footprintsSummer 2010

Inside: One Student’s Miracle w A Win-Win Situation

Raising the bar

Wayland alumspush health andfitness to competitive levels

WBU’s wellness program grows aswaistlines shrink

Pioneer track team wins Outdoor NationalChampionship

ee the worldS through the eyes of a Wayland studenton just $28 a month

Imagine having a part in the worldwidespreading of the Gospel for only $28 amonth. At Wayland Baptist University and

the Wayland Mission Center, we’re trainingministers across all academic disciplines, raisingup a future generation of Christian leaders whowill impact their chosen vocational field as wellas the kingdom of God.

We’re sending students into the missionfield while they’re still learning, growing andrealizing their call. Then, we’re sending theminto the world with degrees in math, science,history, business, education, fine arts and reli-gion – as well as a calling to spread God’s wordto a hurting world.

The proposed new Flores Bible Building andWayland Mission Center will allow the universityto continue our long tradition of encouragingand empowering young people of all back-grounds to do the work of Christ around theworld.

For only $28 a month over three years, youcan make a “grand” commitment to thisproject and impact student lives for generationsto come. For a $1,000 investment, you too canhave a part in the greater mission of Wayland.

We can’t all go...but we can train them, send them,

and support them as they go.

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 $______________.q I want to make a one-time gift by credit card of $_______________q I would like to draft monthly from my bank account $_________. (Include voided check.)q I would like to draft monthly from my credit or debit card $__________ .

q Visa q MasterCard q American Express q DiscoverName on card ______________________________ Card number ______________________________

Expiration _________ Signature ________________________________________________________

q

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.

Contact me regarding estate planning,gifts of stock, insurance or other giftopportunities.

* Naming opportunities are available throughout the facility.

* Gifts are tax deductible to the fullest extent the law allows.

For more information on the building campaign, log ontowww.wbu.edu, click on “Friends and Donors” and thenclick on “Special Funds/Campaigns” on the blue bar.

FOOTPRINTS - Volume 57, No. 1

Editorial BoardDanny Andrews, BA’72PublisherTeresa Young, BA’94EditorJonathan Petty, BA’95Assistant Editor

Alumni OfficersKevin Carter, BBA’93 PresidentSally Dillman Eaves, BS’75 Vice PresidentDanny Andrews, BA’72Director, Alumni DevelopmentSusie Vera, AAS’84Secretary

Executive BoardDr. Gary Abercrombie, BS’73 Dr. Barbara Allen Carr, BA’89, MEd'92 Rose Ann Chavez, BSOE’06Tyke Dipprey, BSOE’96Brenda Gonzalez, BA’73Mike Manchee, BS'94, MEd’97Joseph Mares, BA’98Richard Miller, BS’87Daleyn Schwartz, AAS’85 Caren Smith, BA’92 Dion White, BA’92, MBA’96Danny Wrenn, BA’84

FOOTPRINTS is published by the Association of FormerStudents at Wayland Baptist University. No outside advertising isaccepted. Wayland Baptist University is affiliated with the BaptistGeneral Convention of Texas. Wayland is accredited by theCommission on Colleges of the Southern Association ofColleges and Schools to award degrees at the associate, baccalau-reate and master’s levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Wayland BaptistUniversity. Non-profit rate postage paid at Lubbock, Texas79404. Telephone (806) 291-3600.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to FOOT-PRINTS, Wayland Baptist University, 1900 West 7th St. CMB437, Plainview, TX 79072.

Wayland Baptist University does not discriminate on the basisof race, color, religion, age, sex or national origin in administra-tion of its policies, admission policies, scholarships and loan pro-grams, athletic and other school administration.

Features

Departments

2

One Student’s MiracleWayland track runner Edward Taragongets a new lease on life and a set of“American parents” in a most surprisingmiracle worked by God.

18

A Win-Win SituationEstablishing a charitable gift annuity atWayland can pay big dividends for you inreturn rates now and result in a bigger giftfor the university down the road.

30

22 News in Brief

29 Thinking Out Loud

30 Development Feature

24 Athletics Review

28 President's Pen

17 Student Spotlight

32 Class Notes

Raising the BarWith the nation focused on the problem ofobesity, alumni in various fields are part ofthe fitness and health movement asWayland adds a wellness component of itsown.

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

On the cover: Animage fromDreamstime.comillustrates thetheme of health andwellness in thisissue, along withphotos of alumsPriscilla Edwardsand JenniferRankin, featuredinside.

2 footprints

For some, health and fitness comes easy.For others, finding the motivation is diffi-cult. 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 rip-pling muscle. A former track athlete at Wayland,Edwards has never shied away from exercise, butthe decision to live a life committed to health andfitness was a personal choice that even she facedonce her days of competition were over.

“Nobody in college tells you what happensnext when you are an athlete,” Edwards said.“Unless you join a league or a club or somethingafter college – or you become a pro which is avery small percentage of the population – you fallinto a little pocket where there’s nothing for youto do.”

Moving inGrowing up on the west coast of Barbados,

Edwards was no stranger to track and field. Shestarted running in elementary school and neverstopped. She ran all through school and once shecompleted her formal education, her coach askedher if she would like to run for a college team.

Edwards makes healthand fitness a priority

Raising the bar

By Jonathan Petty

Edwards was open to the idea, know-ing she would travel to the UnitedStates and face an academic chal-lenge as well as athletic competition.Edwards’ coach put her in contactwith Wayland.

“(Wayland) Coach Rick Beelby waslooking for a hurdler and my coachwas looking for an opportunity for meto continue to compete,” Edwardssaid. “They found each other and Iended up here.”

Wayland wasn’t the only schoolthat contacted Edwards about joiningits track team, but it was the one thatseemed to care the most about herfuture. She said a school in SouthCarolina had shown some interest, butthe coach didn’t seem to be too con-cerned with her personal well-being.

“He didn’t ask me anything aboutmyself. He didn’t ask me anythingabout my family,” she said. “He didn’task me about anything other thantrack. Coach Beelby was the warmestperson on the phone. He had themost concern for me, and he wantedme to actually graduate. He was moreconcerned about me getting a degreeand athletics was second, and thatworked for me. That’s why I ended uphere.”

Edwards embraced the small townand the university. Her hometown ofSt. James is a very “close-knit com-munity” and she did not want to livein a big city. Plainview was perfect forher. She said there was some cultureshock, and she had to get used to theidea that people in the U.S. driveeverywhere instead of walking, but shequickly adapted to the cultural differ-ences.

The weather, however, was anotherstory. Edwards said she was extremelyexcited the first time she saw snow.That excitement quickly dwindled and10 years later she still has not adapt-

ed to the chill that comes with a WestTexas winter.

“At home there is just the rainyseason and the dry season. There isno snow. It’s hot and humid and Ilived on the coast, so there is always anice seabreeze,”Edwardssaid. “Iwas soexcitedwhen itsnowed. Iput onaboutfour lay-ers ofclothes,earmuffs, ahat, small gloves, big, giant, go-skiinggloves, boots and a coat that wenthalf-way down my legs. I was ready.

“I walked outside of Owen Hall.The wind hit me, and I turned aroundand walked right back inside. This wasnot going to work.”

But that was about the only thingthat didn’t work for Edwards while atWayland. A six-time NAIA All-American, Edwards still holds theschool record for points scored in aheptathlon with 4,725 in 2004 and issecond in the pentathlon with 3,328points scored in 2003. She was alsonamed an NAIA Scholar Athlete in2002, ’03 and ’04. She graduated in2003 with a Bachelor of BusinessAdministration degree and completedher Master of Business Administrationin the spring of 2005.

With her degrees in hand, Edwardswas ready to take the corporate worldby storm. But her designs on a corpo-rate office soon faded as she foundanother love. Edwards spent a littlemore than a year working in

Wayland’s admissions office for careerand practical training, and she real-ized that she loved working in highereducation. Edwards now works in theoffice of institutional research and hasbeen charged with developing the

school’s studyabroad pro-gram.

“I reallywant to stayin higher edu-cation,” shesaid.

Staying FitEdwards’

time atWayland hasalso broughther notorietyamong fellow

employees as an expert in physical fit-ness and exercise. When Waylandstarted its new wellness programunder the leadership of Ron Applingthe Human Resources director,Edwards was asked to serve as a“wellness coach,” someone who couldhelp others reach their fitness goals.

She jumped at the opportunity.The program is designed to offeremployees incentive and motivation toexercise, eat right and develop ahealthy corporate culture.

“Before we started this wellnessprogram, I was thinking of starting awalking club or something like that,because I thought we could all use alittle more exercise,” she said. “When Ilearned we were doing this, I was veryexcited.”

After all, Edwards had seen thebenefit of healthy choices in her life,as well as the down side of choosing amore sedentary lifestyle following herdays as an athlete. Once she was nolonger eligible to compete, Edwards

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4 footprints

took a break from exercise.“I stopped working out for close to a year. My

body was tired,” she said. “I had been runningsince I was in primary school so I decided it wastime 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 frustratedenough to do something about it. My desire to behealthy was greater than my desire to eat a sliceof pizza.”

As a former athlete, Edwards already knewhow to design an exercise program. She sat downand wrote out a six-week guide with the goal oflosing 15 pounds.

“I wrote out my cardio. I wrote out mystrength training and my rest days,” she said. “Istructured my meals where I would eat five mealsa day and I would drink a certain amount ofwater.”

Edwards followed her plan and watched as theweight began to disappear. At the end of the sixweeks, she had lost the full 15 pounds.

“I could have lost it sooner, but I was stickingto the plan,” she said. “I made some mistakesalong the way, but I didn’t beat myself up. Istayed positive and reached my goal.”

Once she reached her initial goal, Edwardsevaluated the results.

“I asked, ‘Now what?’” she said. “I wanted tomake more improvements.”

Edwards decided she wanted to add morelean muscle mass, so she changed her diet,changed her workout plan, put herself on a three-month program and checked off her goals as shemet them.

Facing the competitionEdwards was so successful in reaching her

workout goals that she soon set out on a newadventure.

“I went to a body building show in Lubbock,”she said. “I saw the women on stage and realizedthey weren’t any different from me. I can do this.”

Edwards signed on to compete in her first

show in 2008,increasing her workoutroutines in preparationfor the competition. Shecompleted strong cardioworkouts in the morn-ings and lifted weights inthe evenings. The workpaid off as she finished10th out of 19 in the com-petition. Edwards waspleased with the results, say-ing she never really focusedon winning the competition,but on reaching her goals.

“Of course, I wanted to win.I’m competitive,” she said. “But itwas about accomplishing a goal andchallenging myself and being aroundpeople who were doing the samethings. It was about enjoying theprocess and learning.”

It was definitely a new experiencefor Edwards, who said she really hadno idea what the competition was allabout prior to attending the firstshow. Not wanting to focus specifical-ly on bulking up for body buildingcompetition, Edwards chose to com-pete in the figure competition.

Figure is one of several categoriesin which women can compete underthe body building umbrella, alongwith fitness and bikini shows.Edwards said figure contestants arejudged on their overall physique,looking for balance and symmetry.She said presentation is also veryimportant to figure judges.

“Are you having fun? Are youhappy to be on stage?” she said.“You are wearing 5-inch heels; youare water depleted; and you havebeen working out for all thesemonths. Then you get on stage andyou have to pose and smile and loveit. You must have confidence onstage.”

Edwards admitted she hadto work on her confidence level. Itwasn’t that she was not proud of herphysique, she just wasn’t used toshowing that much of it to people ina public forum. A modest woman,she had to get used to the revealingclothing that contestants wear onstage.

Not one to shy away from thecompetition, however, she will onceagain don the two-piece and the 5-inch heels and take the stage thissummer as she competes in anotherfigure competition. This time around,Edwards wants to improve her overalllook. She has once again changedher workout routine and is already inbetter condition than she was for herfirst competition. She also said she isworking to bring out more definitionin her legs to complete the balancewith her upper body.

Making the choiceWhile body building and fitness

competitions may be a far cry fromwhat the average desk jockey is try-ing to accomplish in a health and fit-ness routine, Edwards said it isimportant to make the right decisionand make being healthy a priority inone’s life in order to see the desired

results.“You don’t have to

work out two to four hours a day tobe fit,” she said. “A lot of times I justrecommend for people to do thingsthat fit into their lifestyle. If you don’tlike to lift weights, then don’t liftweights. Walk your dog. Play withyour kids. Go swimming. Do Zumba.If you like to dance, then dance. Ithas nothing to do with lifting weightsand running all the time. It has to dowith what fits into your lifestyle.”

While Edwards works out fornearly two hours a day six days aweek, she said it is important for herto vary her routine. She works on dif-ferent exercises and different bodyparts each day in order to not onlybreak up her routine, but also chal-lenge her body to maximize theresults.

“The fitter you get, the more diffi-cult your workout needs to be, andthe more you need to challenge yourbody,” she said. “I used to do a lot ofweights, but I’ve incorporated morecalisthenics, lunges, squats, jumpsand things like that.”

A healthy diet is also an impor-

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Continued on Page 11

Raising the bar

6 footprints

Rankin climbingthe ranks incompetitivebody building

When the Village People pennedtheir classic 1970s hit Y.M.C.A.,they definitely weren’t familiar

with the Y in Plainview. While someone listeningto the song might find it fun to “hang out withall the boys,” those same boys may be hardpressed to keep pace with YMCA fitness direc-tor, body builder and model, Jennifer (Brigman)Rankin.

Rankin, who graduated from Wayland in2005 with degrees in physical education andbusiness administration, has parlayed her loveof fitness, exercise and an overall active lifestyleinto a successful career as a fitness instructorand competitor in regional and national bodybuilding shows. Through her success, she hasalso earned a contract as a fitness model forOptimum Nutrition. Not bad for a small-townTexas girl whose options out of high schoolwere Wayland or the Army.

Coming to WaylandA graduate of Eula High School, Rankin

came to Wayland after issuing an ultimatum toher parents who wanted her to stay closer tohome.

“My parents wanted me to go to junior col-lege in Abilene,” Rankin said. “At that time, thejunior college was in an old building. It was so

By Jonathan Petty

footprints 7

dirty. I thought, ‘This is going to bemy college experience? I don’t thinkso.’”

Rankin said her parents had justput her older sister through schooland were concerned about paying forher education if it turned out thatcollege was not meant for her. ButRankin insisted on going to a goodschool where she could focus on herdream of owning her own business.

“I told them I had been a goodstudent. I had never quit hardly any-thing I had ever done, and I was notgoing to that junior college,” she said.

Rankin and her high school cheercoach put together a highlight tapeand submitted it to Wayland as avideo tryout for the WBU cheerlead-ing squad. The Wayland coach likedthe tape and invited Rankin to jointhe squad and attend school. While

visiting the campus, Rankin also metwith the track coach, who said shewas welcome to walk on, a move thata semester later would result in herearning a track scholarship. Now, shejust had to get her parents’ approval.

Rankin had also been meetingwith an Army recruiter who visitedher high school. A paratrooper, therecruiter talked to Rankin about join-ing the parachute team.

“That sounded fun to me,” shesaid. “So, I sat down with my parentsand told them I was either going toparachute school in the Army, or toWayland to run track and be a cheer-leader. They chose the Waylandroute.”

Rankin was no slouch on thetrack team. A former high schoolstate qualifier, she made the NAIAnationals several times for Wayland,

and she still holds the outdoor schoolrecord for the pole vault at 10 feet, 4inches. She is second in school histo-ry for the indoor pole vault with aheight of 9 feet, 6.25 inches, and sheis sixth in scoring in the pentathlonand fifth in scoring in the heptathlon.

Finding Her NicheRankin was more than just an

athlete and she was determined toreach her educational goals, tailoringher academics to fit her desiredcareer path. She had plans of goinginto business for herself, working as apersonal trainer while owning andoperating a gym. With this in mind,she focused on business administra-tion and physical education, earninga double major in the academic dis-ciplines.

After graduation, Rankin accepted

8 footprints

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 wantedto accomplish in life.

“I learned very quickly that it wasn’t theplace for me,” she said. “It was a great firstjob, and I had an amazing time working formy alma mater, but that really wasn’t mycup of tea.”

The ever-active Rankin needed a job thatpushed her physically. She applied for theposition of fitness director at the local YMCAand has been there for the past three years.Rankin serves as the fitness director, childwatch director, and supervises the youthand teen fitness programs as well as theSilver Sneakers program for senior citizens.She is also busy in the community, planninga 5k run every year, working with Americaon the Move and facilitating the Moo-A-Thonrace for children at Plainview’s annualCowboy Days. She is also working towardCEO certification that would qualify her tobe 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 dif-ferent aspects of running a fitness busi-ness.”

Rankin also designs and implementspersonal training programs, and she is incharge of purchasing and maintaining theequipment in the weight and cardio exerciserooms. She also teaches spin classes andfills in when the water aerobics instructor isabsent.

Striving to CompeteThe move to the YMCA was a positive

one for Rankin in many ways. Not only did itget her out from behind a desk, but it alsoallowed her to once again focus on her ownhealth and fitness.

“When I worked at Wayland, I kind of juststopped working out,” Rankin said. “I lost alot of the lean muscle I had gained whiledoing track-and-field. I just got out of the

habit. When I got the job atthe YMCA, I started workingout again and being active,and putting that muscleback on. My body startedchanging again.”

That change didn’t gounnoticed by her co-workersas one of the trainers encour-aged her to look into competi-tion. Rankin had often won-dered about the competitive side of bodybuilding, but wasn’t sure if she couldcompete.

“I had always looked up to womenwho do that and take care of them-selves so well,” she said. “It was like thisthing that was out there that felt unat-tainable.”

Rankin began to research the sportand eventually contacted a profes-sional body builder in Lubbock.

“We set up a meeting so theycould just look at me andgive me the thumbs up orthumbs down as to whetherthis was in my future, oreven possible,” Rankin said.

Not only was Rankin giventhe thumbs up, but theyencouraged her to compete inthe West Texas Classic just 10weeks after their meeting.

“That day, I got started on acompetition diet and prepara-tion and competed 10 weekslater,” Rankin said.

A novice at competition,Rankin placed second overall,earning a spot in an upcoming nationalcompetition.

“I’ve been going strong ever since,” shesaid.

Rankin competes as part of the NationalPhysique Committee organization in figureand bikini competitions. Figure and bikini

Rankin appeared onthe cover of LifeStylemagazine.

footprints 9

are two sub categories under thebody building umbrella. Rankinexplains that the figure competitionis more of a feminine, athletic versionof body building where women com-pete with more feminine posing, butstill show their athleticism throughstrong muscle tone and symmetrythroughout their physique.

“Bikini is not really a step downfrom that, but you are not looking forthe striations in your muscles,”Rankin said. “It’s a ‘softer’ competi-tion. You don’t have the rigid, stiffposing and quarter turns. It’s moreabout showing your personality andhaving fun and all of that.”

Rankin said while figure and biki-ni competitions are part of bodybuilding, the contestants are not try-ing to bulk up like true bodybuilders. She said they are still tryingto look good and present a femininephysique.

Becoming a ModelRankin was so successful in the

early going of her competition career,

that she reaped almost instant bene-fits. In fact, some benefits came soquickly that she thought they were ascam.

Just five weeks into preparing forher initial competition, Rankin wascontacted by a representative fromOptimum Nutrition, “one of thelargest and most accessible nutrition-al supplement companies in theworld.” The representative had seensome pictures of Rankin on herMySpace page and thought shewould be a good fit for the company.The photos simply showed her pro-gression from week one of her prepa-ration for competition through herfifth week.

“They were just progressive pic-tures of how I was looking at thetime,” Rankin said. “I got an emailfrom the athlete and trade showmanager. He was asking me if Iwould like to be a sponsored athletewith their company.”

Rankin was so surprised, andskeptical, that she asked them to waituntil she completed her first compe-

tition to see how she did. When sheplaced second, the company jumpedat the chance to offer her a sponsor-ship.

“So I signed with them and it’sbeen fabulous ever since,” she said.

Rankin has appeared in print adsand on the company’s Web site. Shewas featured in a full-page ad inOxygen magazine and made thecover of Lifestyle magazine. She alsomade the cover of the company’s2010 calendar.

“It’s really amazing how I’ve beenblessed in this industry, still living inPlainview, and all the opportunitiesI’ve had,” she said.

Ranking finished 10th overall inher first junior national competitionin 2009 and recently qualified fornationals again after placing secondat the Lone Star Classic in Plano inher first bikini competition.

Personal FitnessWhile Rankin has taken fitness to

a level most people will neverachieve, she said making healthy

YMCA Fitness DirectorJennifer Rankin talksto WBU psychologyprofessor BrianMcClenagan during anafternoon workoutsession at thePlainview YMCA.

footprints 11

tant part of reaching fitness goals. Edwards said people proba-bly don’t want to follow the same diet she follows, especiallywhen she is training for competition; but making smart choicesabout what they eat can have enormous results. She said it isimportant to eat plenty of fruits and vegetable, whole-graincereals and breads, and lean protein. It is also important tostay away from processed, fatty foods. But even if one choosesto eat pizza or cake, they should make the choice to eat apiece of pizza or a piece of cake. Not the whole thing.

“It’s about balance,” she said. “You can eat the food youlove; you just have to eat it in the correct portions.”

For Edwards, there is no questioning the benefits of ahealthy 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 ofEdwards’ everyday life and she loves talking to people abouttheir fitness goals. While she is paid for her consulting work asa wellness coach, Edwards admitted she will gladly help any-one who asks. From those who need help setting up a workoutroutine to those who just want a little advice on how to com-plete a specific exercise, she has answered and will continue toanswer any questions people ask. But while she will gladly doleout fitness information and advice, she did recommend that ifyou are suffering from back pain, or you can’t raise your arms,you might want to seek the advice of a physician or chiroprac-tor. That’s really not her field of expertise.

lifestyle choices should still be a priority foreveryone.

“The biggest reason is just quality of life,”she said. “You can do the things you enjoy andnot have to worry about taking high bloodpressure medicine or high cholesterol medi-cine. It’s just so much easier to control thingslike that.”

She admits, however, that joining a gymcan be intimidating. Walking into a busy exer-cise center and watching some of the regularsworking out can be overwhelming for peoplewho are just getting started. Rankin deals withthat in her daily job as she welcomes thoseconsidering joining the YMCA.

“One thing I tell people when they comehere is to not focus on everything aroundthem,” Rankin said. “It’s easy to see a really fitperson on the treadmill running 10 miles anhour and you look over there and think, ‘Ohmy gosh! I can never do that.’ But you don’tknow where that person has come from. Youdon’t know if a year ago that person weighed150 pounds more than they do now.”

Rankin said the key to getting started issetting small goals. It could be something assimple as drinking fewer diet sodas andreplacing them with water. Once that goal hasbeen reached, set a new goal and continue toincrease your activity level and challenge yourbody.

“A lot of people try to just do everything allon the first day. They work hard and the nextday they wake up and can’t move and theydidn’t lose 20 pounds. They just give up andnever come back,” Rankin said. “Do a little bit;keep it progressive and just keep going.”

It’s simple advice that Rankin follows in herown life as she prepares for her national bikinicompetition. She will compete in several showsthis year and is hoping to earn her profession-al bodybuilding card. That is not an easyaccomplishment, but Rankin says she is readyfor the challenge.

“What I do is a few steps beyond what Iwould suggest for average health and fitness,”she said. “It’s definitely hard and takes dedica-tion, but I love it.”

Continued from Page 5

12 footprints

Raising the barWayland ex enjoyscareer in fitnessadministration

When former Wayland student DeanMurphey completed his degree, he wasn’tsure what field he wanted to focus on for

his career. What he did know, however, was that hisfuture endeavors would always involve health and fit-ness as a way of life.

Murphey came to Wayland in 1989 from nearbyHereford. Focusing on physical education, Murpheystayed at Wayland until 1992. He then moved back tothe Amarillo area, got married, began working andeventually returned to school to complete his degree.He stayed close to home, however, completing a degreein kinesiology at West Texas A&M in 1997. With adegree in hand and family in tow, Murphey set out,looking for a career.

“When I was a kinesiology major, I didn’t know if Iwas going to try to coach or find something in the fit-ness field,” Murphey said. “When I graduated, therewasn’t anything in the Amarillo area in the fitness field.”

Murphey’s in-laws were from the Oklahoma Cityarea, so he packed up and headed for centralOklahoma.

“We moved here and just found the first job avail-able in a fitness center,” Murphey said.

While there, Murphey’s supervisor became his men-tor and pushed him to earn his certification by theNational Academy of Sports Medicine as a personaltrainer. He was also introduced to the world of corpo-rate fitness and eventually landed a job with Kerr-McGee Oil and Gas, managing the company’s fitnesscenter and working as a personal trainer. Employees ofKerr-McGee paid a $20 fee and had access to the fit-

By Jonathan Petty

footprints 13

ness center, personal trainer and afully staffed clinic.

“People could work out any timethey wanted,” Murphey said. “I wasthe personal trainer if they needed it.I set them up on programs andtaught classes.”

Murphey spent eight years withKerr-McGee, learning the businessand loving every minute of it. Whenthe company sold, Murphey took hisknowledge and experience in healthand fitness and found a new job. Forthe last three years, Murphey hasbeen managing the fitness center atOklahoma City’s Gaillardia CountryClub, a high-end country club with amembers list that includes the likesof Oklahoma City Thunder all-starKevin Durant and the University ofOklahoma football coach Bob Stoops.

As manager, Murphey overseesthe day-to-day operation of the fit-ness center, planning programs andteaching classes. He manages thestaff, personal trainers, massage ther-apist and tennis professional. He alsooversees the operation of the countryclub swimming pool and café.

With a job that keeps him sobusy, Murphey still finds time tomaintain his personal fitness level.

Much of his own exercise program iswork-related as he works out with theclasses that he is teaching or withthe simple act of staying on his feetmoving all day.

Not only does Murphey earn a liv-ing at a job that he enjoys, but hesees the benefit of a healthy lifestyle.Even if he didn’t work in the fitnessarena he says he would still maintaina regular exercise program.

“I have been in and out of fitnessprograms and I can see a big differ-ence when I am not involved in apersonal program,” he said. “I knowhaving a fitness program in your lifemakes you feel better.”

Currently, Murphey maintains hisfitness level with regular cardiovascu-lar exercise three days a week andtotal body weight training anotherthree days. Aside from the immediatebenefits of looking and feeling better,he says that the long-term benefitsare enough to keep him in the gym.

“It’s important for me becausemy family has a history of cardiovas-cular disease, and having a family ofmy own, I want to be around for awhile,” he said. “That’s not really inmy hands, but I want to be ashealthy 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-oldKenzie. Both are involved in sportsand Murphey said it’s also importantfor him to be able to teach them thecorrect way to exercise.

“It’s going to be important for meto teach them the right way to exer-cise and the true side of fitnessbefore they are exposed to the mythsand things that are out there thatyou see on TV,” he said. “Theyabsolutely teach you the wrongthing.”

Murphey said the biggest culpritsare the ab machines that promise toflatten your stomach.

“They may be great to help youexercise, but they don’t remove fatfrom your stomach,” he said. “That isa big battle in this field between tele-vision and actual personal trainers.There is a lot of misinformation outthere.”

Murphey recommends that peo-ple looking to get involved with a per-sonal trainer should research thegyms in their area, making sure thetrainers and the facility are certifiedand accredited. His next piece ofadvice is simple … start slowly.

Dean Murphey is pictured withhis wife, Kristi, and theirdaughters, Kimmer, 12 andKenzie, 9.

14 footprints

Raising the bar

WBU programis trimming thefat – literally

Nearly a year ago, Ron Appling could not gethis college class ring onto his finger. And hiswedding ring seemed to be permanently

melded to his left hand. Today, both slip on and off easily as Appling contin-

ues to shed weight he started losing in August 2009,when the university officially kicked off its WaylandWellness program.

As human resources director at WBU, Appling hadthe task of building a wellness plan from the ground up,unveiling the plan to employees and answering the bar-rage of questions that come with implementing such aprogram. While the process has been challenging attimes – especially with Wayland’s unique system of 13campuses spread across several states – the benefits arebeginning to show.

“Our goal is to eventually have 80 percent of ouremployees participating, and so far in Plainview andLubbock, where we’ve started the program, we haveabout 70 percent,” said Appling, who started the well-ness journey with wife Deanna and has lost 75 poundshimself. “Our main objective is to keep the healthy peo-ple healthy, get the critical people to moderately healthyand the moderately healthy to more healthy.”

The reason for the kickoff was simple: skyrocketinghealth-care costs and rising insurance claims by univer-sity employees meant premiums on group insurancewere following the same trend. Employees began havingto pay a part of their own premiums in July 2009 – pre-

WBU Human Resource Director

Ron Appling

By Teresa Young

footprints 15

viously those were paid in full by Wayland – and universi-ty officials feared the pattern was only going to get worse.

Coupled with concern for their employees’ health andwellbeing in general, Appling said Executive VicePresident and Provost Dr. Bobby Hall said it was timeWayland investigated other measures to improve thehealth of its employees for their own good and to combatfiscal concerns to both workers and the university. A well-ness program was the logical next step.

The trend is not unique to Wayland, as companies ofall sizes nationwide are finding health care more costlyand harder to provide at reasonable rates to theiremployees. While still a relatively new concept for many,wellness plans are becoming more common as business-es try to protect their most precious asset – their people –and their dollars.

“Like most organizations today, Wayland has experi-enced dramatic increases in health care costs. While wecontinually look for ways to better manage those costs, itbecame apparent that we also needed to develop aWellness Program,” Hall said. “The program is designedto provide resources to assist employees in improvingtheir own health, which will benefit both the employeeand, ultimately, the institution.”

Appling noted that the health issues facing Waylandemployees were not unique to the university but werebyproducts of the changes in society, which is largely lessactive on the job, more sedentary at home and moredependent on eating out and processed foods.

To get the wellness effort underway, Appling first con-tacted Wayland’s benefits consultant, who directed themto a third party who implements wellness programs. Theuniversity already offered annual screenings to employeeson-site, where basic biometrics were gathered and a vari-ety of blood tests run to target any possible lurkinghealth concerns.

The next step was to have a Web site set up whereemployees can enter their data and have a health riskassessment completed. The assessment then makes sug-gestions for improvement and offers reading materialsand hints for folks to improve their health and wellness.Employees can set up an action plan for improved eatingor exercising and log their progress daily.

Knowing that many employees might be starting fromsquare one on a workout routine, Appling and the groupdeveloped a walking initiative to get employees started onsomething simple for most people to begin. Paired with

the Laney Center indoor walking track, the program waseasy to implement. For those who prefer other types ofexercise to keep on track, the Web site allows for a con-version from minutes of exercise or sports activities into“foot miles” and keeps track of how far employees havewalked over time.

Other aspects included bringing a Weight Watchersgroup meeting to the campusonce each week for the conven-ience of employees who need-ed that assistance. Also,Appling enlisted the campus’certified personal trainers toguide employees who desired amore personal approach todesigning their fitness plan.

While not everyoneneeds outside motivation toget fit, Appling saidincentives definitelywork with the majorityof employees, so hedeveloped a plan toreward folks for theirprogress. Milestones wereset up according to thedistance to each ofWayland’s campuses –starting with Lubbockat 45 miles and endingin Hawaii – with certainprizes available ateach milestone.

The program hasseen its successes sofar and the adminis-tration believes it willcontinue to benefitthe university in vari-ous ways. Applingsaid while year onewill close out withsome leaner, healthieremployees, in thelong term Waylandmay never know itsfull benefit.

Teresa Moore, BA’95, teaches a

Zumba class in the Laney Center.

1. Always see a physician before starting any workout program.You may not have had problems in the past, but you were also notworking out. You will be putting your body through stressors differentfrom what it is used to, so to ensure your safety, see your doctor, tellhim your plan, and have a check-up.

2. Understand why you are working out.Do you want to lose weight? Be healthier? Lower your cholesterol? Ormaybe play in the park with your kids. If you are reading this, more thanlikely 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 impor-tant for you to take better care of yourself and the benefits of doing so.

3. Assess your current fitness level.You will never know how far you’ve come unless you know where youstarted. Keep a journal and record every workout routine. Record yourresting heart rate on day one. Time yourself for a mile walk/run. Figureout your body mass index. Every 6 to 8 weeks re-check these same thingsto track your progress.

4. Set a goal!Your goals should be difficult but attainable. Set short-, mid- and long-range goals. These can be as simple as not needing to stop on your miletest or maybe being able to run a half marathon!

5. Make appointments and keep them!Inevitably life happens. If you will view working out as a standing appoint-ment you will be more likely to show up. If something comes up duringthe day schedule it around your appointment. Our health is importantenough to work around.

6. Rome wasn’t built in a day!Remember, it’s a process. There is no such thing as a quick fix. Start slowand work your way up. Gradually change your workout routine to ensurethat you are working out each time. There is no such thing as a safe andeffective diet pill or a miracle machine that will shed inches in a few days.

7. Listen to your body!!If you are hurting, dizzy or short of breath, take a break and give yourbody time to relax. If the problem persists, take a day or two off so you donot seriously injury yourself. If necessary, see a doctor. I encourage myclients to take a week-long break every 6-8 weeks. This week off gives yourbody time to heal from the wear and tear of working out.

Raising the barTips for starting a personal routine

Brandi Cook(BS ‘07,

exercise andsport science)

works inWayland’s

externalrecords officeand sidelinesas a personal

trainer.

By Brandi Cook

Student Spotlight

AMARILLO – Past failures need notdictate a student’s future. Just askStephanie Morrow.

A native of Amarillo, Morrow strug-gled for her entire high school careerwith one looming test: the TAAS mathportion. A mental block and the stressof the important exam meant try aftertry to no avail.

Years later, however, she’s a seniorat Wayland Baptist University’sAmarillo campus, where she’s excellingin her coursework and loving school forthe first time in a long time.

“I made it through a lot and amproud of myself for making it this far,”she said. But getting to where she isnow has meant a journey through a lotof pain and perseverance.

When it came time for Morrow tograduate from Amarillo High School in1996, she still had not passed the TAASmath test. She received a certificate ofcompletion and moved on with efforts topick up that final piece of the puzzle.After a few tutorial courses, she took thetest again in 1999 and failed once more.

Heartbroken, Morrow said she wassure she’d never pass and entered thework world, destined never to be partof the college scene. After a few years,she went to work for the TexasDepartment of Transportation and sawmany possibilities for future advance-

ment. Education, she knew, would be akey component to that climb. But shehad an infant son Peyton (now four)and wondered if she could handle thejuggling act.

“As he got older, I realized that if Iwanted him to get a college education,then I needed one myself,” she said.

Morrow learned of a special stateprogram that pays for education andapplied to receive the grants. Finally, inearly 2007, she was accepted andbegan planning for college.

“I just figured with as many moreyears as I have, and the fact that I loveit here and want to move up, it wastime to go back to school,” she recalled.

Spurred by the testimonies of co-workers who had earned degreesthrough Wayland’s Amarillo campus,Morrow decided to check into the non-traditional location that afforded her thechance to maintain her full-time joband take classes in the evenings. Shevisited with an academic advisor, feltthe fit was right, applied and enrolled inthe next session. Then she hit a snag.

As academic advisor Cindy Perezrecalls, Morrow needed to produce ahigh school diploma or GED since shedid 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 pur-sue the GED or take the math test againand try to pass. She wanted that diplo-ma, so the test was the natural route.

In four weeks, she sat for the ninthtime to tackle TAAS math. This time,she was more focused, less stressedand more mature. And she passed. Thediploma came shortly and shemarched back into WBU Amarillo andcompleted the enrollment process forthe summer term starting in May.

Since then, Morrow has not misseda term at Wayland, taking two or threeclasses each 11-week session and evenmaking the Dean’s List this last springterm for the first time in her life. She’salready passed intermediate and col-lege algebra with WBU, crediting verygood teachers who were patient andencouraging.

At the current rate, Morrow willgraduate in the summer of 2011 with aBachelor of Applied Science in manage-ment. She’s already thinking seriouslyabout the MBA with Wayland immedi-ately afterward, setting herself up formore future career success.

Morrow has been with TXDOT foreight years, now as office manager forthe special jobs department for thedistrict.

By Teresa Young

Amarillo student

overcomes hurdle

to move toward

bachelor’s degree

18 footprints

Edward’s MiracleChurch, family helps Kenyan

runner get new lease on life

The West Texas wind is whipping,but Edward Taragon is undaunt-ed. Alongside teammate Hildon

Boen, he sets a steady pace aroundthe track at Wayland BaptistUniversity’s Hilliard Field, moving insmooth strides that cause his legmuscles to tighten and his heart tobeat faster. There’s even a faint lineof sweat forming on his brow,despite the cooler temperatures andwindy spring afternoon.

Running has always been a wayof life for Taragon. A native of Kenyain West Africa, Edward knew that ifhe was fast enough, he could runfor an American college, earning hisuniversity diploma, and leading to abetter life back home for him andhis family, who are farmers of pota-toes and maize in a community witha large number of Christians.

But an amazing set of circum-stances a year ago nearly sidelinedTaragon from running track forever,or at least at the collegiate level. Butwith help from a Plainview coupleand their church, he’s been able totake it all in stride. Literally.

New challenges

It’s been a few years sinceEdward first set foot on U.S. soil,coming first to California to runtrack for a college there. During a

routine physical there, doctorsfound a hole in Taragon’s heart, butno one instructed him to quit run-ning.

“I thought I was 100% healthy,”Taragon said. “I ran regularly andusually felt fine.”

After a semester, though, thecoach sent Taragon to Texas to runfor Coach Brian Whitlock at Waylandin January 2009. He’d begun train-ing for the indoor track seasonwhich was soon to begin whenWayland sent him for a physical aswell. The news wasn’t good: therewas indeed a hole, and if Edwardcontinued to train at the same level,it might cause more damage to hisheart.

For Taragon’s own safety,Whitlock had to break the bad news.Wayland could not let him run andrisk further damage or even death.And since his education was tied tohis track scholarship, he’d have tofind a way to pay the difference ifhe wanted to stay on at the universi-ty. Both sets of news were devastat-ing to Taragon.

That’s when Wayland Richardsonand his wife, Debbie, stepped in.

“He called us just crying, sayingthey were going to send him home,”said Debbie. “So we came to gethim and find out what happened.”

The Richardsons had known

By Teresa Young

footprints 19

Edward only a few months, intro-duced when he began attendingPlainview’s Colonial BaptistChurch with track teammateBradley Sell and ended up intheir college Sunday schoolclass. Drawn to Taragon’s faith-fulness and sweet spirit, theRichardsons bonded instantlywith the small Kenyan and hesoon became an extension oftheir family.

Edward had a very differentupbringing in the bush of Kenya,where his family lived inthatched-roof huts without run-ning water and hunted with bam-boo spears. But that diversityonly added to his charm as hispositive attitude and smile madean impression on theRichardsons.

“Everything is just so new tohim. It has humbled us and ourwhole family,” said Wayland, alongtime employee of XcelEnergy, noting that the couple’sgrown children and grandchil-dren have even welcomedEdward as an adopted brother ofsorts. “We believe God broughthim here to us because of theroute he came to get here. Ourmission field came to us.”

Edward and a few otherKenyan runners who came toWayland became regular fixturesat the Richardson home andeven accompanied them onshort trips out of town. Theyenjoyed providing him with newexperiences and sights unlikeanything he had seen. Debbiecooked regularly and let the boyscook traditional Kenyan meals for

their family, involving them inholidays, family reunion trips andother adventures.

“When everyone else wenthome for Spring Break, Edwardstayed here. He had no means oftransportation, so we’d get towhere we picked him up everynight and he’d go with us wher-ever we went,” Debbie recalled.“He’s so genuine, so loving andso sincere. And so grateful foreverything.”

Making a plan

Little did Taragon know at thetime exactly how grateful he’dbecome to the Richardsons, hisAmerican church and a bunch ofstrangers who helped him getpast a difficult hurdle. WhenDebbie got that tearful phonecall from Edward about the heartdefect, the scholarship and hiseducation status, she sprung intoaction. The family spoke to thechurch and raised the money tokeep Edward in school for thesemester, then set out to find outwhat could be done medically forthe Kenyan runner.

Surgery was indeed anoption, and doctors said repairstypically were very successful.But as an international student,Taragon had no insurance tocover the expensive procedures.The hospital agreed to do thesurgery if he could at least comeup with the downpayment; thenpayments could be made untilthe balance was paid.

When he called home to lethis parents know of the situation,

Taragon said they were befud-dled by the $26,000 price tag onthe surgery.

“They didn’t know what to doabout it,” he said. “But their sec-ond reaction was to give every-thing to God because they could-n’t do anything about it. Theywere so thankful about how peo-ple have treated me here andthey know I’m safe.”

Meanwhile, his “Americanparents” were putting feet totheir own faith on behalf ofEdward.

“We sent emails asking forprayer, and we knew God wouldprovide,” Debbie said. “We putsome money in of our own, thenchallenged the church and thecommunity to match the money

Edward (aboveright) poses withhis “Americanparents”Wayland andDebbieRichardson andhis Kenyan trackfriend HildonBoen during avisit to CadillacRanch inAmarillo.

Continued on page 20

“We believe God brought him

here to us because of the route hecame to get here. Our missionfield came to us.”

Wayland Richardson

20 footprints

for Edward’s surgery. We sharedhis story with everyone we knewand a lot of people gave.”

The church came through, ral-lying to Edward’s cause. Even theRichardsons’ grandchildren optedto save their allowances for fourmonths and donated to Taragon’smedical fund. Wayland and Debbiewere awed by the generosity theyfound everywhere around them.Soon, the downpayment wasraised and the two-hour, arthro-scopic surgery was scheduled forJune 29, 2009. A pre-op sessionwith the pediatric cardiologistfound the situation even moremiraculous.

“The cardiologist said it was acommon pediatric problem butwas usually repaired while a childwas a few months old,” Debbierecalled. “He said Edward should-n’t be alive and he sure shouldn’tbe running cross country andbreaking records.”

Debbie and Wayland docu-mented much of the visit, the sur-gery and recovery to send home toEdward’s family, and they kept asolid prayer chain going for themonths leading up to and after theprocedure.

Taragon admits he had plentyof anxiety himself. He worried thatthe surgery would have to be doneopen-heart, which might end hisrunning career permanently and,by extension, his chance at anAmerican education. He’d alreadysettled on a major in mathematicswith plans to pursue a career instructural engineering he can useto improve his home country. Butpeace soon prevailed.

“Prayer really helped me. Athome, my source was God, and I

came all the way here, so I knewhe’d help me,” Taragon said. “Thechurch helped give me thecourage also by telling me every-thing was going to be OK.”

A new heart

When the fateful day finallyarrived, the Richardsons deliveredEdward to the hospital in Lubbockfor the procedure. If all went well,the doctor said he’d be out of sur-gery in two hours.

Ninety minutes later, the doctoremerged with good news.

“He said it could not have gonemore perfectly,” Debbie said,beaming. “God really did it. Thehole was one-and-a-half inchdiameter.”

When Taragon began to regainconsciousness in the recoveryroom, he wasn’t even sure the sur-gery had yet taken place. Whentold it had and he would be ableto run again, he was excited.

“He immediately wanted topray 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 elatedat the success of the procedureand the prognosis of the doctorthat with some recovery time, hewould likely be running again.

But the matter of his outstand-ing hospital bill remained. TheRichardsons had vowed that if theyhad to pay the bill off themselves,a little each month, they would. Intheir eyes, it was a worthwhileinvestment.

“He just wanted to get his edu-cation and go back and tell hispeople about Jesus,” Debbie said.

Getting back to full speedwould take a while for Edward,though, even with his otherwisehealthy state. For the first fewmonths, he had to take it easy andlay off even the jogging. Then inNovember, the doctor clearedTaragon to begin jogging for nomore than 20 minutes at a time.The Richardsons got him a bicycleto get some exercise without thegreat exertion of running and workhis way back to full strength.

In December, the doctorreleased him to run competitivelyagain, noting that his EKGs werenormal and by all accounts thesurgery had been successful.Edward immediately began train-ing in his running, hoping tosecure a spot back on the Waylandtrack team and prove to the coach-es he was truly an asset.

His first race on January 23,held at Texas Tech, he placed firstin the 5,000-meter run with a timeof 15:14.72, qualifying him for thenational meet. Then on Feb. 6 atthe next meet, he placed second,beating his own time by four sec-onds. He placed 17th at the nation-

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

footprints 21

als preliminary race for the 5000-meter.With more time to train, Taragon has qualified

for the outdoor nationals meet as well, in the5,000-meter run as well as the 10,000 and the3,000. He planned to stay with the 5,000-meterrace for the outdoor meet, which began May 27and wrapped up just three days before his 25thbirthday.

However, Taragon ran the 3,000-meter stee-plechase event – one he never ran before theconference championships a month ago – andwon the preliminary heat. He placed tenth in thefinals.

But Debbie said Edward had a moment offear just before that January meet, even with thedoctor’s assurance he would be OK to run.

“He was a little uneasy the night before, so weprayed together,” she said. “I told him, ‘Don’t youthink if you were running with a hole in yourheart and God was holding you that he wouldn’tlet you go now that it’s fixed?’”

The miracle continues

While Edward was getting back to normal onhis running schedule and training for theWayland track team, the Richardsons were con-tinuing to faithfully make payments to the hospi-tal for the procedure. Then one day, Edwardcame over with a letter from a collection agencyand the couple set out to investigate the situation.

“I called Covenant to check on the accountand they could not find the records right off, soshe said she’d have to look into it,” Debbierecalls. “I called back the next day and the ladyhad dug everything up and said that someonehad paid the entire hospital bill, about $20,000.

“I just burst out crying.”The hospital couldn’t share who the anony-

mous benefactor had been, but save for the anes-thesiologist bill, the majority of the surgery hasbeen paid. Debbie said she kept the news to her-self for a few days but finally couldn’t stand it.

“We told him there at church, and he couldn’t

believe it,” Wayland said. “I thanked God for sure,” Edward said with his

usual quiet demeanor. “I just couldn’t believe thelove of people, especially for someone like methat didn’t know anyone here.”

The church and community have helped withTaragon’s tuition for the semester and are hopinghe can get back on scholarship with WBU track,finish his education and return to Kenya to makea difference for others, paying forward the kind-ness he’s found here in America.

“He feels like this is his home and he wants tostay here,” Wayland said. “His love for America isso refreshing. Our kids, to some degree, have noclue what we have and how little the rest of theworld has. They realize now how much theirmoney can help someone.”

While Edward has definitely been blessed byhis association with Colonial Baptist Church, theRichardsons and his Wayland experience, thecouple will be the first to say they’re the onesmost enriched.

“We just love the young man. He makes myheart happy and my eyes water,” WaylandRichardson laughs. “It’s just too much God. He’sorchestrated 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 hasblessed us so much,” Debbie said. “Our lives willnever be the same again, that’s for sure.”

EdwardTaragon, cen-ter, opens ashirt given tohim by theRichardsonsduring afamilyChristmas attheirPlainviewhome.

“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.”

Debbie Richardson

22 footprints

News In Brief

Time capsule buried with centennial items

Students, faculty and staff andtheir families gathered in McClungCenter dining hall on Aprl 29 for ahamburger dinner and the burial ofthe school’s time capsule. Originallyunearthed from outside Gates Hall inAugust 2008 as the centennial cele-bration began, the capsule waspacked with memorabilia from theyear and the era, set to remain inplace until the university’s sesquicen-tennial celebration in 2058.

The four-foot-tall capsule spray-painted with “WBU 2009” was loadedwith items reflecting the current era.Centennial co-chairs Hope Englishand Teresa Young narrated the pro-gram as Dr. Estelle Owens, universityhistorian; Danny Andrews, Director ofAlumni Development; and SGA presi-dent Lauren Davis helped introduceitems to be included.

Along with centennial items, thecapsule included technology itemssuch as a flash drive, MP3 player anddigital camera, printouts of Webpages, and clothing popular amongWBU students to name a few.

n Chase awards grant to

benefit Artesia teachers

Anew grant from the ChaseFoundation is helping Artesia publicschool teachers further their educationthrough Wayland Baptist University.

Specifically, the $1,000 grants helpteachers pursue graduate courseworkoffered through the Virtual Campus,Wayland’s online component that offersseveral master’s degrees in education aswell as English and history.

The grant began with the summerterm and covered most of the cost ofone course for teachers. The programwill continue in each term of Wayland’sVirtual Campus while the $30,000 fund-

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

n Students honored as

school year wraps up

Wayland presented the top awardgiven to senior students and otheracademic and scholarship recogni-tions during chapel on April 28.

The 2010 Female CitizenshipAward was given to Kiana Bullard, asenior from Borger majoring inSpanish. While at Wayland, she hasserved as a member of StudentFoundation and on the BaptistStudent Ministry’s leadership team.She has worked as a resident assis-tant in Ferguson Hall dormitory andled dorm Bible studies. Bullard is amember of the Spanish club, SigmaTau Delta English honor society andthe Phi Alpha Theta history honorsociety, and has served on missiontrips to Mexico and Louisville,Kentucky, where she will return upon

graduation and spend a year workingat the Jefferson Street Baptist Center,a shelter for the homeless and urbanpoor.

The 2010 Male Citizenship Awardwas given to Kevin Burrow, a seniorreligion major from Tulia. Burrow is amember of the 2009-10 President’sAmbassadors., Ministerial Fellowship,Fellowship of Christian Athletes andhas served as a resident assistant inCaprock Hall. Burrow has been onmission trips to Macedonia andKosovo. Upon graduation fromWayland, Burrow plans to attend TruettSeminary at Baylor University wherehe has received a full scholarship.

n New master’s degree

in English unveiled

The School of Languages andLiterature announced a new Master ofArts in English to begin in August. TheMA is a general program of studydesigned to prepare students for

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

teaching, further graduate school, cre-ative writing and other related fields.The 37-hour program will be offeredin a quarterly format, with courses infour 11-week terms per year. Eachterm will offer at least one onlinecourse as well as a combination ofevening, weekend and hybrid classesin an effort to accommodate workingprofessionals.

Students may choose a thesistrack that involves six hours of thesiswork and an oral defense, or the non-thesis track that will require two addi-tional courses. Both tracks will requirea written comprehensive exam.

Applicants must already have abachelor’s degree from an accreditedcollege or university as well as 12upper-division hours in English with a3.5 grade-point average. Courses willcover a large variety of literature top-ics, including 17th and 18th centuryprose and poetry, Shakespeare, lin-guistics, romanticism, American litera-ture, British literature and creativewriting.

More information is availableonline at www.wbu.edu.

n San Antonio partnership

saves Air Force money

A partnership between Wayland’sSan Antonio campus and theLackland Air Force Base EducationCenter is resulting in savings of bothtime and money for the U.S. Air Force.

The national testing center wasable to be computerized and mademore accessible for the base.Lackland's computerized testing has38 DANTES and 34 CLEP tests avail-able, all of which provide instantresults instead of waiting the sixweeks allotted for paper tests.

The joint venture increased atten-dance and passing rates, led to aWBU agreement with Air Universityproviding professional military educa-

tion testing at no cost to the Air Force,allowed establishment of a pilot pro-gram for technical school studentsand reduced Air Force costs morethan $1 million for fiscal year 2010.

Savings come from no contractortest fees and reduced course expens-es through increased passing rates(each passed test saves $750). Thepace of current attendance projectsthe NTC will administer 9,800 tests bySept. 30.

The NTC is available to all active-duty, Reserve and guard members,regardless of branch or duty station.

n Employees honored for

service year milestones

President Dr. Paul Armes presentedawards for those reaching year mile-stones in employment during an Aprilbanquet for employees.

Pat Buchanan, associate professorof exercise and sport science, wasawarded a special plaque and pin com-memorating 30 years of service toWayland, while Brenda Bass, a longtimeemployee in the external campusrecords office, was noted for 25 yearsof service. Twenty-year awards went toDr. Lloyd Cannedy of the Wichita Fallscampus and Plainview campus employ-ees Dr. Greg Feris, athletic director andprofessor of physical education andrecreation; Steve Long, assistant profes-sor of communication and media stud-ies; Dr. Paul Sadler, dean of the Schoolof Religion and Philosophy andProfessor of Religion; and Sheila Wood,coordinator of student financialaccounts.

n Family with WBU ties

dedicates new scholarship

Members of the Jenkins andSelman families celebrated a relation-ship with Wayland that spans nearly 90

years with a special new endowedscholarship, dedicated in April.

The Jenkins-Selman FamilyEndowed Scholarship honors a largegroup that has benefited from a WBUeducation. J.J. Jenkins of Roswell, N.M.,established the scholarship along withhis late wife Edna, who is a WBU alum.

The family has had several mem-bers study and graduate from the uni-versity, beginning as early as the 1920swith John Cooper Jenkins, who graduat-ed from Wayland in 1924 while it wasstill a junior college, and HubertJenkins, who attended in the 20s. Thenext generation of the Wayland familyincluded Robert Lee Selman and LoisChaddick Selman, students in 1948,and Edna Selman Jenkins, a graduateof 1953.

The more recent decades haveincluded Meri Jenkins Schrader, a 1987graduate; Summer Mohon Perkins, a1998 graduate; Jessica Mohon Alayon,a 2001 graduate; Tamara Haney, a2008 graduate; and Anthony JenkinsHaney, a 2009 graduate.

The family said the desire to fund ascholarship came from a love forWayland and “their conviction that thisinstitution offers an opportunity for asuperior education in an environmentthat encourages Christian growth.” Thescholarship is designated for studentsfrom New Mexico.

Members of the Jenkins and Selman familiesgather for an endowed scholarship honoringmany members of the family with WBU ties.Pictured are (from left) grandchildren A.J.Haney and Tamara Haney, daughter NancyHaney and husband Ed, J.J. Jenkins, sisterNan Jenkins of Austin and her friend TimmiKuykendall.

footprints 23

24 footprints

Athletics Review

Pioneer men earn first Outdoor titleMARION, Ind. – Wayland Baptist

brought home its third straight NAIAOutdoor Track and Field TeamChampionship, only this time it wasthe Pioneer men's team that earnedthe banner. Led by the OutstandingMale Athlete Award winner, KennedyKithuka, the WBU men captured thetitle with 70 points, 19 better thansecond place Dickinson State.

Kithuka dominated his two events.He lapped the entire field on his wayto winning the 10,000-meters onThursday, and although he didn't lapquite everybody in Saturday's win in

the 5,000, thefreshman fromKenya did cross thefinish line 46 sec-onds in front of thesecond place run-ner. Kithuka, run-ning all alone forthe final eight lapsof the race, broke

the school record with a time of13:56.82

Pioneer head coach BrianWhitlock, who was named NAIACoach of the Year, said after the meet

that finally getting that men's cham-pionship banner was a great feeling."I couldn't be happier for our guys. Itwas a total team effort.

"We had some great performanc-es, but four guys in particular reallystood out. Kennedy was a crowdfavorite and got standing ovations atthe end of both of his races. It wasobvious how hard he was workingand they really appreciated that.Kirby (Dunn) ran a lot of races andstill managed to turn in some reallygreat times under some really hotand humid conditions."

National Champs

Whitlock

footprints 25

In his final event as a Pioneer, Dunn broke the 1:50 mark forthe first time in his stellar career, posting a 1:49.45 in the 800-meters. The senior finished as the runner-up in the event, and alsowas 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-LeeDavis.

"Caleb really gave it everything he had. He ran some greatraces in the open 400, and his splits in the relays were just super.Coach (Rohan) Thompson has been saying all year that Jerry-Leewas ready to break out, and he certainly did it at the very besttime."

Davis capped off a terrific three days with his eight-point per-formance in the 200-meters. The sophomore ran a personal best20.97 to cross the line just .09 behind the winner.

McLean highlighted his big weekend with a third-place finish inthe 400-meters. The junior ran a 47.15 to give the Pioneers sixpoints, and anchored both the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relayteams.

Joining McLean and Davis on the 4x100 relay were Lee Prevostand Myran Roundtree. The foursome ran a 40.67 to finish third,while Andre Hamilton and Mario Scott made up the remainingpart of the 4x400 team, which wrapped up the meet with a3:10.82, and also crossed the finish line in third place.

After getting off to a promising start, the two-time defendingchampion Wayland women fell to 11th place this year, scoring 29points. 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 Echolsran a 9:02.15 in the 4x8, finishing just ahead of third placeMalone University. In the final event, Keliesha Ross, Leandria Lee,Milca Villegas and Echols posted a 3:50.60 in the 4x400 to comein seventh.

The women's 4x100-meter relay team of Bianca Grant,Leandria Lee, Kimberly Smith and Keliesha Ross posted a 45.58in the sprint relay and finished second, but was disqualifiedbecause 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 sprintscome to an end with a fourth-place finish in the 100-meters. Thejunior ran an 11.88.

Echols, who finished her WBU career by running three roundsof 800-meter races, two 800-meter relay events, and two 400-meter relay events during the three-day national meet, placedsixth in the 800-meter finals with a time of 2:12.02.

A sophomore, Lee got a point in the 200-meter finals afterrunning a 24.99 to finish in eighth place.

Pioneer senior Todd Weldon of Carlsbad, N.M., deliversa pitch during a game early in the 2010 baseball sea-son. Weldon was selected by the New York Mets in the27th round of the Major League Baseball draft in June.

Wayland Baptist right-handed pitcher ToddWeldon was drafted in the 27th round by theNew York Mets in the June draft. Weldonbecomes the first Pioneer taken in the MajorLeague Baseball draft since J.J. Peirce in2001.

A 6'5”, 215-pound flame thrower fromCarlsbad, NM, Weldon led the Pioneers in winsduring the past two seasons and set a schoolrecord for strikeouts in a season in 2009 with120. He won 19 of the 30 games in which hestarted at Wayland, striking out 219 batters in166-1/3 innings of work, and had fourshutouts.

Weldon, the 812th player selected in thedraft, was the second draftee from the SoonerAthletic Conference. Lubbock Christian catcherJoe Staley was an eighth-round selection ofthe San Franciso Giants.

Weldon drafted

26 footprints

Pioneer BaseballWayland’s baseball team fell just short of making the

national tournament this year. The Pioneers, ranked 31stin the final NAIA Coaches Poll, fell just two places short ofmaking the 46-team field.

This year's field was comprised of 32 automatic quali-fiers from NAIA affiliated conferences, Association ofIndependent Institutions and unaffiliated groupings and14 at-larges, which were determined using the final Top25 rating. A year ago, the top 33 teams in the final rank-ings made the cut, but upsets in several conference tour-naments were a major blow to Wayland's chances.

The Pioneers finished the season with a record of 32-19. They picked up three wins when it was learned thatBellevue University had to forfeit all but two of theirgames this season for using an ineligible player. Bellevuetook three-out-of-four from Wayland back in February atWilder Field.

Men’s GolfSILVIS, 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 DeereRun 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 CoachesPoll, entered the final round in a tie for 13th place, butmade up nine strokes and jumped over three teams toend up in the top 10 for the fourth time in the last fiveyears.

Junior Michael Loppnow earned All-Tournament hon-ors for the second straight year, finishing in eighth placeafter shooting one-under 70 to complete the 72-holetournament with a 293.

Junior Matthew Webb and sophomore Bradley Sinnettalso had good final rounds. Webb shot a one-over 72 tofinish with 305 (73-81-79-72). Sinnett parred the last 18and wrapped up the tourney with 307 (80-77-79-71).

Yohann Vora, a freshman who was hampered by awrist injury, capped off his first national tournamentappearance 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 GolfEDMOND, Okla. – The Wayland Baptist women's golf

team finished fourth at the 2010 Sooner Athletic

Conference Championship held at River Oaks Golf Club.The 16th-ranked Pioneers finished 29 strokes in front of5th place Oklahoma Baptist with a 36-hole total of 665(332-333).

WBU sophomore Charlotte Guilleux, who entered thefinal round in 13th place after shooting a season-high 82in the opening round, came back with a blistering 71 onthe final 18 holes to finish fourth in the individual stand-ings and earn All-Conference honors for the secondstraight year.

Guilleux struggled on the front nine the first day,shooting a 44, but took 10 strokes off that total on daytwo. She finished the tournament with three birdies and23 pars, and led the field in par 5 scoring with one-under.

Anye Magombe, who was tied with Guilleux after thefirst 18, wound up tied for 17th with a 167 (82-85).Freshman Nathalia Valencia finished just out of the top20 in 21st place at 168 (83-85).

Jennifer Perry (85-92-177) and Krisann Earp (88-93-181) also competed for the Pioneers at the conferencechampionships.

WBU golfer Jonathan Elliott, from South Africa, tees

off at a tournament in Arizona.

footprints 27

For the first time in more than 70years, Wayland Baptist University willfield an intercollegiate football teambeginning in the fall of 2012. WBUPresident Dr. Paul Armes, along withother members of the administrationand Director of Athletics Dr. GregFeris, made the announcement at apress conference on March 31.

"We are thrilled about the return offootball to Wayland Baptist Universityafter 72 years," said Armes. "OurBoard of Trustees, faculty, staff andstudents are all strongly in support ofthis endeavor. Campus spirit andatmosphere will be positivelyenhanced, and our community will beable to see collegiate football playedlocally again."

The WBU football program willcompete in the National Associationof Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) andthe Central States Football League(CSFL). Seven teams currently makeup the CSFL, including two SoonerAthletic Conference members,Southern Nazarene University andNorthwestern Oklahoma StateUniversity. Other CSFL members areBacone College, Langston University,Oklahoma Panhandle State University,Texas College and SouthwesternAssemblies of God University.

According to Feris and Dr. ClaudeLusk, VP of Enrollment Management,the decision to reinstate football cameafter almost three years of study.

"We believe this is not only asound athletic decision, but a goodbusiness decision for the university,"Feris said. "We found there was ampleopportunity to compete on both theregional and national levels; that there

were large numbers of potential col-lege athletes that were not beinggiven the opportunity to compete; andthat we could use football to strength-en enrollment as well as adding anelement of excitement and energy tothe university."

Search for a head coach will beginthis fall, and Feris says he hopes tohave someone in place after the firstof the year (2011).

"We will be recruiting a group ofyoung men that we are referring to asour ‘leadership class' to be on cam-pus by the fall of 2011. This groupwill do everything that football playersnormally do in the fall with the excep-tion of playing other schools. The fallof 2012 will be our first competitiveyear, and we will play a full CSFLschedule. By the second competitiveyear of the program, we will have themaximum scholarships allowed by theNAIA (24)."

The new WBU team will practiceon fields located to the west of HilliardField. Additional practice fields are setto be built to the east of Hilliard, aswell. Games are tentatively scheduledto be played at Plainview HighSchool's football stadium.

Pioneers tackle the gridironWBU presidentDr. Paul Armesaddresses acrowd of mediaand communitymembers duringa press confer-ence held toannounce thereinstatement offootball, begin-ning in 2012.

Football Fun Factsu Football was played at Wayland during

its earliest decades. The school was ajunior college in its early years and themascot was the Jackrabbit.

u Texas Tech defeated Wayland 120-0during the 1925 season.

u E.W. “Jack” Jackson, a star player onthe teams of the late ’20s who aver-aged five yards a carry from the full-back position, was inducted into theWBU Athletic Hall of Honor in 1995.He remains the only football player inthe Hall.

u The 1928 Jackrabbits went 7-1-1.u The 1929 Jackrabbits compiled a 4-3-1

record. One loss was to the College ofthe Mines (now the University of Texasat El Paso) during the first night footballgame ever played by two Texas teams.

u In 1930, the Jackrabbits went 8-1-1.One of those victories was a 6-0 deci-sion over Texas Tech.

u Football at Wayland was disbandedshortly thereafter because of thedepression, but was reinstated in 1936-37.

u The last football game played by aWayland team came on November 8,1940. The Jackrabbits lost to DecaturBaptist College, 32-0. Ernest Craigo, a1993 Athletic Hall of Honor inductee,was the coach. The team finished witha record of 1-5-1.

In all humility,I believe with allof my heart thatWayland is stilldoing the rightthings for theright reasons.

You can be proud of your

Wayland.

Dr. Paul Armes

“

”

From the beginning, Wayland BaptistUniversity has been a leader in doing theright things for the right reasons. Permit meto share with you just a few examples.

We were the first four-year, liberal artsschool in the former Confederate South tovoluntarily integrate. We welcomed AfricanAmericans years before the Civil Rights Actsof 1957 and 1964 were passed by Congress.

We were one of the universities toembrace enthusiastically the opportunitiesand challenges of international education,largely through the leadership and encour-agement of former President Dr. BillMarshall.

In the 1970s, Wayland caught a vision ofthe need for and opportunities of militaryeducation. We saw that such a program fitwell into the mission and ministry of the uni-versity, and that it helped meet a pressingneed in the lives of those men and womenserving the United States of America asmembers of our Armed Forces.

Through our External Campus program,we have also been a pioneer in the educa-tion of non-traditional students, i.e. adultsprocuring or completing their universitydegree and/or certification.

Our external campus programs aredesigned to meet the needs of workingadults. Additionally, in a number of locations,we are attracting increasing numbers of tra-ditionally aged students because they likethe context of the faith-based excellent edu-cation offered at Wayland.

You can be proud of your Wayland.

Increasingly, American universities hearchallenges from the public regarding out-reach to the underserved segments of oursociety.

It might surprise you to know that thispast fall, more than 40 percent of those stu-dents enrolled in the Wayland BaptistUniversity system were ethnic minorities.This represented more than 1,800 individu-als, many of whom serve in some branch ofthe United States military. At our home cam-pus of Plainview, more than 30 percent oflast fall’s enrollment was comprised ofminority students. This represents more than325 students.

I could mention many other creativeand innovative things that we are doing, likethe WBU Mission Center or the WelchFoundation student research program, if Ihad the space to do so. However, myFootprints editor limits the number of words Ican write!

In all humility, I believe with all of myheart that Wayland Baptist University is stilldoing the right things for the right reasons. Itis one of the reasons why those of us whowork at Wayland are proud to do so and whywe sense that God still has his hand uponthe life and ministry of this university in anespecially profound way.

Most of you know or remember the linefrom the university’s alma mater: “…pio-neering Wayland, hail thy blue and gold.” It isstill true. We are pioneers...

…and we thank you for your partnershipin this incredible journey.

Wayland still pioneering in

many ways, opening doors

The President’s Pen

28 footprints

What the President is Writing: Want a peek into the musings of Wayland’s President? Visit his new blog

online at http://paularmes.com/

God is workingin more places

than justPlainview, Texas,and through more

folks than justthose with my

denominationallabel. He’s

blessed a wholelot of people

other than me bybeing associatedwith WBU.

“

”

Danny AndrewsDirector of AlumniDevelopment

The older I get (and, boy, is that happeningway too fast) and the more I travel (which is notnearly enough), I am convinced of this: God isworking in more places than just Plainview,Texas, and through more folks than just thosewith my denominational label, and has blesseda whole lot of people other than me by beingassociated with Wayland Baptist University.

I know, I know. That’s no big revelation.But I think we tend to get pretty myopicabout the things closest and most familiar tous and it takes getting away to get anotherperspective.

God has blessed me twice in that arearecently – on a combination work-vacation tripto Kansas City in May and a combination mis-sion-pleasure trip to New York City in June.

With Carolyn serving as navigator andspecial assistant to the pleasant voice ema-nating from my GPS, we made contact withalmost 30 Wayland exes from the Panhandlethrough Oklahoma and Kansas and on toKansas City.

In Shamrock, Texas, Fleeta Shannon toldus with tears in her eyes how much Waylandmeant to her as a young widow with children,trying to get a good education and get onwith her life.

Within a fairly small radius in Oklahoma Cityand adjoining Edmond, we made contact withmore than a dozen alums, including Clyde andKay Cain, John and Alta Murphey, Roy andSharon Moody, and Wayne and Robbie Bristow(likewise Gerald and Fontilla Johnson in Guthrie)who prepared at Wayland for a lifetime of serv-ice in ministry; Mary Sharpe, sister of our uni-versity historian Dr. Estelle Owens, who hasserved Village Baptist Church as a secretary forthree decades; Tom Renfro, one of Wayland’sfirst technology guys, now plying that talent forthe giant Integris health system and serving asan interim music minister; and former FlyingQueen and 2010 Athletic Hall of Honor inducteeLaura Switzer, who is a retired educator.

In the course of conversations, I found outthat former Pioneer basketballer Alfred“Bobo” Jackson is a deacon at Village Baptistand that Bernice Womack Day is the grand-

daughter of two of Wayland’s most belovedservants – the late Dr. Neil Record, assistantto the president, and his wife Hayley, assistantto the registrar.

In Olathe, Kan., we met RandolphMarchman, who attended Wayland classes atTexas Instruments before there was even aLubbock campus back in the 1970s.

In Kansas City, we renewed acquaintancewith Greg and Sharon Griffin and Randall andDonna Stotts who have been in pastoral anddiscipleship ministry in that area for severalyears and we also just missed Carolyn Belshe,a former Methodist missionary toMozambique who is an “email encourager” torecent WBU grad Jessica Riemersma who isserving there now.

I was privileged to go with 64 others –including 53 from the Worship Choir of FirstBaptist Church-Plainview; half of whom areWBU grads or have strong Wayland ties – toworship at the very multicultural BrooklynTabernacle, be blessed by their famed choirand to be further uplifted by a Scripture-quot-ing woman from Nigeria who sat next to me.

We also did some major projects forMetro Ministries, which provides Saturday“Sunday School” onsite and in the five bor-oughs of New York for 20,000 kids a week,helped as monitors on some of the 47 busesthey use to transport the children, and inter-acted with them during the teaching time.

Pastor Bill Wilson, left on the streets inFlorida at age 11, started the ministry in one ofBrooklyn’s toughest neighborhoods 30 yearsago and spends 50 weekends a year on theroad raising money for an outreach in manymajor U.S. cities and about 25 countries.

I will never forget what one of Metro’sstaffers told me when I asked if such ministrydoesn’t emotionally and physically wear youout. “I get tired,” he admitted, “but I’m able todo it when I combine my natural with God’ssupernatural.”

That is my prayer for all of us in theWayland family, working wherever God wantsto minister, combining our natural with Hissupernatural to advance his Kingdom on Earth.

Travels remind of God’s blessings,

work among those with WBU ties

Thinking Out Loud

footprints 29

Development

30 footprints

When it comes to investingmoney, folks want the best return ontheir dollar, even in a down economy.The same can be said for philanthro-pists, who typically want to leave thegreatest possible gift to the charities

they support. While there are many ways

to donate to organiza-tions like WaylandBaptist University,far too few consid-er the planned gift.In most cases, this

gift not only benefitsthe donor during their life-

time but ends up benefitingthe university more in the long run.

A great example of that is thecharitable gift annuity, which providesa large tax savings for donors up front,a small savings over the next fewyears and a steady income streamduring their lifetime.

According to the AmericanCouncil on Gift Annuities, the charita-ble gift annuity involves a transfer ofcash or other assets to a charity, whothen in turn agrees to pay a fixedamount of money to one or two indi-viduals for their lifetime. The giftbecomes the property of the charity,so the donor receives a tax credit forthe initial gift.

When gifts such as this come toWayland, they are invested with theBaptist Foundation of Texas for thelifetime of the donor and the pay-

ments are pulled from the interest ofthe investment. The fixed rate ofreturn depends heavily on the age ofthe donor making the charitable giftannuity, with older donors getting ahigher yield.

The shared benefit to Waylandand to their retirement income waswhat interested Juanita Clepper Parksto donate a charitable gift annuity thatwill one day become a scholarship forthe Flying Queens basketball programin her name. As a former Queen from1949-51, Parks said she and husbandLee had long discussed leaving a nicegift to Wayland in the future.

“Wayland had paid my way toschool for two years while I was on thebasketball team; otherwise, I wouldn’thave been able to go. I had no moneyand my parents had no money,” shesaid. “This is a good way to give back,especially if it helps Wayland.”

A brochure from another charitysparked Juanita’s interest in charitablegift annuities and she saw an optionthat would allow her to both make agenerous gift to the university andensure that their retirement yearswere covered in terms of livingexpenses.

“I told Lee that this would be agood way to get a better return off themoney we had in savings, especiallysince we’d both wanted to do some-thing for Wayland,” she said. “It was agreat thing for us. It’s been a real ben-efit to us to have the extra income offthe annuity, and I’d highly recom-mend it for anyone who is older.”

The Double Win

Charitable gift annuities benefit donor, WBU

By Teresa Young

footprints 31

Parks said the couple receives annuity paymentsquarterly and that has been a blessing in retirement.Lee retired in 1993 from Henry Engineering andFasken Oil and Ranch properties. The two have livedin Midland for 46 years.

Juanita left Wayland after her junior year and aseason in which she was named an All-American andwas able to travel the world with the Flying Queenssquad. All of this was quite a shock to a self-pro-claimed farm girl from Wheeler County who was rec-ommended to Coach Sam Allen by a superintendentwho 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 thecouple moved to Levelland.

She was a homemaker and mother to four sonsfor many years. She eventually finished a teachingdegree at University of Texas-Permian Basin after herchildren were grown, graduating at age 47. Sheworked as a substitute teacher in Midland for 12years after that before retiring. The Parkses have 11grandchildren and enjoy taking vacations each year,bringing along their family when able.

With all the rich memories of her time atWayland, Juanita said she is thrilled to be able toleave a legacy and support the next generation ofFlying Queens. The charitable gift annuity option hasbeen key to that.

“I got to go places I never dreamedI’d get to go,” she says of her experi-ence.

Charitable annuities offer

some options for donors as well. They can choose tohave the regular payments go to one individual orthey may choose the “joint and survivor” agreementwhich means the payments continue for the lifetimeof the surviving spouse at the death of the firstspouse.

Options include immediate gift annuities, wherepayments begin just after the initial contribution; thedeferred gift annuity, where payments are set tobegin at a future date at least a year after the contri-bution; or flexible annuities, where payment datescan be set later by the annuitant.

“A charitable gift annuity provides the donor withmuch more income than a standard investment, plusthe charity is guaranteed to receive their gift as well,”noted Mike Melcher, director of corporate develop-ment at Wayland. “It’s a win/win proposition for

everyone.”For more information on

the charitable gift annuityprogram, contact a devel-

opment offi-cer atWayland at

(806) 291-3425.

In this WBU file photo, Juanita and Lee Parks of Midland(center) hold the bronze plaque marking the Juanita ClepperParks Women’s Athletics Endowed Scholarship, dedicated in2006 with their initial gift to Wayland. With them are then-Vice President of Advancement Betty Donaldson andPresident Dr. Paul Armes.

STEVE BARRERA, adjunctinstructor of public adminis-tration at the San Antoniocampus, is the new director ofpublic safety and chief ofpolice at the University ofTexas at San Antonio, whichhas 29,000 students, facultyand staff.

DR. CHARLES BASSETT,retired longtime administratorfrom Wayland, has movedfrom Weatherford toTexarkana with wife Rosalie.Charles was honored inFebruary by the Panhandle-Plains Pastors’ and Laymen’sConference at WBU for 50years of service to that groupas secretary-treasurer. (4100Moores Lane #136,Texarkana, TX 75503)

MARTHA MORTONCROSS, MED’92, formerDirectorof MajorGifts atWaylandwhere sheworked inAdvance-ment fornine years, married ScottRobison on June 12 at the

Museum of Biblical Art inDallas with the Rev. EDDYCURRY, BS’75, minister ofeducation at Pioneer DriveBaptist Church in Abilene,officiating. Scott is an archi-tect and principal owner atHord Coplan Macht Inc., ofBaltimore. (1432 ProvidenceRoad, Towson, MD 21286;martha.tech@gmail.com)

JESSICA FAUCETT, BS’06,an assistant professor ofmathematics at Wayland, andher husband, JOSHUAFAUCETT, who is pursuing adegree in Criminal Justice,welcomed their first child,Hailly Gail Faucett, at 5:23p.m. June 2. She weighed 6pounds, 4.4 ounces. (2885 FM2883, Plainview, TX 79072;faucettj@wbu.edu)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofJAMES BOYD HOGUE,AssistantProfessor ofManagementInformationSystems for thepast five years,who died May6, 2010, at the age of 64.

James was memorialized at aservice on campus May 8 thatwas led by his School ofBusiness colleagues. He wassecretary of the BreakfastLions Club, a member of thePlainview Writers Guild, andan avid fan of the WBUFlying Queens and Pioneers.Surviving are his wife, LindaWalker; five children and fourgrandchildren. Donations maybe made to the James HogueScholarship Fund at Wayland,1900 W. Seventh, CMB 621,Plainview, TX 79072.

MARK ANTHONY PAIR,Piano Artist-in-Residence,received the 2010 Silver Staraward from the PlainviewCultural Arts Council in May.Many of the previous recipi-ents also have Wayland ties. Arenowned concert pianist, Pairhas presented more than 80professional piano concertsand has been the guest artistwith the Plainview SymphonyOrchestra. At Homecoming2010, he received theDistinguished Lifetime ServiceAward from the Associationof Former Students. He ispianist for The Pastor’s Classat First Baptist Church, wherehe and his wife Helen aremembers. (1303 Amarillo,Plainview, TX 79072)

JOHNNA POINTER,MEd’03, head coach of the

Flying Queens from 1996-2003,has been named an assistantwomen’s basketball coach at theUniversity of Colorado.Previously, Pointer was theAdministrative President forthe Hoop 10 Basketball-SeriousBasketball Instruction programin Amarillo. She guided theFlying Queens to a 155-48record and seven NAIANational Tournaments, includ-ing three trips to the quarterfi-nal round. WBU won theSooner Athletic ConferenceTournament title and she wasthe league’s Coach of the Yearin 1999. Her teams finished inthe NAIA Top 25 final rank-ings all seven years includingthe 1999 No. 2 final nationalranking. She also coached inBensberg, Germany, two yearsat Frank Phillips College inBorger and was a student assis-tant at the University of Texas.Johnna was a two-time All-Southwest Conference per-former for Texas from 1988-92as UT won two SWCTournament Championshipsand made four NCAATournaments including EliteEights in 1988 and 1989. Shealso played for Athletes InAction for two years and partic-ipated in two Olympic SportsFestivals in 1989 and 1990.

RUSTY RAINBOLT, assistantcoach for the Flying Queens in2007-08, is new head women’sbasketball coach at ConcordiaUniversity in Austin. He spentthe past two seasons as assis-tant coach at McMurry,recruiting two straight hon-orees as American SouthwestConference Newcomer of theYear, and helping McMurrycompile a 39-16 record.

ClassFACULTY, STAFF,

TRUSTEES & FRIENDS

32 footprints

notes

Rainbolt and his wife, Audra,have two daughters.

HARLEY REDIN, whorestarted the athletic programat Wayland in 1946 and wasthe highly successful coach ofthe Pioneers and then theFlying Queens, was nominat-ed again for the NaismithBasketball Hall of Fame inthe spring. He is a member ofseven honor halls, includingthe Women’s Basketball Hallof Fame in Knoxville, Tenn.He and his wife, WILDAHUTCHERSON REDIN,were named DistinguishedBenefactors in 2008 for theirlongtime support of theUniversity, upgrading ofHutcherson Center and theAthletic Hall of Honor thereand providing of an endowedscholarship. The court atHutcherson is being named intheir honor with officialrecognition due as the basket-ball season opens. (102Kirchwood St., Plainview, TX79072; Harleyredin@sudden-link.net)

Assistant Dean HENRIQUEREGINA at the Hawaii cam-pus received the DistinguishedExternal Campus ServiceAward from the Associationof Former Students duringthe annual Faculty-StaffAwards Luncheon. Regina hasbeen with the school for nineyears. He volunteers regularlyfor a number of church andcivic organizations and is veryactive in the Chamber ofCommerce of Hawaii. Heserves on a number of localeducation committees thatserve interests varying fromexcellence in early childhood

education to improving out-come processes at theUniversity of Hawaii. (hregi-na@wbu.edu)

DR. PAUL VAUGHN ROSS,BS’67, Emeritus Professor ofBiological Sciences, hasmoved with wife Johnene toWaxahachie to be closer tochildren and grandchildren inretirement. (107 Willow Lane,Waxahachie, TX 75165;vross@wbu.edu)

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

anniversary on July 18. Theyboth were in InternationalChoir, assigned the costumesof Sweden when they arrivedin the fall of 1958, and theysoon began dating. Bob isretired chair of theDepartment of Mathematics atHoward Payne, where hetaught for 30 years. He spent11 years at Wayland and fourat Houston Baptist. Bob alsowas music minister at Bethel inPlainview, and Jan was organistat College Heights. They havethree children and 10 grand-children. (902 N. Main #133,San Angelo, TX 76903)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofROBERTA LUCILLE MAL-

ONE WOLFE BAILEY,AA’33, who died Feb. 8, 2010,in Houston at age 94. She alsohad degrees from Baylor andMidwestern University. Shebegan teaching at age 17 andcontinued teaching publicschool music and other sub-jects in Texas and Oklahomafor 40 years. She was anaccomplished organist andpianist, taught private pianolessons and served as organistand pianist in various church-es. Surviving are her husband,Rev. Milton Bailey; threedaughters; a stepson; a step-daughter; two brothers, twosisters; and 12 grandchildren.The family requests donationsto the Bessie and Clint MaloneMemorial Scholarship atWayland, 1900 W. 7th, CMB621, Plainview, 79072, oronline at https://give.wbu.edu.

footprints 33

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 gen-

eral fund at Wayland.

Van Redin has provid-

ed six numbered paintings of his father, leg-

endary 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 paint-

ing 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-

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 send-

ing a check to Advancement, Wayland Baptist

University, 1900 W. Seventh, CMB 621,

Plainview, TX 79072 or by credit card by call-

ing 806-291-3425.

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

Prints of WBU legends on sale through offices

1930s

Please designate where appli-cable the specific scholarshipand memorial given. (2815Teague Road, Apt. 1406,Houston, TX 77080)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofRev. JEAN PASCHALSTEPHENS, AA’39, who diedJune 12, 2010, in Louisville,Ky., at the age of 94. He alsowas a graduate of HowardPayne and Southern Seminaryand pastored for 40 years,retiring at Sycamore BaptistChurch. Surviving are his wifeof 65 years, Nancy; three chil-dren; and two grandchildren.Memorials are suggested toWayland Baptist, 1900 W. 7thSt., CMB 621, Plainview, TX79072. (206 Hemingway Road,Louisville, KY 40207)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofOLLIE ELAINE CULPEP-

PER WILSON, EX’39, whodied April 6, 2010, inFloydada at the age of 88. Shetaught at Lubbock’s Posey,Overton and Williams ele-mentaries over a period of 32years. After retirement shecontinued to teach computerliteracy to senior citizens. Sheis survived by two sons; 10grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.

Christian love and sympathy tothe family and friends ofMARGERET ELIZABETHCAMDEN BECK, AA’44,who died Jan. 26, 2010, inWaco, at age 86. Margeretenjoyed working with childrenat each church where she andher husband were membersduring his 33-year Marinecareer. In addition to Ed, sur-vivors are a son; a daughter and

10 grandchildren. (5225 LakeCharles Dr., Waco, TX 76710)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofW.C. CARPENTER JR.,AA’40, who died June 5, 2010,in Lewiston, Idaho, at the ageof 95. He also graduated fromBaylor and SouthwesternSeminary and pastoredchurches in Texas, NewMexico and Idaho for 60years. For 12 years he wasMissions Director for theNorthwest BaptistConvention in Portland, Ore.He served on the board atSouthwestern from 1973-83and was named DistinguishedAlumnus for 1988. His wifeof 48 years, Fannie Beatrice,died in 1989. Surviving are hissecond wife, Norma Kathryn;five daughters, including PATMACDOWELL, EX’60, andher husband LES MACDOW-ELL, BS’62; MOLLIE BED-

WELL, EX’62; MARY PAN-THER, BA’71; and MARTHAKENYON, EX’69, and herhusband DEAN KENYON,BA’69; two stepchildren; a sis-ter; a brother; and 35 grand-children. (902 Burrell Avenue,Lewiston, ID 83501-5054)

Christian love and sympathy tothe family and friends of theRev. JAMES OLIVER DUCK-WORTH, AA’44, who diedNov. 4, 2009, in Tyler at age 84.He was a former SouthernBaptist minister serving severalchurches in Texas and waschaplain at John Peter SmithHospital in Fort Worth. Healso served in the Air ForceReserves, attaining the rank ofcolonel. His wife, Pansy RuthMcLaughlin Duckworth, diedin 2004. Surviving are twosons; a daughter; and fivegrandchildren.

JAMES D. ROBERSON,

Alum establishes social work scholarship honoring Jesters

34 footprints

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 prepar-

ing to enter social work as a career.

The Jesters are retired and live in

Louisville, Ky., where he is president emeri-

tus 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 gradu-

ate courses began, the McClung Center

opened, Wayland started offering lifelong

learning programs and new campuses were

added in San Antonio, Anchorage and

Fairbanks.

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

and social work, so I believe this is an appro-

priate 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.

By Danny Andrews

1940s

AA’42, and his wife JOHNAR. BUTLER ROBERSON,AA’42, are retired – he fromthe Texas WorkforceCommission and she fromVeterans Administrationfinance. They have been mar-ried for 68 years and have twodaughters and four grandchil-dren. (5341 Meadow CreekDrive, Austin, TX)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofERNEST D. STEWART,AA’42, who died March 22 inSweetwater. He was a retiredBaptist pastor who had servedall over Texas as well as inNebraska and Kansas. He andhis wife of 68 years, Geri, hada son, a daughter, six grand-children, 16 great-grandchil-dren and four sisters. Ernesthad earned degrees fromHardin-Simmons Universityand Southwestern Seminary.(1109 E. 12th St., Sweetwater,TX 79556)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofSYLVIA RHEA COFFMANCUNNINGHAM, BA’55,who died June 3 in Alamo,Texas, at the age of 79. Shewas a homemaker and formerschool teacher and workedalongside her husband, C.T.CUNNINGHAM JR., BA’55,a church planter for the

Home Mission Board whosepastorates included SecondChurch-Plainview, First-Hart,Pratt, Kan. and Alamo. Inaddition to Rev. Cunningham,other survivors include a son,Dr. Thomas Cunningham,and his wife JANET JOHN-SON CUNNINGHAM,BA’84, a teacher at EstacadoJunior High in Plainview; adaughter, Frances Steele, and11 grandchildren. (C.T.: 809 S.13th Street, Alamo, TX 78516;Janet: 306 Mesa Circle,Plainview, TX 79072)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofCHARLES CHENG-YEHLIU, EX’56, who died June17, 2010, in Dallas at the ageof 76. He attended Waylandafter emigrating from Chinain 1952 and earned his Masterof Science degree at theUniversity of Illinois inElectrical Engineering.Charles retired from TexasInstruments after a longcareer which included openingthe China market for TI in themid-1970s. He was a consult-ant for Halliburton for 10years. An active member ofPrestonwood Baptist Church,Charles was instrumental inbuilding 27 schools in impov-erished areas of China withWycliffe Resources SIL, aBible translation ministry.Survivors include his wife of46 years, Catherine; twodaughters; two sons; two sis-ters; and eight grandchildren.(17412 Pauma Valley Circle,Dallas, TX 75287)

DR. JAMES C. McGRAW,EX’53, was named 2010Distinguished Alumnus of the

University of WashingtonDental School by its DentalAlumni Association. Theaward reflects contributionsmade over a long period oftime. (1788 Bellevue Way NE,Bellevue, WA 98004)

LOMETA ODOM, BS’56,was announced in July as a2011 inductee to the NationalWomen’s Basketball Hall ofFame in Knoxville, Tenn. Anative of Dimmitt, Odomplayed for the Flying Queensfrom 1952-56 and was one ofonly two athletes to earn All-America honors four years.During her tenure, theQueens amassed a 115-5record, including three AAUnational championships and asecond-place finish. Sheplayed on the victorious U.S.team in the Pan AmericanGames of 1955. Odom’s1,614 career points places herat ninth in all-time scoring forthe Queens. After WBU,Odom taught science, healthand physical education inGruver, Spearman, WhiteDeer and Plainview andcoached as well. She retired in1993. She is also a member ofthe Panhandle Sports Hall ofFame, the Helms FoundationHall of Fame, the Texas HighSchool Basketball Hall ofFame, the Texas Associationof Basketball Coaches Hall ofFame, and Wayland’s AthleticHall of Honor. Odom joins

other WBU greats in the hall,including Harley Redin (1999),Dean Weese and KatherineWashington (2000), ClaudeHutcherson, Patsy Neal andMarsha Sharp (2003), and JillRankin Schneider (2008).(7404 Wallace Blvd., Apt. 131,Amarillo, TX 79106;lometa.odom@sbcglobal.net)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofBILLIE RUTH HARPERRICH, EX’54, who diedMarch 30, 2010, in Amarilloat age 80. She married HenryBruce Rich Jr. in 1948 andthey served in churches inTexas, New Mexico andOregon. Surviving are herhusband; three daughters; ason; two sisters; a brother;and 13 grandchildren.Memorials are suggested toWayland, 1900 W. 7th, CMB621, Plainview, TX 79072.(6929 Sedge Ave. NW,Albuquerque, NM 87120)

Christian love and sympathy tothe family and friends of RICEEUGENE ‘GENE’ WAT-SON, BS’53, who died May 28,2010, in Fort Worth at the ageof 79. He received a Master ofTheology degree fromSouthwestern Seminary. Hewas a teacher for 31 years inthe Fort Worth school system.Surviving are his wife, Wanda;a son; two stepchildren andthree grandchildren. (111 St.Anthony, Crowley, TX 76036)

PAT WILLIAMS, BS’53, a for-mer manager for the FlyingQueens, was honored by theRunningwater Draw RSVP asVolunteer of the Month forMay. Pat is a retired teacher

footprints 35

1950s

and pastor’s wife and lived in22 different towns beforereturning to Plainview in 2005.She volunteers at the Museumof the Llano Estacado and isin Millennium Singers amongother activities. She is a mem-ber of First Baptist Church,the Hale County HistoricalCommission, the Hi-PlainsGenealogical Society and theRetired Teachers Association.Husband Leon died in 2001.SHe has three children. (901Yonkers, Plainview, TX 79072)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofNORA HOWE CHU, BS’62,who died April 7, 2010, inHong Kong. Survivors includeher husband, LAWRENCECHU, BA’62. The Chus madea substantial gift in December2009 in appreciation ofWayland’s influence in theirlives. (G/F #11 Lane One,Wu Ka Sha Village, Ma OnShan, NT Hong Kong)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofOLLIE ONETA GARY,BS’69, MEd’84, who died July5, 2010, in Hale Center. Shehad special education creden-tials and taught at Carr MiddleSchool in Hale Center.Surviving are her husband of60 years, Bill; five children;two sisters and 50 grandchil-dren and great-grandchildren.(1371 FM 37A, Hale Center,TX 79041)

BETH LANDRY, BA’65, isretired from teaching Englishat Port Neches-Groves High

School and lived for sixmonths in 2009 in Jerusalem.She taught at the JerusalemSchool and lived in housingwith three other teachers.Beth writes: “I lived in anArab neighborhood andtaught Arab students, about85 percent Muslim. It was anincredibly wonderful experi-ence. I was blessed to be ableto see many sites in Israel andto experience Palm Sundayand Easter in Jerusalem. TheLord has blessed me withrelationships with studentsand new friends fromJerusalem – both Arab andChristian.” She has twodaughters and a granddaugh-ter. (2816 Delta Drive, PortArthur, TX 77642; mar-beth@gt.rr.com)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofMartha Lucile Hunt Loyd,who died April 20, 2010, inColorado Springs at the age of81. She worked in banks dur-ing each of her husband’s pas-torates and served as a Sundayschool teacher for grades 1-3.Surviving are her husband,REV. KEITH LOYD, BA’61,sons Randy and Terry, daugh-ters Keithann and Janis, fourgrandchildren and five great-grandchildren. (2118 N. CircleDrive, Colorado Springs, CO80909-2019; kloyd@q.com)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofDALE LEE SCHWARTZ,BA’60, who died Dec. 1, 2009,in Lubbock at the age of 75.A U.S. Army veteran, he hadserved as a Boy Scouts execu-tive and then taught school inTexico, N.M., for 25 years. His

wife, GERRY REICHSCHWARTZ, BS’59, was ateacher and administrator inthe Clovis school system formany years. Also surviving area son; a daughter, his mother;two sisters; and six grandchil-dren. (10318 Knoxville Place,Lubbock, TX 79423)

MARY LOU SERRATT,BA’64, who has served inleadership roles in church,area and state Woman’sMissionary Union organiza-tions, received the DellanaWest O’Brien Award for lead-ership development amongwomen during the June 14meeting of the nationalWMU. She has worked withwomen from numerous coun-tries in several roles sinceplanning her first mission tripin 1975. Serratt served as vicepresident of WMU of Texasand a volunteer multiethnicconsultant, among other lead-ership roles. She also writesfor national WMU for theMissions Plan Book, aresource written in basicEnglish for smaller or newchurches, multicultural con-gregations and deaf congrega-tions. She and husband DEL-BERT, BA’58, a retired pastorand Director of Missions inthe Amarillo area, have twochildren. (3405 S. Virginia St.,Amarillo, TX 79109;Marylou_ser@suddenlink.net)

DON ALLEN, EX’79, is afinancial planner for senioradults. He and his wife, Kathy,have two grown children.(4130 Springbrook Drive,

Odessa, TX 79762)

BENNY BURNETT, BS’79,coached the Dale, Okla., LadyPirates to the Class 2A statechampionship with his daugh-ter, Brenna, earning tourna-ment MVP honors. She was anall-stater and voted by theOklahoma CoachesAssociation as the FemaleAthlete of the Year for thestate. She will play basketballfor one of Wayland’s SoonerAthletic Conference rivals,Oklahoma Baptist, next season.Benny, who also is middleschool principal, was namedGirls Basketball Coach of theYear by the OGBCA. His sonBraeden’s team lost in the statesemifinals. Braeden will be ajunior this fall. Benny’s wife,Lisa, is an elementary teacher.(302 Teri Lane, McLoud, OK74851; burnettbenny@netscape.net)

RANDY DAY, BA’74, isfounding pastor of NewBeginnings of Fort Stockton,where he has lived for thepast 10 years. He has been infull-time music ministry sincegraduating from Wayland withmost of those years concen-trated at FBC Kirbyville andseven at FBC Fort Stockton.He and his wife Jody will becelebrating 25 years of mar-riage in December. They havehomeschooled five daughtersand one son and also havefive grandchildren. (sixday-dad@yahoo.com)

MELANIE APPLETONGALLAGHER, BA’74, recent-ly retired from the TexasTeacher Retirement Systemafter 32 years of service credit

36 footprints

1960s

1970s

– 18 of them as a schoollibrarian. She is now a salesrepresentative for Perma-Bound Books for West Texasand Southern New Mexico.She and her husband, Bob,live in El Paso with their threedogs, Jasmine, Izzy and Fifi.She is a frequent storyteller ather church and in her commu-nity. Melanie recently helpedto start a Prayer Shawl min-istry in her church. She enjoysall kinds of needlecrafts, par-ticularly quilting. (6882Orizaba, 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 SantaCruz, Bolivia. They live nearFayetteville, Ark., and have agrown son. Linda donated her1970 annual to our collection.Her best friend is LYNNGRAY WELCH, BS’71, whomshe met at Wayland. Linda is aretired educational diagnosti-cian for the Lamesa school dis-trict. (Linda: lhayes40@gmail.com; Lynn:lawwelch50@suddenlink.net)

DAVID NALL, EX’70, recent-ly won Gospel Album of theYear at the Texas CountryMusic Awards Show for RiverJordan Gospel Collection No.1. David has been writing andrecording gospel music steadilysince 2006 and has wonnumerous awards, gettingheavy airplay in manyEuropean markets as well. Heis a pharmacist in Justin, nearFort Worth. (123 Daisey Lane,Justin, TX 76247; pharm-nall@yahoo.com)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofJOHN TRUETT, BA’77, whodied July 5, 2010, at 69. Truettwas a retired pastor whoearned his master’s degree intheology from InternationalBible Institute and Seminary.He and wife Dianna wereretired in Plainview andattended College HeightsBaptist Church, where Johntaught the exceptional min-istries Sunday school class. Heis survived by two sons, Leeand Glenn, and two grand-children. (1300 Dallas St.,Plainview, TX 79072)

CHUCK WILLIAMS, BA’74,founder and senior pastor ofLive Oak Community Churchin Lubbock, is the author of“Eternal Route 66” to helpreaders discover life’s purposeas they explore historic Route66 and relevant passages ineach of the 66 books of theBible. For almost a month in2004, Chuck and his wife,ANN GLAZENERWILLIAMS, BA’73, who is asubstitute teacher, drove theentire length of Route 66from Chicago to SantaMonica writing, photograph-ing, and meeting people toproduce the book. He spokein WBU chapel shortly afterthe book came out in 2005.More information is availableat www.eternalroute66.com.Their son, Rich, will completehis MBA this month andworks at UT-Dallas. His wife,Johanna, works for HHArchitects in Dallas. (5728108th Street, Lubbock, TX79424; chuck@eternal-route66.com)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofEDDIE ANAYA, BS’77, whodied April 7, 2010, inLubbock at the age of 57. Hewas Executive Director ofLEARN Inc. and a communi-ty leader, building a 30-yearcareer around helping about100,000 disadvantaged stu-dents and adults achieve goalsthat would better their livesthrough education. AtWayland, he served asAdministrative Assistant tothe Dean of Admissions andRegistrar. He was involved inmany community organiza-tions and received numeroushonors, including the WalterO. Mason LifetimeAchievement Award by theTexas Association of StudentSpecial Services Programs forhis public service in the feder-al TRiO programs. Survivingare his wife, Norma Cantu;two sons; a daughter; hismother; six sisters; one broth-er and four grandchildren.

(713 Sunset Lane, Lubbock,TX 79403)

Music evangelists SHERMANATEN, BA’85, and TAMMY(PAYNE) ATEN, BA’85, willcelebrate their 20th anniver-sary in ministry at 6:30 p.m.Friday, Nov. 5, at the PecanPlantation Country Club, 8650Westover Court in Granbury.Cost is $16 per person. RSVPto wdonallen@yahoo.com or(432) 770-5418 by Oct. 22.They also will be cohosting aDavid and Debbie BurkBibleland Cruise starting Nov.11. More information is avail-able at www.discoverymin-istries.com. The Atens cele-brate their 25th weddinganniversary in 2010 as well.(atenmin@juno.com)

KIRBY KENNEDY, BA’80, isnew pastor of First BaptistChurch in Palatka, Fla. Kirby,

footprints 37

Homecoming 2011 dates announced

Homecoming 2011 has been

scheduled for Feb. 24-26.

More details will be announced

in the December Footprints but

we’ll be honoring the exes of 1961

as the Golden Anniversary Class

as well as the special recognition

for the classes of 1971, 1981,

1991 and 2001. All exes of 1961

and earlier are invited to attend

the Legacy League Luncheon on

Friday after chapel.

The Distinguished Alumni (the

highest honor), Distinguished

Alumni Service Award,

Distinguished Alumni Leadership

Award, Young Alumni Award and

Distinguished Benefactor Award

also will be presented in chapel at

11 a.m. Feb. 25. Nominations for

those honors may be made by

Dec. 10 to Danny Andrews,

Alumni Services, Wayland Baptist

University, 1900 W. Seventh, CMB

437, Plainview, TX 79072 or to

andrewsd@wbu.edu.

The Homecoming Banquet fea-

turing entertainment by students,

the Alumni Luncheon, basketball

games, baseball games, a play, art

exhibits and special recognitions

by various schools will be a part of

the celebration.

We especially encourage the

honor class members to attend

and encourage fellow classmates

to do the same. Alumni Services

can help with arrangements for

reunion meetings of organizations

or classes.

1980s

who received his Master ofDivinity and Doctor ofMinistry degrees fromSouthwestern Seminary, servedEmmanuel Baptist Church inFarmington, N.M., for the pastthree years. Other pastorateshave been Covington Baptist inMaple Valley, Wash.; CalvaryBaptist in Roswell, N.M., andFBC Los Lunas, N.M. He andhis wife, Debbie, have twodaughters. (106 Lisa Lane,Palatka, FL 32178; kir-bykennedy@yahoo.com)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofFRANK LYNN MERTON,BSOE’89 from the Lubbockcampus, who died May 1,2010, in Lubbock at age 53.He served in the MarineCorps for eight years.Surviving are his wife, Mariah;his parents; and two brothers.(4320 43rd Street, Lubbock,TX 79413-2927)

WERNER WAAK, BSOE’80from the Anchorage campus,is a new member of the boardfor the Denali Alaskan FederalCredit Union, the state’s thirdlargest. Waak served 23 yearsin the Air Force before joiningthe staff at the Municipality ofAnchorage, where he currentlyis senior administrative officerof its purchasing department.(23827 Chandelle Drive,Chugiak, AK 99567)

GARLAND ‘BUDDY’WALKER, EX’87, and hiswife RUTH, MEd’88, werenamed RSVP Volunteers ofthe Month for June inPlainview. Buddy attendedWayland, and they met whilestudents at Hardin-Simmons.

He served in the Army andReserves for a total of 28years, retiring as a lieutenantcolonel in 1992, then pastoredchurches in Oklahoma andalso worked for the InternalRevenue Service for 15 years.Ruth was a nurse for 37 years.He is a deacon and teachesSunday school at CollegeHeights Baptist Church, andRuth helps in the churchlibrary and they do nursinghome ministry. They have twodaughters and two grandsons.(1503 Jefferson, Plainview, TX79072; gwalker23@sudden-link.net)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofJAMES EDWARD ‘EDDIE’BARBEE, BSOE’94, MEd’95from the Lubbock campus,who died April 6, 2010, at age63. He was a Child ProtectiveServices Specialist for theState of Arizona, an actor infilm and television commer-cials, and a freelance writer.

PATTI GILBERT BONNER,BSOE’96, MBA’06, from theAmarillo campus, has com-pleted 27 years as a federalcivilian administrative andsupport professional and is amanagement analyst forDCMA Bell HelicopterTextron in Amarillo. She alsois an Administrative Officerwith the Bureau of LandManagement. Patti completeda post-master’s degree throughStrayer Online and is pursing aDoctorate of Education withArgosy Online. She has twochildren and four grandchil-

dren. “To add to this joy, asthe only child of my family, Iwas recently able to meet awonderful half-brother as ananswer to childhood prayersto have a sibling,” she writes.(1214 Heather St, Amarillo,TX 79107-8012; Patti.Gilbert-Bonner@dcma.mil)

KEVIN CARTER, BBA’93,was named the executivedirector for the Plainview-Hale County IndustrialFoundation in April after serv-ing as the foundation’s interimdirector since November2009. Carter is president ofthe Association of FormerStudents, United Way cam-paign chairman for 2011 andpast president of thePlainview Chamber ofCommerce. The IndustrialFoundation shares a buildingnow with the chamber just offthe WBU campus on FifthStreet. He and wife ALISSA,MEd’05, have a son, Blaine,who will be in sixth grade.Alissa is administrative assis-tant principal at La MesaElementary in Plainview. (4214Ridgeway Dr., Plainview, TX79072; golfingcarter@hot-mail.com)

GIA FILKINS GRIES,BSOE’95 from the Hawaiicampus, has been a specialagent with the U.S. SecretService for 12 years. She andher husband, Sgt. Major RayGries (USMC), have two chil-dren, Zachary, 3 ½, and

Jessica, 17 months. (607Jefferson Court, Ingelside, IL60041; gia.gries@usss.dhs.gov)

MAJOR HARRIS JR.,BSOE/AAS’95 from theWichita Falls campus, hasworked in Quality Assurancefor the Department of the AirForce for the past 11 years.He has been recognized byCambridge Who’s Who fordemonstrating dedication,leadership and excellence ingovernment service during his26-year tenure in the AirForce, where he previouslyserved as Superintendent ofNutritional Medicine Services.(major.harris@sbcglobal.net)

MIKE KEMP, BSOE’96 fromthe Lubbock campus, is thenew fire chief in Lubbock. Hehopes to get three new firestations builtand add atleast 60 fire-fighters to thedepartment inthe next fouryears. He spent20 of his 28 years with thedepartment in the fire mar-shal’s office and was promot-ed to fire marshal in 1998. Heand his wife, Renee, have twochildren. (5107 County Road7545, Lubbock, TX 79424)

Christian love and sympathy tothe family and friends of BAR-BARA LEE LILLY-MEDRA-NO, BBA’95 from the SanAntonio campus, who diedApril 11, 2010, at the age of50. She was an Army wife andhomemaker. Surviving are herhusband, Enrique; two daugh-ters; her father; two sisters; fourbrothers; and two grandchil-

1990s

38 footprints

dren. (3930 Forge Dr.,Woodridge, VA 22913-2214)

SHEILA PRITCHETT,BSOE’98 from the SanAntonio campus, was namedone of 80 new WoodrowWilson Indiana TeachingFellows – the “RhodesScholars” of teaching – by theWoodrow Wilson NationalFellowship Foundation ofPrinceton, N.J. She will receivea $30,000 stipend and enrollin a master’s degree programin education at Indiana

University-Purdue UniversityIndianapolis that providesintensive clinical preparationfor teaching math and sciencein the urban and rural highschool schools that most needstrong teachers. In return, shewill commit to teach for threeyears in high-need Indianaschools. Most recently an aca-demic lab technician at theIndiana University School ofMedicine, Pritchett is a U.S.Army veteran and a churchyouth volunteer. (30 E.Georgia Street, Apt. 46,

Indianapolis, IN 46204)

MARY SALAZAR RANJEL,BSOE’93 from the SanAntonio campus, who hasassisted five presidents duringher 33-year tenure at BaptistUniversity of the Américas,has been named Director ofEnrollment Management andStudent Services at BUA. Shebecomes the first womanmember of the university’stop administrative body, theexecutive council. She isauthor of a short story,“Stories of Hope from aBend in the Road” in a bookpublished by pastor-authorDavid Jeremiah; churchpianist at Central BaptistChurch; and vice president ofAnchored Love Ministries.(8411 Deer Hollow Street,San Antonio, TX 78230;gueri@sbcglobal.net)

BRANDON SCHNEIDER,BA’95, is new coach of theStephen F. Austin Ladyjackbasketball program. The for-mer Pioneer basketballer isthe second all-time winningesthead coach at the NCAADivision II level, leadingEmporia State, Kan., to a 306-72 record and 11 nationaltournament appearances overthe past 12 years and the 2010NCAA Division II NationalChampionship. He also wonsix conference titles and hadtwo trips to the Final Four.(schneidebs@sfasu.edu)

AMANDA WARD SUTTER-FIELD, BSIS’99, MBA’03,and her husband Jeffrey areparents of a son, SawyerJosiah, born April 14, 2010,weighing 7 pounds, 10 ounces.

He has a sister, Allison, age 2.Amanda is Associate Directorof Information Technology atWayland, and Jeffrey farms.(amandaward@hotmail.com).

STEPHANIE HERRONAUSTIN, BS’00, is working forthe U.S. Army in Hawaii as aPrincipal Geologist andEnvironmental Coordinator forthe Ranges on Oahu and theIsland of Hawaii.With the rangesencompassingmore than100,000 acres,she works withsoldiers evaluat-ing training scenarios and build-ing new training areas/capabili-ties and the preservation andconservation of NativeHawaiian culturally significantsites (plus archeologists, practi-tioners, activist groups andendangered species). More than100 of 360-plus threatened andendangered species are onlylocated on the Army’s ranges.She and her husband, JasonAustin, will celebrate their 10thanniversary this summer. Sherecently received her Black Beltin Tae Kwon Do. (1015 AoloaPlace #417, Kailua, HI 96734;stephanie.n.austin@us.army.mil)

JEFF CAHA, BBA’03, is newassistant women’s basketballcoach at California BaptistUniversity after a year as men’s

First Wayland graduationaired over Internet in May

Another University mile-

stone was achieved May 8

when spring Commence-

ment was aired live from

Hutcherson Center on the

Internet.

The broadcast, spon-

sored at no cost to viewers

by the Association of

Former Students, was made

possible with the coopera-

tion of Athletic Director Dr.

Greg Feris who secured the

technology this past school

year to air most home bas-

ketball and baseball games

as well as some soccer and

volleyball matches on the

World-Wide Web.

Approximately 140 stu-

dents participated in the

ceremony. The graduating

class included students

from Alaska, New York,

North Carolina, Barbados,

Kenya and Latvia.

“We were happy to be

able to air the Commence-

ment for the benefit of many

families and friends of grad-

uates who were not able to

attend,” said Director of

Alumni Development Danny

Andrews. “One graduate was

in tears as she told how her

mother was ill and unable to

come to graduation but

would be able to watch on

her computer.”

The Association of

Former Students also host-

ed the third Ring Ceremony

the morning of graduation

in the Mabee Learning

Center Atrium with Dr. Paul

Armes, president, re-pre-

senting rings to about 15

graduates and alums; the

annual Graduation

Luncheon attended by more

than 400 people in the

Laney Student Activities

Center; and a post-gradua-

tion reception attended by

about 350 in the Laney

Center.

The Association plans to

host those four events again

in December and in May

2011, Andrews said. footprints 39

2000s

Athletics names All-Decade team in track, fieldThroughout the 2010 year, the

Athletic Department at Wayland Baptist

University will celebrate its Team of the

Decade for each in-season sport. The

spring saw announcement of the Pioneer

Track and Field Teams of the Decade.

The All-Decade team is composed of

outstanding performers on the track

from 2000 through 2009.

Pioneer Men’s All-Decade Team:

n Kirby Dunn (2006-09): The school

recordholder in both the indoor 800-

meters and 1000-meters, and the out-

door mile, Dunn is a six time NAIA All-

American. He was the runner-up in the

1000-meters at the 2009 NAIA Indoor

Championships and came in third at the

2008 Outdoor Championships in the

1500-meters. He was also a member of

the school-record holding indoor and

outdoor distance medley relay teams,

and holds six of the top 10 times in the

1000-meters.

n Justin Cummins (2001-02):

Cummins is a two-time All-American and

won the NAIA National Championship in

the 2002 javelin. He also had a fifth

place finish in the triple jump at the

2001 national meet, and established a

new Sooner Athletic Conference record

in winning the javelin in 2001.

n Mike Lozano (2003-04): A six-time

All-American, Lozano holds the WBU

record in the 600-meters. He was a

member of the 4x400-meter relay team

which finished as the runner-up at the

2004 Outdoor Championships, and was

the conference champion in the 400m in

2004, as well.

n Brandon Mansfield (2007-09):

Mansfield holds the WBU record in the

35# weight throw and has seven of the

top 10 distances in the event. He won

NAIA Outdoor All-American honors in

2009 after a sixth-place finish in the

hammer throw, and was the SAC cham-

pion in the event.

n Caleb McLean (2008-09): McLean

is a five-time NAIA All-

American. He took fourth

place at the 2008 Indoor

Championships in the

400-meters and finished

sixth at the 2009

Outdoor Championships

in the same event.

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

time NAIA Decathlon Champion, Oliynyk

was also the 2006 runner-up in the pen-

tathlon, and won Most Valuable Athlete

honors two straight years at the Sooner

Athletic Conference Championships.

n Vincent Tanui (2005-06): The only

male distance runner to make the All-

Decade team, Tanui won NAIA All-

American honors twice after a third-place

finish in the 5000-meters and a sixth-

place finish in the 10,000-meters at the

2006 Outdoor Championships. He was

also the 2006 SAC 5000m Champion.

n Rohan Thompson (2003-06): A

sprinter, Thompson earned NAIA All-

American honors four times during his

career at Wayland. He was fourth at the

2005 Indoor Championships in the 200-

meters and sixth in 2006 in the 60-

meters. Thompson also was a two-time

NAIA Scholar Athlete and was the 2004

SAC 100m champion.

n Richard Varnon (2003-06): Varnon

won NAIA All-American honors in the

discus with a third-place finish at the

2003 NAIA Outdoor Championships. His

name is listed prominently among the

top 10 in both the hammer and the

weight throws, and he won a total of

seven Sooner Athletic Conference

Championships in the throws.

Women’s All-Decade Team:

n Purity Biwott (2008-09): The

school record-holder in three individual

events and as a member of five relay

teams, Biwott won national champi-

onships in both the indoor and outdoor

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

two 4x800m relay teams, and is a nine-

time All-American. She holds seven of

the top 10 WBU times in the outdoor

800m.

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

time All-American, Britton helped to

establish new WBU records as a part of

the indoor and outdoor DMR and

4x800m relay teams. She was a part of

two indoor national championship

4x800m relay teams, and was the NAIA

runner-up in the 1000m.

n Letitia Davis (2000-01): The 2001

Sooner Athletic Conference Most

Valuable Athlete, Davis is a nine-time All-

American and won indoor national

championship honors as a part of the

2001 4x400m relay team.

n Kydia Echols (2007-08): Echols is

the school record-holder in the indoor

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

indoor 4x400m and 4x800m relay

teams. An 11-time All-American, she

won indoor national championships in

both the indoor relay events.

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

time All-American, Edwards is the school

record-holder in the heptathlon. She

was runner-up in the event in 2004 at

the NAIA Outdoor Championships and

was also a part of the runner-up 4x100m

relay team.

n Letitia Gilkes (2000-01): Gilkes

holds the school record in the indoor

800m. She won the Indoor National

Championship in the 600m and as a part

of the 2001 4x400m relay team. A six-

time All-American, she was the runner-up

in the 600m in her freshman season.

n Caroline Karunde (2008-09):

Karunde, a seven-time All-American,

owns the school record in the 1500m,

the 5000m, and the steeplechase. She

40 footprints

assistant at Southern Nazarene,which made the Elite Eightlast year. Prior to SNU, Cahaspent time with the IdahoStampede of the NBADevelopment League and alsoworked at Velocity SportsPerformance in Champlin,Minn. He was assistant to for-mer Pioneers coach ToddThurman (for whom he playedat Wayland) at SouthwesternOklahoma State University inWeatherford. Before that hewas assistant coach for fouryears at his juco alma mater,Cochise College in Arizona.He also has a master’s degreein sports administration fromthe United States SportsAcademy and is a certifiedstrength and conditioningcoach with USA WeightliftingCertification. Caha marriedErica Gilkerson in June 2010.(3680 Monroe Street, No.1301, Riverside, CA 92504;jcaha@hotmail.com)

CORRIE (IGO) COLLIER,BSIS’01, will soon begin herfourth year teaching 7th gradescience at Terra Vista MiddleSchool in Wolfforth, nearLubbock. Her husband,Grant, is associate worshipleader at Lakeridge UnitedMethodist Church inLubbock. Corrie and Grantmarried Nov. 28, 2009, atFirst Baptist Church inTexico, N.M., where hergrandparents, longtimeWayland supporters Bud and

Aileen Pearce, married in1949 and where her parents,TONY IGO, BA’76, and JO(PEARCE) IGO, BA’76, mar-ried in 1976. Her uncle, DANPEARCE, EX’72, officiated;cousin CARRIE (PEARCE)HUBER, BSIS’01, wasmatron of honor; SHEILAWISEMAN, BS’01, andSTACY HARLAN MILLER,BS’01, were bridesmaids; andher brothers, KYLE IGO,BS’04 and CHRIS IGO,EX’08, were groomsmen.JENNY AHRHART EISEN-HAUER, BSIS’01, helpedphotograph the wedding.(Corrie: 2213 85th Street,Lubbock, TX 79423; corriei-go@yahoo.com)

BRETT COOK, who isscheduled to graduate inDecember, served as an assis-tant coach for theHarrisonburg, Va., Turks ofthe Valley Baseball Leaguethis summer. A first-teamNAIA All-American secondbaseman in 2009 and holderof several WBU records, Brettserved as an assistant for thePioneers this past season. Heand his wife, BRANDI(FRENCH), BS’07, are dormparents at McDonald Hall.She works in the Registrar’sOffice. (cookb@wbu.edu)

BRAD COPASS, BBA’09, andwife KAMERON(STEPHENS), BSIS’07, wel-comed a son named CyBradley Copass, on March 12,

footprints 41

All-Decade team, continuedwas also a part of the record-

setting 4x800m relays and

DMR in both the indoor and

outdoor seasons. She won

indoor national champi-

onships in the 3000m and as

a member of the 4x800m

relay, and was the runner-up

in the 5K and 10K.

n Latanya Nation (2008-

09): Nation helped lead the

Pioneer women to four

straight NAIA Track & Field

Championships. An 11-time

All-American, she owns the

school records in the 60m

hurdles and the pentathlon.

She is a two-time national

champion as part of the

4x100m relay team, and won

runner-up honors in the 60m

hurdles, the 100m hurdles,

and the pentathlon. She was

also the 2008 Sooner Athletic

Conference Most Valuable

Athlete.

n Caroline Oladipo (2005-

08): A two-time national

champion as a member of

the 4x100m relay team,

Oladipo is a nine-time All-

American and was the nation-

al runner-up in the triple

jump twice. She holds the

WBU record in the indoor

triple jump and was a mem-

ber of the SMR relay team

which established a new

school mark at the 2008

Texas Relays.

n Keliesha Ross (2007-

09): A 13-time All-American,

Ross won four national cham-

pionships as a part of the

4x100m and 4x400m relay

teams. The indoor 4x400m

relay established a new

school record in its champi-

onship run in 2007. She also

holds a school record as a

part of the sprint medley

relay team competing in the

2008 Texas Relays.

n Akisha Simmons (2004-

07): Simmons is an 11-time

All-American and a two-time

national champion in the

school-record-holding indoor

4x400m relay and the out-

door 4x100m relay. She was

the runner-up in the 100m at

the 2007 Outdoor

Championships and the Most

Valuable Athlete at the 2007

Sooner Athletic Conference

Championships.

n Kimberly Smith (2008-

09): The school record-hold-

er in the indoor 55m, 60m,

and 200m

and the out-

door 100m,

Smith is a

two-time NAIA

Indoor

Champion in

both the 60m

and 200m, a two-time

Outdoor Champion in the

100m and 200m and

4x100m relay in the first

decade of the new century.

She earned 15 All-American

designations during her first

two seasons as a Pioneer.

n WyKeisha Thompson

(2000): Thompson finished

her four years at WBU with an

Outdoor National

Championship in the hammer

throw in 2000. She was also

third place at the Indoor

Nationals in the weight throw

in 2000.

42 footprints

2010, weighing 8 pounds, 4ounces and measuring 20.75inches long. Brad is the direc-tor of technology for theAnna Independent SchoolDistrict, and Kameron is nowa stay-at-home mom afterteaching for several years. (POBox 1232, Anna, TX 75409;Bradley.copass@annaisd.org)

HAYLEY COX, BA’08,MAM’10, was married on May15 to MATT ANDERSON,BM’10, in Plainview. Hayley hasbeen a reporter and photogra-pher at the Plainview DailyHerald for several years. Thecouple moved to Greeley,Colo., where Matt will attendgraduate school in music. Matt’sfather, DR. JEFF ANDER-SON, BA’79, who is associateprofessor of religion atWayland’s Anchorage campusand formerly served as deanthere, co-officiated at the wed-ding. (matthewandhayley@hot-mail.com; Jeff: 6740 HowardAve., Anchorage, AK 99504)

REBEKAH (SHEPARD)CROWE, BA’02, and husbandRYAN, EX’98, announce thebirth of their son, Wesley PeterCrowe, on June 16. Heweighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces,and was 20.5 inches long.Rebekah is a doctoral student inhistory at Texas ChristianUniversity, and Ryan works forCBS in Dallas as a digital mediaproducer. They have a newaddress in Fort Worth.(rebekah.crowe@gmail.com)

BRAXTON EDWARDS,BM’03, joined the gospelgroup Shiloh in May as gui-tarist and vocalist. He hasbeen the worship pastor atAllen Heights Baptist Churchin Allen since 2009 and servedsimilar positions in Amarillochurches. The Texas-basedtrio performs music with acontemporary southernsound, touring more than 150dates per year. (Braxton@shilohnet.com)

HUGH ELLIS, BA’06, recent-ly received his Master ofTheological Studies degreefrom Truett Seminary atBaylor University. (2316Parrott Av., Waco, TX 76707;hugh_ellis@baylor.edu)

TERI GLASS, BSOE’05 fromthe Hawaii campus, was hon-ored by the Partnership forPublic Service with a“Sammy” – a Service toAmerica Medal – an awardsprogram that pays tribute toAmerica's dedicated federalworkforce, highlighting thosewho have made significantcontributions to the country.Honorees are chosen basedon their commitment andinnovation, as well as theimpact of their work onaddressing the needs of thenation. As the acting projectmanager for the ArmyMedical Support SystemsProject Management Office inMaryland, Glass leads thedevelopment and fielding ofstate-of-the-art medical evacu-ation equipment, which allowsArmy medics to safely andefficiently transport patientsoff the battlefield to hospitals,significantly increasing the

survival rate of service mem-bers. She is a retired noncom-missioned officer of thearmed forces. (821 Aztec Dr.,Frederick, MD 21701)

ESTHER GONZALEZ,BA’03, was married on May 1,2010, to Matthew Harper onSouth Padre Island. Herbrother, EFRAIN GONZA-LEZ, BA’00, officiated for thesmall, informal, beach-sideceremony. Esther continuesher photography and Matt is amusician. The couple livesnear Nashville, Tenn. Efrain isyouth minister and wife JEN-NIFER (WRIGHT), BS’99,teaches in Breckenridge,Texas. They have two chil-dren, Alexis and Jacob.(Esther and Matt:snowhiteg@aol.com; Efrainand Jennifer: 1305 Cypress,Breckenridge, TX 76424; jen-nwright@hotmail.com)

JAMAR JORDAN, EX’09,and wife D’LEA (AUTRY)JORDAN, BS’07, announcethe birth of their third son,Allyn Branson Jordan, on Feb.19, 2010. He weighed 8pounds, 10 ounces and was20.5 inches long. He has twobig brothers, Coleman, 3, andBentley, 2. D’Lea is a case-worker for CPS in Lubbock.She also has a photographybusiness on the side. (dleajor-dan@hotmail.com)

KEVIN LEGGETT, BA’03,MED’08, and wife AMAN-DA, EX, welcomed their thirdchild, a son named HendrixAaron Leggett, on June 11,2010. He has a big brother,Caedmon, 8, and a big sister,Presley, 4. Kevin is on the ref-

erence staff at the MabeeLearning Resources Center atWBU and Amanda home-schools the children. (legget-tk@wbu.edu)

LATHAN MOORE, EX’03,recently released his firstalbum, “Love in Your Life,”on Blue Steel Records – acompilation of country songs,several of which he wrote. Healso plays the trumpet, trom-bone, tuba, piano and guitar.The album is available onITunes or can be orderedfrom his Web site www.lath-anmoore.com. He and hiswife, Bethany, have two chil-dren. (www.lathanmoore.com)

CHRIS MOORE, BA’03, aveteran of the WBU theatredepartment, hosts a morningshow on KKYN Radio(106.9-FM, 1400-AM andkkyn.net) in addition to hisduties at Hamby Company inPlainview. He has two chil-dren, Grayson andMcKayleigh. (chris@plain-viewradio.com)

GARRETT NELSON,BSOE’00 from the Lubbockcampus, is fire marshal inLubbock. He served as inter-im fire chief while that postwas vacant. He and his wifeSusan 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, MartinCaleb, born March 28, 2010,in Midland weighing 5pounds, 10 ounces. Martin isin his third year of medical

school at Texas Tech, andVicky teaches Spanish atMidland Freshman HighSchool. (1800 Garden Lane,Midland, TX 79701; martin-vickyortega@yahoo.com)

CHANCE PERKINS,BSOE’06, is pastor of GradyBaptist Church in Grady, N.M.He is working on his master’sdegree with WBU. Chance andwife Chrissy have a son, Luke,6. (chrissyperkins@ rocket-mail.com)

Hispanic Baptist Convention

of Texas President VICTORRODRIGUEZ, EX’07, who isworking on a Master of Arts inCounseling at the San Antoniocampus, is expected to benominated for president of theBaptist General Convention ofTexas at the Nov. 8-9 annualmeeting in McAllen.Rodriguez’ father, Manuel, alsoserved as president of theHispanic convention.Rodriguez has served 12 yearsas pastor of South SanFiladelfia Baptist Church in SanAntonio. A native of Odessa,he is a graduate of Hardin-

Simmons University. He andhis wife, Olga, have three sons.

KRISTIN KILLOUGHROSS, BBA’01, has been anexecutive assistant at FirstBaptist Church in Lubbockfor the past six years and alsois a Mary Kay consultant. Herhusband, Christopher Ross,an Eagle Scout and TexasTech graduate, recently wasnamed district scout executivefor the Haynes andComanche Trail Boy Scoutsdistricts.

DOUG SHELTON, BA’05,and wife MEG (MANSDO-ERFER) SHELTON,BSIS’05, welcomed their firstchild, a son named Ryan Jay,on Feb. 12, 2010, at 12:17p.m. He weighed 7 poundsand was 20.5 inches long.Doug is a youth minister inFlorida. (14300 Coralbean

Jimmy Dean, a country

music legend and sausage

entrepreneur whose $1 mil-

lion gift to Wayland in May

2008 is believed to be the

largest single gift in University

history from an individual,

died at his home in Varina,

Va. on June 13 at age 81.

Donna Meade Dean said

her husband – who was born

in Olton but grew up in

Plainview where he started

his sausage business in 1969

– had some health problems

but was still functioning well,

so his death came as a

shock. She said he was eat-

ing in front of the television.

She left the room for a time

and came back and he was

unresponsive.

“He was amazing. He

had a lot of talents,” said Mrs.

Dean, a former recording

artist and songwriter who

married Dean in 1991.

Dean put no stipulations

on the Wayland gift other

than to designate $25,000 for

an endowed scholarship in

honor of his mother, the late

Ruth Dean, and assistance for

the Museum of the Llano

Estacado’s Hale County Hall

of Fame which includes a dis-

play honoring Dean. A portion

of the funds have since been

designated for refurbishing of

Pete’s Place, a gathering

place for students in the

basement of McClung Center.

The Deans returned to

Plainview in September

2008, viewing the exhibit at

the museum; attending a

special Centennial musical

presentation in front of Harral

Auditorium by the Cactus

Theater vocal group from

Lubbock at which Dean

joined in to sing the last

verse of his most famous

recording, “Big Bad John;”

attending Seth Ward Baptist

Church where he made his

profession of faith as a

youngster – she playing a

digital piano they donated

and he singing a couple of

songs; and being honored at

a McClung Center luncheon

where they received several

gifts and both spoke briefly.

In February, Dean was

elected to the Country Music

Hall of Fame and will be

inducted posthumously in

October. He also was a mem-

ber of the Texas Country

Music Hall of Fame.

The Deans lived on a 200-

acre estate just outside

Richmond, where he enjoyed

investing, boating and watch-

ing the sun set over the James

River. In 2009 a fire gutted

their home, but his Grammy

was among items saved. The

Deans had only recently

moved back into their home.

Dean was eulogized at a

funeral at Richmond’s Grove

Avenue Baptist Church, where

1957 Wayland graduate Ron

Boswell is former pastor.

Former NBC weatherman

Willard Scott spoke about his

longtime friend and George

Hamilton IV, a member of

Dean’s original TV show, sang

a song, “We Will Meet Again.”

He was buried on his

beloved “Chaffin’s Bluff” in a

vault in the shape of a piano.

“Jimmy and Donna Dean

have been wonderful friends

to Wayland Baptist

University,” said President Dr.

Paul Armes. “Their generosity

has been historic in its mag-

nitude and eternal in its ben-

efit. We will miss Jimmy

deeply. Our thoughts and

prayers are with Donna and

the rest of the Dean family.”

By Danny Andrews

Benefactor, country legend Jimmy Dean dies at age 81

footprints 43

Wayland received some unexpected

extra exposure May 25 when Director of

Alumni Development Danny Andrews and

his wife, Carolyn, executive assistant to

President Dr. Paul Armes, attended a

Texas Rangers-Kansas City Royals game

in Kansas City.

Making contact with almost 30

Wayland alums on a combination busi-

ness-vacation trip through the Texas

Panhandle, Oklahoma and Kansas,

Andrews sent a note to the broadcast

booths of Rangers radio announcers Eric

Nadel and Dave Barnett and TV announc-

ers Josh Lewin and Tom Grieve, noting

that he and Carolyn were attending the

series and celebrating their 41st wedding

anniversary.

Grieve mentioned the Andrewses

being from Wayland, their respective

positions and the anniversary in the

fourth inning on TV (FOX Sports

Southwest reaches 6.5 million homes in

34 TV markets in Texas, Louisiana,

Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico)

while Nadel gave a similar “special shout

out” in the fifth inning, then added:

“Wayland Baptist University. They used to

have the best women’s basketball team

in the country.”

“Yes, they did,” Barnett responded.

“The Flyin’

Queens…under Coach

Dean Weese,” Nadel contin-

ued, adding, “In fact, the

Dallas Diamonds for whom

I broadcast had Coach

Weese running the show. That’s about the

time women’s basketball was changing…

becoming a much more athletic game.”

“Thanks to our friend Nancy

Lieberman,” Barnett added.

After leading the Flying Queens from

1973-79, Weese coached Dallas in the

new professional league but was fired by

the financially struggling franchise owners

at midseason. He went on to coach seven

state championships at Levelland High to

add to the three he won in Spearman

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

inducted into the Women’s Basketball

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

Weese lives in Granbury with his wife

JoAnn. After extensive rehabilitation over

the past eight months, he is recovering

from Guillain-Barre Syndrome, an

autoimmune disorder that usually mani-

fests itself by weakness in the legs that

spreads to the upper limbs.

Lieberman, a former college All-

American at Old Dominion in Virginia,

Olympian and pro basketball player

(including Dallas after Weese departed)

now broadcasts women’s basketball and

has done a number of games at Texas

Tech. She was the featured speaker at a

banquet for the 25th Plainview Queens

Classic tournament in 2000.

Wayland Dean of Students Tom Hall,

who was chairman for about 20 of the 29

tournaments, enlisted Lieberman as the

speaker.

Wayland gets extra exposure during Rangers’ broadcast

For more information, contact Dr. Candace Keller, (806) 291-1083, kellerc@wbu.eduSubmission and membership information: www.wbu.edu/fofa

We need your creativity!

This fall, the FRIENDS OF FINE ARTS is hosting its first fundraiser to bene-fit student scholarships in art, communication studies and theatre. ANEVENING FOR THE ARTS will be held in the Mabee Learning Resources

Center atrium and Abraham Art Gallery, featuring heavy hors d’oeuvres, wonderfulentertainment 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 beexhibited and available for purchase that evening by patrons in attendance. Works maybe paintings in any media, photography, drawings, prints, mixed media or any mediawhich can be mounted to hang. Interested artists are encouraged to visit the Friends ofFine Arts Web site to find entry information for the show. All works for this exhibitionmust be received by September 30. All proceeds go to scholarships so begin work nowand use your imagination to benefit this great cause!

Plan to join us for this inspiring EVENING FOR THE ARTS!

Court, Brooksville, FL 34613)

LANDON SIMS, BA’05, andwife ERIKA (BRYANT),BSIS’05, are parents of adaughter, Adalyn Claire, bornMarch 8, 2010. Landon is ateacher and coach in theKress school district, andErika teaches kindergarten atHighland Elementary inPlainview. (2811 W. 21stStreet, Plainview, TX 79072;landon.sims@region16.net)

DUSTIN STEPHENS,BBA’06, and wife Nancyannounce the birth of theirfirst child, a daughter namedAinsley Grace, born Feb. 25,2010. She weighed 7 pounds,10 ounces and was 19.5 incheslong. Dustin is in active dutyin the U.S. Army. (army-dustin@gmail.com)

DEBBIE UNRUH, BSOE’01from the Amarillo campus,has been reappointed to theCrime Victims’ InstituteAdvisory Council by Gov.Rick Perry. The council advis-es the Crime Victims' Instituteregarding the compilation andstudy of information on theimpact of crime to victims,relatives, guardians and socie-ty, and assists the institute todevelop policies to preventthe victimization of society bycrime. Debbie is a captain atthe Randall County Sheriff ’sOffice. (7412 Imperial Drive,Amarillo, TX 79121;deblyn5564@gmail.com)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends of J.Owen Robinson, 92, who diedJuly 5, in Plainview. Survivorsinclude a daughter, DEBBIE

ANN ROBINSON WILEY,BSOE’03, MA’05, theologicalresearch and writing labinstructor in the School ofReligion; two other daughters;two sons; and 23 grandchil-dren. (wileydeb@wbu.edu)

Christian love and sympathyto the family and friends ofRANDY GERALD WOODJR., BSOE’91, MA’01, whodied March 10, 2010, inLubbock. He worked for theCity of Lubbock for nineyears and also was an adjunctprofessor for Wayland andthree other colleges. Survivingare his wife, Angela; twodaughters; his father and step-mother; his mother and step-father; a brother; a sister; twostepbrothers; and three grand-parents. (6718 8th Street,Lubbock, TX 79416)

Three Wayland graduates anda current student at theAlbuquerque campus havebeen promoted to the upperranks of the local policedepartment. JEFF SAYLOR,BS’07, was promoted to com-mander and will oversee theFoothills region. He and hiswife, Det. Donna Saylor, havethree children.(mmmrs34@msn.com).Promoted to lieutenant were:JASON PECK, BS’06; PAULHANSEN, BSOE’08, andcurrent student JEFFMcDONALD. Peck and hiswife, Jennifer, have three chil-dren. He is a police chaplainand teaches Cops for ChristBible Study. Hansen and hiswife, 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 437Plainview, TX 79072

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footprints 45

Stay in touch with Wayland!The Association of Former Students of Wayland Baptist University

n Call us at 806.291.3600

n Contact us by e-mail at andrewsd@wbu.edu or susiev@wbu.edu for Class Notes, address changes, chapter information

1900 West Seventh Street, CMB 437Plainview, Texas 79072-6998

on the scene

Honorary degreeLongtime Board of Trustees member Delbert

McDougal (right) is presented an honorary

bachelor’s degree from Wayland by

President Dr. Paul Armes at the spring com-

mencement 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 deci-

sions throughout the system. His generous

gift to the Laney Activities Center resulted in

shared naming of the walking track.

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDCraftsman

Printers, Inc.

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