By: Katie Burns

The feelings of apprehension and excitement are growing among Baylor seniors as graduation day approaches.  Some are sad to leave Baylor.  Some are nervous to face the real world.  Some are feeling the intense pressure that accompanies the job hunt.

For Chelsi Patterson, a senior public relations major, graduation represents the start of a new adventure and a new job at an international company

Patterson has been extremely involved in Baylor academics and student life since her freshman year.  Besides maintaining a high GPA, she as taken on many leadership roles, serving as SING chair and philanthropy chair in the Tri Delta sorority and excelling on the Student Production Committee, the student group that produces SING.  Patterson also works part-time in the journalism department and interns at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

“I’ve always been dedicated to doing well in school,” Patterson explains.

Because of the tremendous work ethic she developed through her activities, it was a natural decision for Patterson to begin the job search early.

“I was always very aggressive about looking on the different websites that were specifically for public relations or communications jobs,” she said.

When Patterson found a job listing for a communications strategist at the international interior design firm Wilson Associates, she began researching the position to see if it was a good fit.

“After looking at the requirements, I fell in love with the job,” she said.

Like many applicants, Patterson submitted her resume the day the job was posted, and called a few days later to follow up.  She discovered she was one out of hundreds of resumes the company had received. Instead of becoming discouraged, she asked if she could tell the communications director a little about herself over the phone.

This conversation became a phone interview, which led to several meetings and an interview with the company’s CEO.  Patterson said she prayed she would be able to demonstrate her determination and work ethic through the interviews.

“It was a little intimidating because the CEO has seven office around the world that she manages,” Patterson said. “But it was really fun, and I ended up getting the job!”

After graduation, Patterson will move to Dallas to begin her career at Wilson Associates.  She will not only be doing public relations work for the company, but also for its non-profit organization, the Wilson Foundation, which focuses on health and education in South Africa.

“That will be fun because I’ve done non-profit work with my sorority’s philanthropy,” she said.

Patterson feels very blessed to have found a great job in today’s job market.  “It’s very humbling,” she said. “It’s nice to know I have something to move forward with.”

By Lee James, Class of 1974

I was there. Every Saturday from September to December I was glued to my TV, mesmerized by the magic. And what a Cinderella season it was! Each week’s heroics were more exhilarating than the last. The Bears’ composure and persistence in the face of adversity called to my highest aspiration, encouraging me to emulate the mental and physical toughness and tenacity I was privileged to observe. I could almost feel the grass beneath my shoes and the hot breath of the opposing linemen in my face. Our unflappable hero led us to our goal time and again with a marksman’s accuracy, a general’s leadership, a Bolshoi dancer’s grace and the calm composure of a 1969 Broadway Joe. With a mighty flick of athletic poetry he launched the pigskin ellipsoid into the end zone via the ozone with magnificent perfection, igniting an electric moment that was 10 to 1 for another Bear 6. Snubbing the phone booth for a mighty whirl he continually eluded Lex Luthor’s clutch and raced through the stripes with the Mercurial speed of a gold soled Olympian. Turf pounding blows were instantly followed by reflexive jack-in-the-box pop ups and trademark slinky rolls. Post-game interviews displayed heartwarming and heart winning smiles that endeared him to hard core and casual observers from Times Square to LA. All America soon appreciated Baylor Nation’s ill guarded secret.

Thrilling bursts of brilliance and superlative magic moments dissolve into tradition as fall melts into winter; as days dissolve into weeks and years in an unrelenting stream that bears our dreams and memories in its flow. Will the bicentennial class comprehend the significance of the trophy in the case? Will they recall the fall of 2011 as they fight the life size holographic dragons of Mortal Kombat 23 in the Quadrangle or ride solar powered skateboards down 4^th Street? Does the class of 2011 remember Coach Teaff and a stuttering quarterback who brought a football phoenix from the ashes and gave us an exhilarating ride through the fall of 37 years past and a short trip up I-35 on New Year’s Day 1975? Do they remember Mike Singletary or Don Trull or Lawrence Elkins?

No matter. Individual accomplishments or flashes of brilliance do not define tradition. It is rather that good old line of green and gold in which you and I are privileged to belong. We are the richer for RG3. We are proud to point to the exemplary excellence that defines our mission, to a young man to whom our sons can look as a pattern for their lives, who glory has not tainted. And RG3 is richer for everyone who has ever moved a tassel in the Heart of Texas or the Ferrell Center, kissed a date goodnight on the steps of Collins or Dawson, or attended a ring ceremony in Waco Hall. He is richer for every parent who has sacrificed so their son or daughter can have a better chance at their dream, for every romance that has flourished under the watchful oaks of Waco Creek, for every alumnus who has written a check. We are RG3. He is us.

Like every parent who has hugged a child goodbye in the Penland or Memorial lobby, we know for everything there is a season. Our prodigies are the first to fly. Superman must leave Krypton. Even Metropolis cannot own him. Our green and gold must be flung. America has fallen in love with our hero, as well they should. But wherever he goes, whatever he does, he belongs to Baylor. As we march forever down the years, we march as one.

I was there this fall. So were you. As RG3 and we are surely different in many ways, we are nevertheless bound by a powerful tradition. I am privileged that we are fellow travelers in The Line.

The Annual Meeting of the Baylor Alumni Association’s membership will be at the Hughes-Dillard Alumni Center on Saturday, April 28, at 1 p.m. At the meeting, association members will elect officers and directors for the 2012-13 year.

Members chose Elizabeth Coker ’89, JD ’92, judge of the 258th District Court of Texas, as president-elect last year, and she will take office as president of the BAA Board of Directors on June 1.

Other officers will be elected at the meeting. Collin Cox ’97, an attorney in Houston, will be nominated as president-elect, while Si Ragsdale ’75, a Childress insurance agent, will be nominated as treasurer and Jackie Baugh Moore ’86, vice president of the Baugh Foundation, as secretary.

Members will vote on a slate of proposed board members for positions representing various regions and key constituent groups.

The nominees for regional directors are: Carroll Dawson ’60 (Houston), Kyle Gilley ’94 (Fort Worth), Tiffany Holmes-White ’94 (Leander), David Hudson ’77 (Dallas), Robert Morales ’93 (Beeville), Blake Sieker ’85 (Greenwood Village, Colorado), Keith Starr ’83 (Tyler), David Vanderhider ’06 (San Antonio), Gary Baxter ’03 (Tyler), Tyrone Smith ’95 (Katy), and Bob Pemberton ’89 (Austin).

Key constituent directors who will be nominated are: Meredith Pinson-Creasey ’84 of Houston (representing Texas Baptists), David Lacy ’79 of Waco (letter winners), Marie Brown of Aubrey (Baylor Black Alumni Club), and Dr. Bill Hillis of Waco (faculty).

On Tuesday, April 24, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. the Baylor Alumni Association (BAA) will throw a Senior Send-Off party for all 2012 graduates. We hope you will help welcome the seniors as they reach a milestone in their lives.

“I appreciate our members, board, and Alumni Council whose support enables us to celebrate the accomplishments of our seniors and welcome them into the alumni family,” said Jeff Kilgore, executive vice president and CEO of the BAA. “We encourage any BAA members and friends to come out and help welcome these seniors into a lifelong relationship with Baylor University and the alumni association.”

The day will be packed with festivities for seniors — free food, free T-shirts, free memberships, live music, games, photo opportunities, and drawings every fifteen minutes. Local businesses, organizations, and BAA board members have shown their support by donating a variety of gifts: coupons, merchandise, numerous cash prizes, and grand finale prizes of an Official Baylor Class Ring, $500 cash, and a new Apple iPad!

Please feel free to come on out and help us serve our seniors or simply mingle and help congratulate the class of 2012.

SENIOR SEND-OFF
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Front lawn of the Hughes-Dillard Alumni Center
1212 South University Parks Drive,
Waco, TX 76706

Share the event on Facebook!

If you are interested in volunteering at the event, please contact Jan Dodd at 254/710-1204 or Jan@BaylorAlumniAssociation.com.

By Katrina Cheesman

There are few people that have a people-first, mission-driven entrepreneurial spirit, but somehow, the Stanley family got a double-dose of this passion. Steve Stanley, and his son Matt, are both Baylor graduates and founders of Sundance at Oakhills memory care facility in Tyler. The facility, founded in 2011, has been so successful that they recently broke ground for their second center in Katy.

Memory care centers are designed to house seniors diagnosed with memory disability, Alzheimer’s and dementia, but Sundance goes the extra mile. To Steve and Matt, it isn’t just about taking care of the body, but also about engaging the mind and spirit of their residents. “This is our mission field,” Steve says. “We believe in preserving the dignity of life and spirit of the resident.”

Steve is the visionary, the one who builds the network and oversees the elements. But while Steve casts the vision, his son, Matt, is the numbers guy. “I view the world through Excel spreadsheets,” Matt laughs. “I make sure everything is moving and grooving according to the model.” And that model is pretty impressive. “Our residents come into a place where they have premier care for their particular stage of the disease,” Steve says.

At Sundance, they staff heavily and train constantly to meet all the needs of the residents. Even custodians are trained by the Alzheimer’s Alliance. Five-star dining and cutting-edge technology are just the tip of iceberg.

Every resident is monitored through a system, aptly named the Memory Care Sentry (MCS), which electronically alerts staff at the first sign of trouble.  MCS acts as a virtual safety net that is individually tuned to the particular routine and habits of each resident. In addition, Sundance facilities boast a state-of-the-art Snoezelen Room. Originally designed for autistic children, this room engages the brain and de-escalates aggressive behavior.  Residents who can’t speak are often able to sing and clap when in the Snoezelen Room. “Song, dance, and rhythm are the last things to go, so in this room, they can sing when they can’t talk,” Matt says. “It is just amazing to witness.”

To Matt, it’s about the dignity of the resident. Few senior housing facilities cater specifically to those with Alzheimer’s or dementia. “Sadly, many residents are overmedicated and herded like cattle,” Matt states. But at Sundance, they believe in preserving the dignity of life of the residents. “They still have the spirit within. Our goal is to provide for and connect with that spirit,” Matt firmly says. Steve agrees. “We provide a spiritual base with what we do, as well as provide for the families in this stage of their lives,” he says.

Both attribute much of their success to Baylor’s excellent academic programs and the network of alumni. “Baylor reminded me to remain consistent with what God has to do in our lives. While I was there, [the university] impressed on me what excellence is and how I can make a difference,” Steve reminisces. Both Matt and Steve rely heavily on the Baylor family. “Over half the folks we work with are alumni. Our ability to network is due to Baylor ties: accounting, legal, consulting, medical…”

As father and son, they bond further as proud Baylor graduates and fellow businessmen. “We get to build a company around alumni support…and I get to learn about how to lead from one of the best guys on the subject. It enhances and establishes the Stanley family legacy,” Matt says as his father laughs. “We enjoy a mentoring face in business,” Steve adds. And we have a common purpose, education, and love for God.”

To find out more about Sundance Oakhills facilities, please visit their website.

If you think “nobody’s perfect,” then you haven’t met our Baylor Lady Bears, crowned last night as the 2012 NCAA National Women’s Basketball Champions. In addition to winning Baylor’s second national title in women’s basketball, the team posted a historic 40-0 record for the season. That’s never been done before in NCAA history by any team, men’s or women’s.

Baylor beat Notre Dame 80-61 to claim the national title, after defeating Stanford 59-47 on Sunday in the first game of the Final Four in Denver’s Pepsi Center.

After the game — as the band played “That Good Old Baylor Line” in the background — Lady Bear post Brittney Griner told ESPN, “Everybody was a part of this win. Everybody did what they needed to do. The unfinished business is done. I’m glad it’s coming home to Baylor.”

The Lady Bears were ranked No. 1 in the country starting in the preseason, and they never moved off that perch. Living with those expectations made this team different from Baylor’s 2005 championship team, Coach Kim Mulkey said. “From day one, the expectations were placed on us — we embraced it, and we lived up to it,” she said. “Truthfully, we’re pretty special.”

Mulkey and several players brought home individual honors. Mulkey was named Russell Athletic/WBCA Coach of the Year, the Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year, and Big 12 Coach of the Year.

Griner won the Naismith Trophy and the Wade Trophy and was named the 2012 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Defensive Player of the Year. She was Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four and a unanimous AP All-American, among other honors.

Point guard Odyssey Sims joined Griner on the All-Tournament Final Four team and All American teams and was a Wade finalist.

Additionally, senior guard Lindsay Palmer received the NCAA’s Elite 89 Award, recognizing the athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the Final Four. Palmer won it in 2010 also. Her GPA is 3.985.

Despite the individual honors, Mulkey has always said the team’s success belongs to the whole team.

Asked after the Stanford win if she was surprised her team could win with only three field goals from Griner, Mulkey said, “Not at all — this is not the Brittney Griner show.”

The Baylor Alumni Association offers congratulations to the Lady Bears and encourages alumni to relish the moment!

BAA Executive Vice President and CEO Jeff Kilgore said, “The Lady Bears’ heart and determination has been an inspiration to the entire Baylor family. Congratulations, Coach Kim and all the Lady Bears.”

Fans can relive the season through photos and video at Baylor’s athletic website.

In 2009, the Baylor Alumni Association (BAA) launched a five-year plan, called United for Baylor, that established six primary goals for the alumni association. We invite you to learn more about the plan at United for Baylor.

At roughly the mid-point in our five-year plan, our leadership is taking an opportunity to assess our progress and to double-check our focus. During the more than 150 years since our creation in 1859, we have evolved in our scope of operations and daily activities to meet the ever-changing roles supporting Baylor University and serving her alumni.

Today, we would like to share some topics of interest that have emerged thus far in our discussions as part of our practice of keeping you updated as we move through this process.

Below you will find a list of topics that the BAA either has been involved in over the years or possibly should examine in the coming years. Please feel free to read the list and share whatever questions or comments that you might have by sending an e-mail to BaylorLine@BaylorAlumniAssociation.com. As always, we value your input and continued support of both Baylor University and the BAA.

• Serving as an advocate for Baylor’s mission, needs, and best interests with the alumni community and the greater world of church and state.

• Encouraging alumni to serve as advocates for Baylor in their communities and in state-wide issues.

• Encouraging prospective students to attend Baylor.

• Celebrating Baylor’s achievements.

• Providing scholarships to students from Baylor alumni families.

• Encouraging alumni and friends to make direct financial gifts to Baylor.

• Providing news about Baylor and alumni through printed publications such as the Baylor Line magazine.

• Providing news about Baylor and alumni through online publications and social media resources.

• Providing balanced reporting on sensitive or controversial issues at Baylor.

• Providing audio and video productions as supplements to the BAA’s print and online publications.

• Serving as an independent voice for Baylor alumni.

• Hosting alumni reunions, such as football tailgates, Homecoming reunions, and Heritage Club.

• Supporting alumni clubs in cities around the state of Texas.

• Recognizing the achievements of alumni and friends with a range of annual awards.

• Expanding the Baylor family to non-Baylor grads through programs such as Alumni by Choice and Lifelong Learning.

• Providing Baylor alumni with opportunities to travel together on organized trips.

• Providing professional contacts for alumni.

• Preserving and celebrating Baylor traditions, such as the Official Baylor Class Ring.

• Maintaining a balanced budget on an annual basis.

• Achieving an endowment sufficient to fund the annual operations of all programs.

• Expanding the BAA’s membership base.

By: Katie Burns

It started as a desire to help his congregation overcome consumerism in the Christmas season. Now it is a full-scale mission effort involving hundreds of churches. Chris Seay ‘93, pastor of Ecclesia Church in Houston, is helping to bring clean water to hundreds of communities worldwide.

Seay first developed a passion for bringing clean drinking water to the world on a mission trip to Liberia several years ago. He asked a woman how many children the town had lost due to contaminated drinking water. After a moment, she answered, “For me, three.”

That experience inspired Seay to start a program in his own church to help provide drinking water to as many people as possible. Members of his congregation partnered with members of The Living Water Project in creatinc videos to increase awareness of this need.

“If we tell the story with a video, we can bring the entire congregation there,” Seay said. “We capture video stories to raise money for the greatest needs.”

One of these needs is the African country of Ethiopia, the subject of the church’s latest project. Ethiopia is experiencing a drought that is complety devastating the country. Without rain, the crops can’t grow, and hundreds of people are slowly starving to death.

“All the water they need is right below their feet. They just don’t have the technology to get to it,” Seay said.

Seay and church member Stan Perry ‘87 traveled to Ethiopia in November to create video pieces to show in Ecclesia, and other churches around the nation. This trip changed their outlook on the whole project.

“Every day I put clean water in my dog’s dish, and every day children are drinking water dirtier than the water I give my pet,” said Perry.

The videos have been shown in hundreds of churches in America. Ecclesia Church raised $230,000 in just one month for the project.  Another church raised almost a million dollars.  Right now, there is no way to track how these videos will affect the country of Ethiopia.

“Until you see the suffering, it’s hard to grasp,” Seay said. “Once you see it, you can’t help but give.”

Seay, Perry, and Ecclesia Church will continue to raise support to fund the drilling of wells in Ethiopia and other parts of the world as well. They plan to continue for as long as there is a need for drinking water.  Their efforts are changing lives the world over.

Seay and Perry’s video can be viewed online. Support for this project is encouraged as they continue to fight for clean drinking water all over the world.

“If we focus on a community in great need,“ Seay said. “It’s amazing what we can accomplish.”

It’s March, and that means one thing — it’s time for the Big 12 and NCAA basketball tournaments! Once again, the Baylor Bears will be right in the middle of the action.

The games kick off tomorrow, with both the men’s and women’s teams playing in the Phillips 66 Big 12 tournaments in Kansas City, Missouri. The fourth-seeded Bears play fifth-seeded Kansas State at 11:30 a.m., while the top-seeded Lady Bears tip off at 1:30 p.m.

It’s been an outstanding season so far for both teams, and the Baylor Alumni Association encourages all Baylor alumni and friends to continue cheering our teams on to victory!

On the women’s side, coach Kim Mulkey has guided her team to a 31-0 record and a national number-one ranking. The Lady Bears were recognized with a number of All-Big 12 selections on Monday, including Mulkey being named Coach of the Year and Brittney Griner being honored as Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

Coach Scott Drew’s team has notched a 25-6 record so far, with a current national ranking of eleventh, as the Bears are enjoying one of the best seasons in school history. Senior Quincy Acy finished out his Baylor career by being named to the All-Big 12 second team, with junior Pierre Jackson joining him as a member of the All-Big 12 second team.

For more information about the Phillips 66 Big 12 basketball tournaments, click on Women’s Championship or Men’s Championship.

By: Katie Burns

For one Baylor graduate, years of hard work have finally paid off.  Playwright Larry Herold, class of ’78, launched the premiere of The Sports Page in Fort Worth at the Stage West Theater.

The play is set in the 1960s, at the Dallas Cowboys training camp in Waxahachie, Texas. It follows a young sports writer through the shift from editorial sports journalism to television broadcasting.

“In 1966… somewhere far out at sea, a tsunami named television was gathering strength. When it hit the beach, everything changed,” Herold said on the play’s website.

The journey that sparked the creation of Herold’s play began in his youth, when Herold started his writing career. “I’ve always been a writer,” he said. “Even in grade school, on the school newspaper.”

After working in a variety of different writing fields, Herold went to Texas State University to earn his MFA in creative writing.  It was there he realized that his favorite part of fiction writing was the dialogue, and a new career was born.

“I decided to turn my attention to an area where all the information comes directly from the characters’ mouths,” he said.

The idea for The Sports Page came from his personal experience as a sports writer in Waco.  “Even though it was fun, I got the feeling that the best time to be a sports writer had already passed,” Herold said.

Herold was intrigued by the golden era of sports writing and created a play that follows the journey of Scott Young, a young journalist.  He encounters a pair of crusty scribes, who are reluctant to accept the tides of change.  Young also meets a beautiful female TV reporter and a football star who refuses to speak with the press.

Herold entered his play in Stage West’s 2010 Texas Play Competition, where it won first place.  The prize was a script reading with actors and an audience. Once the actors had read the script, the audience was asked to fill out comment cards about their possible attendance of a full production of the play.

“For the first time ever, the cards were unanimous. Every person who filled out a card said yes!” Herold said.

The following summer, the Stage West Theater added the play to its 2011/12 season.  For Herold, this was a dream come true.

“I’m so lucky I’ve got a play that premiered in Texas,” Herold said.  “I wanted to commit fully to the production.  I want it to be the best it can be.”

Herold has been actively involved in marketing the play through his blog and several trailer videos.  One video features “Meet the Characters,” while others include interviews with sports journalists such as Mark Oristano, a veteran sportscaster.

“In Texas, football is certainly a huge part of our lives, but back then it was very rare to find games televised. Now every game is on,” Oristano said in one of the video interviews.  Herold’s play allows viewers to experience the change in sports journalism that took place in the 1960s.

The Sports Page has been extremely well received, and positive reviews started rolling in just two hours after the opening night performance.

“If this show were a football play, it would be a sixty-yard completion to a wide-open receiver who walks into the end zone,” the Star-Telegram’s Punch Shaw raved. “Herold’s crisp, realistic dialogue takes the game ball here.”

For more information about The Sports Page, visit Herold’s website. Tickets are available through Stage West Theatre. The play opened Thursday, February 9, and will run through March 18.