alumni Services, Wayland Baptist

in the December Footprints but

University, 1900 W. Seventh, CMB

we’ll be honoring the exes of 1961

437, Plainview, TX 79072 or to

as the Golden Anniversary Class

andrewsd@wbu.edu.

as well as the special recognition

The Homecoming Banquet fea-

for the classes of 1971, 1981,

turing entertainment by students,

1991 and 2001. All exes of 1961

the Alumni Luncheon, basketball

and earlier are invited to attend

games, baseball games, a play, art

the Legacy League Luncheon on

exhibits and special recognitions

Friday after chapel.

by various schools will be a part of

The Distinguished Alumni (the highest honor), Distinguished

the celebration. We especially encourage the

Alumni Service Award,

honor class members to attend

Distinguished Alumni Leadership

and encourage fellow classmates

Award, Young Alumni Award and

to do the same. Alumni Services

Distinguished Benefactor Award

can help with arrangements for

also will be presented in chapel at

reunion meetings of organizations

11 a.m. Feb. 25. Nominations for

or classes.

Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of EDDIE ANAYA, BS’77, who died April 7, 2010, in Lubbock at the age of 57. He was Executive Director of LEARN Inc. and a community leader, building a 30-year career around helping about 100,000 disadvantaged students and adults achieve goals that would better their lives through education. At Wayland, he served as Administrative Assistant to the Dean of Admissions and Registrar. He was involved in many community organizations and received numerous honors, including the Walter O. Mason Lifetime Achievement Award by the Texas Association of Student Special Services Programs for his public service in the federal TRiO programs. Surviving are his wife, Norma Cantu; two sons; a daughter; his mother; six sisters; one brother and four grandchildren.

(713 Sunset Lane, Lubbock, TX 79403)

1980s Music evangelists SHERMAN ATEN, BA’85, and TAMMY (PAYNE) ATEN, BA’85, will celebrate their 20th anniversary in ministry at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at the Pecan Plantation Country Club, 8650 Westover Court in Granbury. Cost is $16 per person. RSVP to wdonallen@yahoo.com or (432) 770-5418 by Oct. 22. They also will be cohosting a David and Debbie Burk Bibleland Cruise starting Nov. 11. More information is available at www.discoveryministries.com. The Atens celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in 2010 as well. (atenmin@juno.com) KIRBY KENNEDY, BA’80, is new pastor of First Baptist Church in Palatka, Fla. Kirby,

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who received his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from Southwestern Seminary, served Emmanuel Baptist Church in Farmington, N.M., for the past three years. Other pastorates have been Covington Baptist in Maple Valley, Wash.; Calvary Baptist in Roswell, N.M., and FBC Los Lunas, N.M. He and his wife, Debbie, have two daughters. (106 Lisa Lane, Palatka, FL 32178; kirbykennedy@yahoo.com) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of FRANK LYNN MERTON, BSOE’89 from the Lubbock campus, who died May 1, 2010, in Lubbock at age 53. He served in the Marine Corps for eight years. Surviving are his wife, Mariah; his parents; and two brothers. (4320 43rd Street, Lubbock, TX 79413-2927) WERNER WAAK, BSOE’80 from the Anchorage campus, is a new member of the board for the Denali Alaskan Federal Credit Union, the state’s third largest. Waak served 23 years in the Air Force before joining the staff at the Municipality of Anchorage, where he currently is senior administrative officer of its purchasing department. (23827 Chandelle Drive, Chugiak, AK 99567) GARLAND ‘BUDDY’ WALKER, EX’87, and his wife RUTH, MEd’88, were named RSVP Volunteers of the Month for June in Plainview. Buddy attended Wayland, and they met while students at Hardin-Simmons.

38 footprints

He served in the Army and Reserves for a total of 28 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1992, then pastored churches in Oklahoma and also worked for the Internal Revenue Service for 15 years. Ruth was a nurse for 37 years. He is a deacon and teaches Sunday school at College Heights Baptist Church, and Ruth helps in the church library and they do nursing home ministry. They have two daughters and two grandsons. (1503 Jefferson, Plainview, TX 79072; gwalker23@suddenlink.net)

1990s Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of JAMES EDWARD ‘EDDIE’ BARBEE, BSOE’94, MEd’95 from the Lubbock campus, who died April 6, 2010, at age 63. He was a Child Protective Services Specialist for the State of Arizona, an actor in film and television commercials, and a freelance writer. PATTI GILBERT BONNER, BSOE’96, MBA’06, from the Amarillo campus, has completed 27 years as a federal civilian administrative and support professional and is a management analyst for DCMA Bell Helicopter Textron in Amarillo. She also is an Administrative Officer with the Bureau of Land Management. Patti completed a post-master’s degree through Strayer Online and is pursing a Doctorate of Education with Argosy Online. She has two children and four grandchil-

dren. “To add to this joy, as the only child of my family, I was recently able to meet a wonderful half-brother as an answer to childhood prayers to have a sibling,” she writes. (1214 Heather St, Amarillo, TX 79107-8012; Patti.GilbertBonner@dcma.mil) KEVIN CARTER, BBA’93, was named the executive director for the PlainviewHale County Industrial Foundation in April after serving as the foundation’s interim director since November 2009. Carter is president of the Association of Former Students, United Way campaign chairman for 2011 and past president of the Plainview Chamber of Commerce. The Industrial Foundation shares a building now with the chamber just off the WBU campus on Fifth Street. He and wife ALISSA, MEd’05, have a son, Blaine, who will be in sixth grade. Alissa is administrative assistant principal at La Mesa Elementary in Plainview. (4214 Ridgeway Dr., Plainview, TX 79072; golfingcarter@hotmail.com)

GIA FILKINS GRIES, BSOE’95 from the Hawaii campus, has been a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service for 12 years. She and her husband, Sgt. Major Ray Gries (USMC), have two children, Zachary, 3 ½, and

Jessica, 17 months. (607 Jefferson Court, Ingelside, IL 60041; gia.gries@usss.dhs.gov) MAJOR HARRIS JR., BSOE/AAS’95 from the Wichita Falls campus, has worked in Quality Assurance for the Department of the Air Force for the past 11 years. He has been recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership and excellence in government service during his 26-year tenure in the Air Force, where he previously served as Superintendent of Nutritional Medicine Services. (major.harris@sbcglobal.net) MIKE KEMP, BSOE’96 from the Lubbock campus, is the new fire chief in Lubbock. He hopes to get three new fire stations built and add at least 60 firefighters to the department in the next four years. He spent 20 of his 28 years with the department in the fire marshal’s office and was promoted to fire marshal in 1998. He and his wife, Renee, have two children. (5107 County Road 7545, Lubbock, TX 79424) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of BARBARA LEE LILLY-MEDRANO, BBA’95 from the San Antonio campus, who died April 11, 2010, at the age of 50. She was an Army wife and homemaker. Surviving are her husband, Enrique; two daughters; her father; two sisters; four brothers; and two grandchil-

dren. (3930 Forge Dr., Woodridge, VA 22913-2214) SHEILA PRITCHETT, BSOE’98 from the San Antonio campus, was named one of 80 new Woodrow Wilson Indiana Teaching Fellows – the “Rhodes Scholars” of teaching – by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation of Princeton, N.J. She will receive a $30,000 stipend and enroll in a master’s degree program in education at Indiana

University-Purdue University Indianapolis that provides intensive clinical preparation for teaching math and science in the urban and rural high school schools that most need strong teachers. In return, she will commit to teach for three years in high-need Indiana schools. Most recently an academic lab technician at the Indiana University School of Medicine, Pritchett is a U.S. Army veteran and a church youth volunteer. (30 E. Georgia Street, Apt. 46,

First Wayland graduation aired over Internet in May Another University mile-

uates who were not able to

stone was achieved May 8

attend,” said Director of

when spring Commence-

Alumni Development Danny

ment was aired live from

Andrews. “One graduate was

Hutcherson Center on the

in tears as she told how her

Internet.

mother was ill and unable to

The broadcast, spon-

come to graduation but

sored at no cost to viewers

would be able to watch on

by the Association of

her computer.”

Former Students, was made

The Association of

possible with the coopera-

Former Students also host-

tion of Athletic Director Dr.

ed the third Ring Ceremony

Greg Feris who secured the

the morning of graduation

technology this past school

in the Mabee Learning

year to air most home bas-

Center Atrium with Dr. Paul

ketball and baseball games

Armes, president, re-pre-

as well as some soccer and

senting rings to about 15

volleyball matches on the

graduates and alums; the

World-Wide Web.

annual Graduation

Approximately 140 stu-

Luncheon attended by more

dents participated in the

than 400 people in the

ceremony. The graduating

Laney Student Activities

class included students

Center; and a post-gradua-

from Alaska, New York,

tion reception attended by

North Carolina, Barbados,

about 350 in the Laney

Kenya and Latvia.

Center.

“We were happy to be

The Association plans to

able to air the Commence-

host those four events again

ment for the benefit of many

in December and in May

families and friends of grad-

2011, Andrews said.

Indianapolis, IN 46204) MARY SALAZAR RANJEL, BSOE’93 from the San Antonio campus, who has assisted five presidents during her 33-year tenure at Baptist University of the Américas, has been named Director of Enrollment Management and Student Services at BUA. She becomes the first woman member of the university’s top administrative body, the executive council. She is author of a short story, “Stories of Hope from a Bend in the Road” in a book published by pastor-author David Jeremiah; church pianist at Central Baptist Church; and vice president of Anchored Love Ministries. (8411 Deer Hollow Street, San Antonio, TX 78230; gueri@sbcglobal.net) BRANDON SCHNEIDER, BA’95, is new coach of the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack basketball program. The former Pioneer basketballer is the second all-time winningest head coach at the NCAA Division II level, leading Emporia State, Kan., to a 30672 record and 11 national tournament appearances over the past 12 years and the 2010 NCAA Division II National Championship. He also won six conference titles and had two trips to the Final Four. (schneidebs@sfasu.edu) AMANDA WARD SUTTERFIELD, BSIS’99, MBA’03, and her husband Jeffrey are parents of a son, Sawyer Josiah, born April 14, 2010, weighing 7 pounds, 10 ounces.

He has a sister, Allison, age 2. Amanda is Associate Director of Information Technology at Wayland, and Jeffrey farms. (amandaward@hotmail.com).

2000s STEPHANIE HERRON AUSTIN, BS’00, is working for the U.S. Army in Hawaii as a Principal Geologist and Environmental Coordinator for the Ranges on Oahu and the Island of Hawaii. With the ranges encompassing more than 100,000 acres, she works with soldiers evaluating training scenarios and building new training areas/capabilities and the preservation and conservation of Native Hawaiian culturally significant sites (plus archeologists, practitioners, activist groups and endangered species). More than 100 of 360-plus threatened and endangered species are only located on the Army’s ranges. She and her husband, Jason Austin, will celebrate their 10th anniversary this summer. She recently received her Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. (1015 Aoloa Place #417, Kailua, HI 96734; stephanie.n.austin@us.army.mil) JEFF CAHA, BBA’03, is new assistant women’s basketball coach at California Baptist University after a year as men’s

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Athletics names All-Decade team in track, field Throughout the 2010 year, the Athletic Department at Wayland Baptist

pion in the event. n Caleb McLean (2008-09): McLean

teams, Biwott won national championships in both the indoor and outdoor

University will celebrate its Team of the

is a five-time NAIA All-

800m, the 1500m, and as a member of

Decade for each in-season sport. The

American. He took fourth

two 4x800m relay teams, and is a nine-

spring saw announcement of the Pioneer

place at the 2008 Indoor

time All-American. She holds seven of

Track and Field Teams of the Decade.

Championships in the

the top 10 WBU times in the outdoor

400-meters and finished

800m.

The All-Decade team is composed of

n Erin Britton (2007-09): An eight-

outstanding performers on the track

sixth at the 2009

from 2000 through 2009.

Outdoor Championships

time All-American, Britton helped to

in the same event.

establish new WBU records as a part of

Pioneer Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All-Decade Team: n Kirby Dunn (2006-09): The school

n Sergiy Oliynyk (2006-07): A two-

the indoor and outdoor DMR and

recordholder in both the indoor 800-

time NAIA Decathlon Champion, Oliynyk

4x800m relay teams. She was a part of

meters and 1000-meters, and the out-

was also the 2006 runner-up in the pen-

two indoor national championship

door mile, Dunn is a six time NAIA All-

tathlon, and won Most Valuable Athlete

4x800m relay teams, and was the NAIA

American. He was the runner-up in the

honors two straight years at the Sooner

runner-up in the 1000m.

1000-meters at the 2009 NAIA Indoor

Athletic Conference Championships.

Championships and came in third at the

n Vincent Tanui (2005-06): The only

n Letitia Davis (2000-01): The 2001 Sooner Athletic Conference Most

2008 Outdoor Championships in the

male distance runner to make the All-

Valuable Athlete, Davis is a nine-time All-

1500-meters. He was also a member of

Decade team, Tanui won NAIA All-

American and won indoor national

the school-record holding indoor and

American honors twice after a third-place

championship honors as a part of the

outdoor distance medley relay teams,

finish in the 5000-meters and a sixth-

2001 4x400m relay team.

and holds six of the top 10 times in the

place finish in the 10,000-meters at the

1000-meters.

2006 Outdoor Championships. He was

the school record-holder in the indoor

also the 2006 SAC 5000m Champion.

600y and 600m, and as a part of the

n Justin Cummins (2001-02): Cummins is a two-time All-American and

n Rohan Thompson (2003-06): A

n Kydia Echols (2007-08): Echols is

indoor 4x400m and 4x800m relay

won the NAIA National Championship in

sprinter, Thompson earned NAIA All-

teams. An 11-time All-American, she

the 2002 javelin. He also had a fifth

American honors four times during his

won indoor national championships in

place finish in the triple jump at the

career at Wayland. He was fourth at the

both the indoor relay events.

2001 national meet, and established a

2005 Indoor Championships in the 200-

new Sooner Athletic Conference record

meters and sixth in 2006 in the 60-

time All-American, Edwards is the school

in winning the javelin in 2001.

meters. Thompson also was a two-time

record-holder in the heptathlon. She

NAIA Scholar Athlete and was the 2004

was runner-up in the event in 2004 at

SAC 100m champion.

the NAIA Outdoor Championships and

n Mike Lozano (2003-04): A six-time All-American, Lozano holds the WBU record in the 600-meters. He was a

n Richard Varnon (2003-06): Varnon

n Priscilla Edwards (2001-04): A six-

was also a part of the runner-up 4x100m

member of the 4x400-meter relay team

won NAIA All-American honors in the

which finished as the runner-up at the

discus with a third-place finish at the

2004 Outdoor Championships, and was

2003 NAIA Outdoor Championships. His

holds the school record in the indoor

the conference champion in the 400m in

name is listed prominently among the

800m. She won the Indoor National

2004, as well.

top 10 in both the hammer and the

Championship in the 600m and as a part

n Brandon Mansfield (2007-09):

relay team. n Letitia Gilkes (2000-01): Gilkes

weight throws, and he won a total of

of the 2001 4x400m relay team. A six-

Mansfield holds the WBU record in the

seven Sooner Athletic Conference

time All-American, she was the runner-up

35# weight throw and has seven of the

Championships in the throws.

in the 600m in her freshman season. n Caroline Karunde (2008-09):

top 10 distances in the event. He won

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All-Decade Team:

NAIA Outdoor All-American honors in

n Purity Biwott (2008-09): The

2009 after a sixth-place finish in the

school record-holder in three individual

owns the school record in the 1500m,

hammer throw, and was the SAC cham-

events and as a member of five relay

the 5000m, and the steeplechase. She

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Karunde, a seven-time All-American,

All-Decade team, continued was also a part of the record-

school record in its champi-

setting 4x800m relays and

onship run in 2007. She also

DMR in both the indoor and

holds a school record as a

outdoor seasons. She won

part of the sprint medley

indoor national champi-

relay team competing in the

onships in the 3000m and as

2008 Texas Relays.

a member of the 4x800m

n Akisha Simmons (2004-

relay, and was the runner-up

07): Simmons is an 11-time

in the 5K and 10K.

All-American and a two-time

n Latanya Nation (2008-

national champion in the

09): Nation helped lead the

school-record-holding indoor

Pioneer women to four

4x400m relay and the out-

straight NAIA Track & Field

door 4x100m relay. She was

Championships. An 11-time

the runner-up in the 100m at

All-American, she owns the

the 2007 Outdoor

school records in the 60m

Championships and the Most

hurdles and the pentathlon.

Valuable Athlete at the 2007

She is a two-time national

Sooner Athletic Conference

champion as part of the

Championships.

4x100m relay team, and won

n Kimberly Smith (2008-

runner-up honors in the 60m

09): The school record-hold-

hurdles, the 100m hurdles,

er in the indoor 55m, 60m,

and the pentathlon. She was

and 200m

also the 2008 Sooner Athletic

and the out-

Conference Most Valuable

door 100m,

Athlete.

Smith is a

n Caroline Oladipo (2005-

two-time NAIA

08): A two-time national

Indoor

champion as a member of

Champion in

the 4x100m relay team,

both the 60m

Oladipo is a nine-time All-

and 200m, a two-time

American and was the nation-

Outdoor Champion in the

al runner-up in the triple

100m and 200m and

jump twice. She holds the

4x100m relay in the first

WBU record in the indoor

decade of the new century.

triple jump and was a mem-

She earned 15 All-American

ber of the SMR relay team

designations during her first

which established a new

two seasons as a Pioneer.

school mark at the 2008 Texas Relays. n Keliesha Ross (2007-

assistant at Southern Nazarene, which made the Elite Eight last year. Prior to SNU, Caha spent time with the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League and also worked at Velocity Sports Performance in Champlin, Minn. He was assistant to former Pioneers coach Todd Thurman (for whom he played at Wayland) at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford. Before that he was assistant coach for four years at his juco alma mater, Cochise College in Arizona. He also has a master’s degree in sports administration from the United States Sports Academy and is a certified strength and conditioning coach with USA Weightlifting Certification. Caha married Erica Gilkerson in June 2010. (3680 Monroe Street, No. 1301, Riverside, CA 92504; jcaha@hotmail.com)

n WyKeisha Thompson (2000): Thompson finished her four years at WBU with an

09): A 13-time All-American,

Outdoor National

Ross won four national cham-

Championship in the hammer

pionships as a part of the

throw in 2000. She was also

4x100m and 4x400m relay

third place at the Indoor

teams. The indoor 4x400m

Nationals in the weight throw

relay established a new

in 2000.

CORRIE (IGO) COLLIER, BSIS’01, will soon begin her fourth year teaching 7th grade science at Terra Vista Middle School in Wolfforth, near Lubbock. Her husband, Grant, is associate worship leader at Lakeridge United Methodist Church in Lubbock. Corrie and Grant married Nov. 28, 2009, at First Baptist Church in Texico, N.M., where her grandparents, longtime Wayland supporters Bud and

Aileen Pearce, married in 1949 and where her parents, TONY IGO, BA’76, and JO (PEARCE) IGO, BA’76, married in 1976. Her uncle, DAN PEARCE, EX’72, officiated; cousin CARRIE (PEARCE) HUBER, BSIS’01, was matron of honor; SHEILA WISEMAN, BS’01, and STACY HARLAN MILLER, BS’01, were bridesmaids; and her brothers, KYLE IGO, BS’04 and CHRIS IGO, EX’08, were groomsmen. JENNY AHRHART EISENHAUER, BSIS’01, helped photograph the wedding. (Corrie: 2213 85th Street, Lubbock, TX 79423; corrieigo@yahoo.com) BRETT COOK, who is scheduled to graduate in December, served as an assistant coach for the Harrisonburg, Va., Turks of the Valley Baseball League this summer. A first-team NAIA All-American second baseman in 2009 and holder of several WBU records, Brett served as an assistant for the Pioneers this past season. He and his wife, BRANDI (FRENCH), BS’07, are dorm parents at McDonald Hall. She works in the Registrar’s Office. (cookb@wbu.edu)

BRAD COPASS, BBA’09, and wife KAMERON (STEPHENS), BSIS’07, welcomed a son named Cy Bradley Copass, on March 12,

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2010, weighing 8 pounds, 4 ounces and measuring 20.75 inches long. Brad is the director of technology for the Anna Independent School District, and Kameron is now a stay-at-home mom after teaching for several years. (PO Box 1232, Anna, TX 75409; Bradley.copass@annaisd.org) HAYLEY COX, BA’08, MAM’10, was married on May 15 to MATT ANDERSON, BM’10, in Plainview. Hayley has been a reporter and photographer at the Plainview Daily Herald for several years. The couple moved to Greeley, Colo., where Matt will attend graduate school in music. Matt’s father, DR. JEFF ANDERSON, BA’79, who is associate professor of religion at Wayland’s Anchorage campus and formerly served as dean there, co-officiated at the wedding. (matthewandhayley@hotmail.com; Jeff: 6740 Howard Ave., Anchorage, AK 99504)

REBEKAH (SHEPARD) CROWE, BA’02, and husband RYAN, EX’98, announce the birth of their son, Wesley Peter Crowe, on June 16. He weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 20.5 inches long. Rebekah is a doctoral student in history at Texas Christian University, and Ryan works for CBS in Dallas as a digital media producer. They have a new address in Fort Worth. (rebekah.crowe@gmail.com)

42 footprints

BRAXTON EDWARDS, BM’03, joined the gospel group Shiloh in May as guitarist and vocalist. He has been the worship pastor at Allen Heights Baptist Church in Allen since 2009 and served similar positions in Amarillo churches. The Texas-based trio performs music with a contemporary southern sound, touring more than 150 dates per year. (Braxton@ shilohnet.com) HUGH ELLIS, BA’06, recently received his Master of Theological Studies degree from Truett Seminary at Baylor University. (2316 Parrott Av., Waco, TX 76707; hugh_ellis@baylor.edu) TERI GLASS, BSOE’05 from the Hawaii campus, was honored by the Partnership for Public Service with a “Sammy” – a Service to America Medal – an awards program that pays tribute to America's dedicated federal workforce, highlighting those who have made significant contributions to the country. Honorees are chosen based on their commitment and innovation, as well as the impact of their work on addressing the needs of the nation. As the acting project manager for the Army Medical Support Systems Project Management Office in Maryland, Glass leads the development and fielding of state-of-the-art medical evacuation equipment, which allows Army medics to safely and efficiently transport patients off the battlefield to hospitals, significantly increasing the

survival rate of service members. She is a retired noncommissioned officer of the armed forces. (821 Aztec Dr., Frederick, MD 21701)

erence staff at the Mabee Learning Resources Center at WBU and Amanda homeschools the children. (leggettk@wbu.edu)

ESTHER GONZALEZ, BA’03, was married on May 1, 2010, to Matthew Harper on South Padre Island. Her brother, EFRAIN GONZALEZ, BA’00, officiated for the small, informal, beach-side ceremony. Esther continues her photography and Matt is a musician. The couple lives near Nashville, Tenn. Efrain is youth minister and wife JENNIFER (WRIGHT), BS’99, teaches in Breckenridge, Texas. They have two children, Alexis and Jacob. (Esther and Matt: snowhiteg@aol.com; Efrain and Jennifer: 1305 Cypress, Breckenridge, TX 76424; jennwright@hotmail.com)

LATHAN MOORE, EX’03, recently released his first album, “Love in Your Life,” on Blue Steel Records – a compilation of country songs, several of which he wrote. He also plays the trumpet, trombone, tuba, piano and guitar. The album is available on ITunes or can be ordered from his Web site www.lathanmoore.com. He and his wife, Bethany, have two children. (www.lathanmoore.com)

JAMAR JORDAN, EX’09, and wife D’LEA (AUTRY) JORDAN, BS’07, announce the birth of their third son, Allyn Branson Jordan, on Feb. 19, 2010. He weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. He has two big brothers, Coleman, 3, and Bentley, 2. D’Lea is a caseworker for CPS in Lubbock. She also has a photography business on the side. (dleajordan@hotmail.com) KEVIN LEGGETT, BA’03, MED’08, and wife AMANDA, EX, welcomed their third child, a son named Hendrix Aaron Leggett, on June 11, 2010. He has a big brother, Caedmon, 8, and a big sister, Presley, 4. Kevin is on the ref-

CHRIS MOORE, BA’03, a veteran of the WBU theatre department, hosts a morning show on KKYN Radio (106.9-FM, 1400-AM and kkyn.net) in addition to his duties at Hamby Company in Plainview. He has two children, Grayson and McKayleigh. (chris@plainviewradio.com) GARRETT NELSON, BSOE’00 from the Lubbock campus, is fire marshal in Lubbock. He served as interim fire chief while that post was vacant. He and his wife Susan have four children. (1201 N. County Road 1600, Shallowater, TX 79363) MARTIN ORTEGA JR., BS’07, and wife VICKY (DAVILA) ORTEGA, BA’05, are parents of a son, Martin Caleb, born March 28, 2010, in Midland weighing 5 pounds, 10 ounces. Martin is in his third year of medical

Benefactor, country legend Jimmy Dean dies at age 81 By Danny Andrews Jimmy Dean, a country

special Centennial musical

River. In 2009 a fire gutted

presentation in front of Harral

their home, but his Grammy

Auditorium by the Cactus

was among items saved. The

music legend and sausage

Theater vocal group from

Deans had only recently

entrepreneur whose $1 mil-

Lubbock at which Dean

moved back into their home.

lion gift to Wayland in May

joined in to sing the last

2008 is believed to be the

verse of his most famous

funeral at Richmond’s Grove

largest single gift in University

recording, “Big Bad John;”

Avenue Baptist Church, where

history from an individual,

attending Seth Ward Baptist

1957 Wayland graduate Ron

died at his home in Varina,

Church where he made his

Boswell is former pastor.

Va. on June 13 at age 81.

profession of faith as a

Former NBC weatherman

youngster – she playing a

Willard Scott spoke about his

Donna Meade Dean said

Dean was eulogized at a

her husband – who was born

on the Wayland gift other

digital piano they donated

longtime friend and George

in Olton but grew up in

than to designate $25,000 for

and he singing a couple of

Hamilton IV, a member of

Plainview where he started

an endowed scholarship in

songs; and being honored at

Dean’s original TV show, sang

his sausage business in 1969

honor of his mother, the late

a McClung Center luncheon

a song, “We Will Meet Again.”

– had some health problems

Ruth Dean, and assistance for

where they received several

He was buried on his

but was still functioning well,

the Museum of the Llano

gifts and both spoke briefly.

beloved “Chaffin’s Bluff” in a

so his death came as a

Estacado’s Hale County Hall

shock. She said he was eat-

of Fame which includes a dis-

elected to the Country Music

ing in front of the television.

play honoring Dean. A portion

Hall of Fame and will be

have been wonderful friends

She left the room for a time

of the funds have since been

inducted posthumously in

to Wayland Baptist

and came back and he was

designated for refurbishing of

October. He also was a mem-

University,” said President Dr.

unresponsive.

Pete’s Place, a gathering

ber of the Texas Country

Paul Armes. “Their generosity

place for students in the

Music Hall of Fame.

has been historic in its mag-

“He was amazing. He had a lot of talents,” said Mrs. Dean, a former recording

basement of McClung Center. The Deans returned to

In February, Dean was

The Deans lived on a 200-

vault in the shape of a piano. “Jimmy and Donna Dean

nitude and eternal in its ben-

acre estate just outside

efit. We will miss Jimmy

artist and songwriter who

Plainview in September

Richmond, where he enjoyed

deeply. Our thoughts and

married Dean in 1991.

2008, viewing the exhibit at

investing, boating and watch-

prayers are with Donna and

the museum; attending a

ing the sun set over the James

the rest of the Dean family.”

Dean put no stipulations school at Texas Tech, and Vicky teaches Spanish at Midland Freshman High School. (1800 Garden Lane, Midland, TX 79701; martinvickyortega@yahoo.com) CHANCE PERKINS, BSOE’06, is pastor of Grady Baptist Church in Grady, N.M. He is working on his master’s degree with WBU. Chance and wife Chrissy have a son, Luke, 6. (chrissyperkins@ rocketmail.com) Hispanic Baptist Convention

of Texas President VICTOR RODRIGUEZ, EX’07, who is working on a Master of Arts in Counseling at the San Antonio campus, is expected to be nominated for president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas at the Nov. 8-9 annual meeting in McAllen. Rodriguez’ father, Manuel, also served as president of the Hispanic convention. Rodriguez has served 12 years as pastor of South San Filadelfia Baptist Church in San Antonio. A native of Odessa, he is a graduate of Hardin-

Simmons University. He and his wife, Olga, have three sons. KRISTIN KILLOUGH ROSS, BBA’01, has been an executive assistant at First Baptist Church in Lubbock for the past six years and also is a Mary Kay consultant. Her husband, Christopher Ross, an Eagle Scout and Texas Tech graduate, recently was named district scout executive for the Haynes and Comanche Trail Boy Scouts districts.

DOUG SHELTON, BA’05, and wife MEG (MANSDOERFER) SHELTON, BSIS’05, welcomed their first child, a son named Ryan Jay, on Feb. 12, 2010, at 12:17 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds and was 20.5 inches long. Doug is a youth minister in Florida. (14300 Coralbean

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Wayland gets extra exposure during Rangers’ broadcast Wayland received some unexpected

Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico)

add to the three he won in Spearman

extra exposure May 25 when Director of

while Nadel gave a similar “special shout

and, with a record of 1,207-197, was

Alumni Development Danny Andrews and

out” in the fifth inning, then added:

inducted into the Women’s Basketball

his wife, Carolyn, executive assistant to

“Wayland Baptist University. They used to

Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn., in 2000.

President Dr. Paul Armes, attended a

have the best women’s basketball team

Texas Rangers-Kansas City Royals game

in the country.”

in Kansas City. Making contact with almost 30

Weese lives in Granbury with his wife JoAnn. After extensive rehabilitation over

“Yes, they did,” Barnett responded.

the past eight months, he is recovering

“The Flyin’

from Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an

Wayland alums on a combination busi-

Queens…under Coach

autoimmune disorder that usually mani-

ness-vacation trip through the Texas

Dean Weese,” Nadel contin-

fests itself by weakness in the legs that

Panhandle, Oklahoma and Kansas,

ued, adding, “In fact, the

spreads to the upper limbs.

Andrews sent a note to the broadcast

Dallas Diamonds for whom

booths of Rangers radio announcers Eric

I broadcast had Coach

American at Old Dominion in Virginia,

Nadel and Dave Barnett and TV announc-

Weese running the show. That’s about the

Olympian and pro basketball player

ers Josh Lewin and Tom Grieve, noting

time women’s basketball was changing…

(including Dallas after Weese departed)

that he and Carolyn were attending the

becoming a much more athletic game.”

now broadcasts women’s basketball and

series and celebrating their 41st wedding anniversary. Grieve mentioned the Andrewses

“Thanks to our friend Nancy Lieberman,” Barnett added. After leading the Flying Queens from

Lieberman, a former college All-

has done a number of games at Texas Tech. She was the featured speaker at a banquet for the 25th Plainview Queens

being from Wayland, their respective

1973-79, Weese coached Dallas in the

positions and the anniversary in the

new professional league but was fired by

fourth inning on TV (FOX Sports

the financially struggling franchise owners

who was chairman for about 20 of the 29

Southwest reaches 6.5 million homes in

at midseason. He went on to coach seven

tournaments, enlisted Lieberman as the

34 TV markets in Texas, Louisiana,

state championships at Levelland High to

speaker.

Classic tournament in 2000. Wayland Dean of Students Tom Hall,

We need your creativity!

his fall, the FRIENDS OF FINE ARTS is hosting its first fundraiser to benefit student scholarships in art, communication studies and theatre. AN EVENING FOR THE ARTS will be held in the Mabee Learning Resources

Center atrium and Abraham Art Gallery, featuring heavy hors d’oeuvres, wonderful entertainment and a sale of small works donated by regional artists, some famous, some well known and emerging, including alumni artists who wish to participate. We will be gathering 125 – 150 unframed works, all sized 5” by 7”, which will be exhibited and available for purchase that evening by patrons in attendance. Works may be paintings in any media, photography, drawings, prints, mixed media or any media which can be mounted to hang. Interested artists are encouraged to visit the Friends of Fine Arts Web site to find entry information for the show. All works for this exhibition must be received by September 30. All proceeds go to scholarships so begin work now and use your imagination to benefit this great cause! Plan to join us for this inspiring EVENING FOR THE ARTS! For more information, contact Dr. Candace Keller, (806) 291-1083, kellerc@wbu.edu Submission and membership information: www.wbu.edu/fofa

Court, Brooksville, FL 34613) LANDON SIMS, BA’05, and wife ERIKA (BRYANT), BSIS’05, are parents of a daughter, Adalyn Claire, born March 8, 2010. Landon is a teacher and coach in the Kress school district, and Erika teaches kindergarten at Highland Elementary in Plainview. (2811 W. 21st Street, Plainview, TX 79072; landon.sims@region16.net) DUSTIN STEPHENS, BBA’06, and wife Nancy announce the birth of their first child, a daughter named Ainsley Grace, born Feb. 25, 2010. She weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces and was 19.5 inches long. Dustin is in active duty in the U.S. Army. (armydustin@gmail.com) DEBBIE UNRUH, BSOE’01 from the Amarillo campus, has been reappointed to the Crime Victims’ Institute Advisory Council by Gov. Rick Perry. The council advises the Crime Victims' Institute regarding the compilation and study of information on the impact of crime to victims, relatives, guardians and society, and assists the institute to develop policies to prevent the victimization of society by crime. Debbie is a captain at the Randall County Sheriff ’s Office. (7412 Imperial Drive, Amarillo, TX 79121; deblyn5564@gmail.com) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of J. Owen Robinson, 92, who died July 5, in Plainview. Survivors include a daughter, DEBBIE

ANN ROBINSON WILEY, BSOE’03, MA’05, theological research and writing lab instructor in the School of Religion; two other daughters; two sons; and 23 grandchildren. (wileydeb@wbu.edu) Christian love and sympathy to the family and friends of RANDY GERALD WOOD JR., BSOE’91, MA’01, who died March 10, 2010, in Lubbock. He worked for the City of Lubbock for nine years and also was an adjunct professor for Wayland and three other colleges. Surviving are his wife, Angela; two daughters; his father and stepmother; his mother and stepfather; a brother; a sister; two stepbrothers; and three grandparents. (6718 8th Street, Lubbock, TX 79416) Three Wayland graduates and a current student at the Albuquerque campus have been promoted to the upper ranks of the local police department. JEFF SAYLOR, BS’07, was promoted to commander and will oversee the Foothills region. He and his wife, Det. Donna Saylor, have three children. (mmmrs34@msn.com). Promoted to lieutenant were: JASON PECK, BS’06; PAUL HANSEN, BSOE’08, and current student JEFF McDONALD. Peck and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. He is a police chaplain and teaches Cops for Christ Bible Study. Hansen and his wife, Monica, have a son. (phansen@cabq.gov) McDonald and his wife, Loretta, have two children.

Let Us Hear From You! Campus attended ___________________________________ Name ____________________ Maiden Name ____________ Class ____________________ Degree or EX ____________ Address ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________ Phone (home) _____________ (business)________________ E-mail ___________________________________________ Occupation and title _________________________________ Business name and address ____________________________ Other schools attended and degrees earned _______________ _________________________________________________ Spouse ________________ Wayland alum? ______________ Spouse’s occupation _________________________________ Children (birthdates) _________________________________ News for Footprints _________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________

Please complete and return to: Alumni Services, 1900 W. 7th, CMB 437 Plainview, TX 79072 E-mail to: andrewsd@wbu.edu or susiev@wbu.edu Photographs may appear in magazine, depending on photo quality and/or available space. Photos are not returned. If sending digital photo files, please send at least 300 dpi resolution at regular size. Smaller sizes may not reproduce well. Every effort is made to include your information in Class Notes in a timely manner. If your name does not appear in the listing, it is due to printing deadlines. The editor reserves the right to edit all information submitted.

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Honorary degree Longtime Board of Trustees member Delbert McDougal (right) is presented an honorary bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree from Wayland by President Dr. Paul Armes at the spring commencement ceremony held in Hutcherson Center. McDougal is a developer in Lubbock who was instrumental in negotiating the Wayland Plaza purchase in Lubbock and the new campus location on North Quaker Avenue and has aided in other facility decisions throughout the system. His generous gift to the Laney Activities Center resulted in shared naming of the walking track.