New radio program updates listeners on former Baylor athletes

By Meg Cullar

Wondering what ever happened to that football or soccer player who was such a star at Baylor when you were in school? Well, wonder no more. The Baylor Alumni Association (BAA) is sponsoring a new radio segment on Waco’s ESPN 1660 that will clue you in. Titled “Where Are They Now?” the program runs Wednesdays between 5 and 5:30 p.m. during David Smoak’s show, “You Make the Call,” which also features Butch Henry.

According to Pete Rowe ’73, development officer for the BAA, the inspiration for the series came from the Baylor Line, the quarterly magazine of the BAA, which runs a “Where Are They Now?” feature in the Sports Report section. That feature is a short update on a former athlete and includes “then” and “now” photos. The radio program features a live interview with the former sports star and lasts about ten minutes.

“We thought it would be great for the listeners of 1660 to hear from some of our ex-athletes about their experience at Baylor and what they’ve been doing since then,” Rowe said. The first several shows feature former football players in anticipation of the upcoming season, Rowe said, but the program will branch out and cover ex-athletes from every Baylor sport during the corresponding season. This fall, producers are planning to contact former soccer and volleyball players, Rowe said.

During the August 4 interview with receiver Lawrence Elkins (1962-64), radio listeners heard the former NFL player describe his most disappointing Baylor loss, explain why he opted for Baylor rather than take a pro baseball contract to play in the outfield with Hank Aaron, and what he predicts for this year’s Baylor team. Elkins also elaborated on his decades-long career working in Saudi Arabia and told about his friendship with actor Robert Duvall.

Elkins was a consensus All-American his last two years as a Bear—Baylor’s first-ever two-time consensus pick. He played in the 1965 East-West Shrine Game, the Coaches All-America Game, and was named the MVP of the Hula Bowl. Elkins was inducted into the Baylor Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976, into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1994, and into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year.

For the second week of “Where Are They Now?” the ESPN anchors talked to the other half of the 1960s-era dynamic duo—All-American quarterback Don Trull, who connected with Elkins and other receivers for a total of 3,784 yards passing. In 1962 and 1963 he was an academic All-American, and in 1963 was the Houston Post’s Most Valuable Player for the Southwest Conference. He was a consensus all-SWC pick in 1963, and that year he was the leading passer in the nation and won the Sammy Baugh Award. Trull played professionally for the Houston Oilers, the Boston Patriots, and the Edmonton Eskimos.

During the radio program, a former Baylor classmate of Trull’s called the show with a personal story. Buck Harris said that after he was wounded in Vietnam forty-two years ago, he called the Houston Oilers for Trull, wanting to see some footage of the season while he and his buddies recovered in a hospital. Trull and the team sent several tapes and reels, Harris said, and enjoying some highlights made a big difference to the wounded veterans. “I just wanted to personally thank you,” Harris told Trull on the radio.

For more updates on former Baylor athletes, tune in to the ESPN 1660 on Wednesdays in Waco. If you’re not in Waco, you can listen to the show through podcasts on ESPN’s website. Individual podcasts will also be posted weekly on the BAA website.

If you have a suggestion for a former Baylor athlete who should be featured on the “Where Are They Now?” segment on 1660, please send an e-mail to Pete Rowe at Pete@BaylorAlumniAssociation.com.

The Baylor Alumni Association (BAA) recently announced the establishment of the 2010 Awards Banquet — a ceremony to bestow seven of the nine BAA awards, scheduled for September 10, 2010. After much consideration, a decision has been made to move the fall awards banquet to the spring.

The inauguration of Judge Kenneth Starr as the 14th president of Baylor University is scheduled for Friday, September 17, and Parents Weekend is scheduled for the weekend of September 10 – 12. “In order to pay respect to both of these events, along with our awards banquet, we feel it is best to move our fall semester awards banquet to the spring semester. This great new event will now combine eight of the nine alumni awards presentations previously held separately,” said Jeff Kilgore, executive vice president and CEO of the BAA.

The first Baylor Alumni Awards Evening will be held on Friday, January 21, 2011. Please make this change on your calendars.

Plans are in place for a very exciting evening to be held at the Phoenix Ballroom in Downtown Waco. The event will bring together hundreds of Baylor alumni to celebrate their place in the Baylor family and to honor those whose personal achievements in a wide variety of fields are being recognized this year. Former award recipients will also be recognized. It will be an unforgettable occasion, with many special guests and entertainment. You won’t want to miss it!

If you need to cancel a hotel room for September, or would like to reserve a room for January, please contact Peggy Jezek with the Hilton and Courtyard Marriott, at 254-759-5517.

The regular BAA board meeting on Saturday, September 11, is still scheduled for September as previously announced. More information about the Baylor Alumni Awards Evening will be released closer to the date.

By TODD HVEEM

Courtesy of the Houston Chronicle

June 30, 2010

Former Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson felt the pressure of being a basketball coach and NBA executive for more than 30 years. But on June 18, at Waco’s Cottonwood Creek Golf Course, he found out what real pressure was all about.

“It was all up to me,“ Dawson said with a laugh. “One of my partners had put up $100 on each of us to hit the green. And nobody was on the green.”

Normally, Dawson would have no problem rising to the challenge. He has played golf almost his entire life and knows a thing or two about coming through in the clutch. But since 1990, golf has not been as easy for the 72-year-old Dawson, who still is a senior consultant with the Rockets. In 1990, Dawson was struck by lightning, and the incident affected his eyesight. Now, while he can see the ball on the tee, he needs help getting lined up and has to have a spotter to find his ball.

“I told the guys to get me lined up good here. I didn’t want to lose Max’s $100,“ Dawson said.

The 17th hole at Cottonwood plays 152 yards, and Dawson debated using an 8- or 9-iron. He chose the 9. “After I hit it, Tom (former Baylor athletic director Tom Stanton) said it was looking good. He said he hoped I hit the 8. Then, all of the sudden I hear this roar. I thought I went in the water (in front of the green).”

Instead, Dawson had recorded the fifth hole-in-one of his career but his first since 1983.

“I looked at Tom and he was jumping up and down,“ Dawson said. “I said ‘what happened?’ He said “you just made a hole-in-one.’ I wish I could have seen it.”

“I was riding with David Lacy. He leaned over to me and said there is something not right about this. We can all see, and none of us even hit the green. We have to lead you up here and you make a hole-in-one.”

To see the article in the Houston Chronicle click here.

By Racquel Joseph

Dr. Bolen just posted an exciting update about his travel to the Middle East and some of the political questions that are already arising. You can keep up with Dr. Bolen’s stateside preparation for his adventure abroad in his second blog post. If you missed his first entry, it gives great background on the work he plans to do in Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria.

To read the first Between The Lines story on Dr. Bolen, click here.

By Racquel Joseph

Senior lecturer of music Dr. Bradley Bolen is taking a working vacation this year.  He is teaming up with the Houston non-profit American Voices to bring music and the arts to the Middle East. Come July 3, Bolen will be headed into Erbil, Iraq, taking his art to a whole new, exotic arena. Bolen will also make stops in Syria and Lebanon, leading workshops and classes in piano for young musicians.

These YES (Youth Excellence on Stage) Academies were established as part of American Voices’ mission to spread diplomacy and engage culturally with countries often isolated or unstable. Bolen will maintain a blog throughout his trip and will allow Between the Lines’ readers to follow his progress at: bolen88.wordpress.com.

Bolen’s sense of adventure seems rooted in his gratitude for the ability to play. He explains a part of this motivation as, “the thing people don’t see.” Then, he extends his right arm to reveal a long, ropy scar.

In his junior year of college, Bolen began having “trouble” with his arms that made it difficult to play. After shuffling from doctor to doctor without a diagnosis, he found one that agreed to operate. The surgeon, likely inexperienced or more interested in the case than the man, hacked through muscle and left considerable damage. After the operation, it took Bolen three months to extend his arm straight. He eventually found a neurosurgeon that, over the course of five surgeries, removed the scar tissue caked on his radial nerve from the previous operation. Several of those surgeries occurred between the time he was accepted and attended graduate school at the University of Texas at Austin.

But Bolen made it through to play Mozart in Austria and study under greats like Claude Frank. Now, he will pass on music to the youth of a country he has never even visited.

Bolen’s own exposure to music began with the 1966 classic Born Free. A young Bolen wandered down to a “dilapidated upright” in his basement and plunked out the classic theme. At age eight, he began taking lessons and fell for the piano. He took lessons alongside his father, who eventually bought him the baby grand that now sits in the same basement as his first instrument. With a father in academia, Bolen was able to get the seal of approval of an accomplished Hungarian pianist, David Stokan. From then on, pursuing a career in music was a given.

Bolen has been on the Baylor faculty for the past ten years. Just one year ago, his wife, Dr. Lynne Baker, joined him at Baylor as a lecturer in environmental science. Bolen finds the rarity of their situation remarkable.

“Her specialty is a monkey in Nigeria, and I’m a musician in an academic position,” he says. She, too, will be traveling this summer but her destinations are two Nigerian villages, Akpugoeze and Lagwa. These villages are relatively unique within Africa, as the people do not kill or eat monkeys; these monkeys were designated “sacred” by their ancestors’ religion. The shrinking environments of the animals have made them pests to their human neighbors, who fear harming them.

Dr. Baker will be conducting a project in oral history and a census of the monkeys. Upon her return in August, Between the Lines will report on her travels, research, and the solutions that may result.

Dear Members of the Baylor Alumni Association,

I write to you concerning a time-sensitive matter of great importance to our alma mater. Just one week into assuming the presidency of Baylor University, Ken Starr has found himself confronted by a threat of historic proportions to the university.

By now you may be aware of nationally reported rumors of the Big 12 Conference’s realignment and the potential formation of other new conferences that would change college athletics across the country. Anticipated distributions to member schools from huge new television contracts are the driving forces behind these potential realignments. With only the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, and Texas Tech University among six possible Big 12 schools to be invited into an expansion of the Pac-10 Conference, early reports indicated that Baylor might be excluded from the potential realignment. This would leave Baylor to fend for itself, certainly in a weakened position. Baylor deserves better.

Inclusion in the Big 12 has put Baylor in the national eye in many ways. In 1996, Baylor entered the national conference to prove that we could be competitive with top-ranked athletic teams, even as a relatively small, private school. And prove it we have. No one will ever forget the thrill of our Baylor basketball teams’ stellar national performances this past year. In the last seven years, Baylor has ranked third in winning the most Big 12 titles (behind Texas and A&M). Revenue and prestige from Big 12 membership has helped Baylor build its athletic programs and facilities to be competitive with the best in the country, vastly superior to 1996. Fifteen of Baylor’s 18 varsity teams earned postseason rankings this year. Baylor has led the Big 12 in graduation rates three of the last four years. All of this, plus Baylor ranks fourth among Big 12 schools in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. Baylor has earned the right to be at the table.

Exclusion from a major national conference would have an impact far beyond athletics alone. In the fourteen years that Baylor has belonged to the Big 12, there have been numerous financial and academic benefits. Fundraising for all university divisions benefits substantially with the Big 12 distinction in the public eye. Baylor’s success in recruiting top academic students and outstanding faculty has been greatly enhanced. Collegial collaboration among Big 12 schools has become integral from the academic divisions to the library systems. National name recognition and reputation has opened many doors for greater advancement in the world of higher education.

I will not attempt to restate nor interpret all of the speculative sports reports from extensive media coverage. BAA executive vice president Jeff Kilgore previously sent you a link to the column written by President Starr for the Waco Tribune-Herald that was published on Monday, June 7, 2010.

The latest reports indicate Baylor may be coming into a more favorable position that can be strengthened with active help from alumni. In a Waco Tribune-Herald article published Tuesday, June 8, President Starr said he was “encouraged by an outpouring of very strong and fervent Baylor support” from Baylor alumni and the Board of Regents. He went on to “praise the University of Texas president’s strong commitment to keep the Big 12 together and to keep us moving toward a very bright future.” To read the whole story, click here.

Foremost, the desire is for Big 12 members to hold the conference together. Failing that, it is imperative that the four Texas schools stand united to preserve the historic bonds and working relationships that have been forged for decades. That is in the best interest of the fans and young athletes of Texas, of the financial impact on the state’s economy, of the taxpayers’ investment in higher education, and in continuation of the great legends and lore of Texas football.

President Starr has said, “The situation is extremely fluid right now. It is our understanding that the Pac-10 Conference may be preparing to invite six Big 12 members to join a proposed 16-team megaconference. Recent news reports indicate that Baylor’s stock is rising and that it could be included among the teams invited to form a new conference. What we do know is this: The Lone Star schools of the Big 12 should stick together.”

President Starr’s message is clear: Strong vocal support from alumni makes a difference. He is working diligently on Baylor’s behalf to keep the Big 12 together. He deserves our encouragement and assistance. We need to use our voices in our own circles of influence. We can personally contact those who may have a say in what happens, including current or former regents and administrators whom we know among other Big 12 schools and elected officials and legislators of the State of Texas. Contact information can be found below.

At the heart of the Baylor Alumni Association’s reason for being is providing alumni an independent voice for support of the best interests of Baylor University. Now is such a moment. I hope you will consider reaching out as quickly as possible to express your support of keeping the Big 12 Conference together and the vital importance of the four Texas schools staying together as a package, not only for Baylor and for Texans, but for sports fans everywhere.

Baylor matters. Baylor has earned the right to be at the table.

With warmest regards,

Emily G. Tinsley
President, Baylor Alumni Association

Contact information for the Texas Governor’s office:
Mailing address: Office of the Governor, P.O. Box 12428, Austin, Texas 78711-2428
The Texas Governor’s website

Contact information for Texas Legislators:
Each site lists its members which can be sorted by name, district, or county. Click on a name and go to the email form provided.
The Texas House of Representatives
The Texas State Senate

At this critical time in the life of Baylor University and many other universities across the country, I believe it is important to share with each of you Baylor President Ken Starr’s op-ed column in yesterday’s Waco Tribune-Herald related to the flurry of recent conversations regarding possible athletic conference realignments and Baylor’s future.

To read President Starr’s column, click here.

I would like to express my support for President Starr’s position and my appreciation of his efforts in this matter so early into his role as Baylor’s fourteenth president.

Jeff Kilgore
Executive Vice President and CEO
Baylor Alumni Association

By Lisa Asher

Adding to a long list of honors, Dr. William (Bill) Hillis was named the 2010 Collins Outstanding Professor Award, an annual honor given by Baylor seniors. A 1953 Baylor graduate, Hillis is currently Baylor’s Cornelia Marschall Smith Distinguished Professor of Biology.

Hillis received the Baylor Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1998 in recognition of a long and impressive career. After earning an MD from Johns Hopkins University in 1957, he focused on researching human infectious disease epidemics worldwide, serving in various clinical and hospital settings, as well as with the U.S. Air Force, retiring from the Reserves at the rank of colonel.

From 1962 to 1982, he was on faculty at Johns Hopkins, where he also served as a virologist and resident coordinator at the school’s Center for Medical Research and Training in Calcutta, India, and director of the School of Medicine’s outpatient clinical research center.

In 1981, Hillis returned to Baylor to serve as chair of the biology department. From 1985 to 1989, he was the university’s executive vice president and was vice president of student life until 1998, when he returned to full-time teaching.

Hillis is a three-time recipient of Baylor Mortarboard’s Distinguished Professor Award, and Student Congress gave him the Outstanding University Administrator Award in 1994.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Baylor Alumni Association.

The 2010 Herbert H. Reynolds Retired Faculty and Administrators Award was presented to recipients on Saturday, May 8, at a luncheon held in the Cashion Building of the Hankamer School of Business.

The award is presented each spring at a luncheon co-sponsored by the alumni association and the Retired Faculty and Administrators Program. With the number of exceptional faculty and administrators Baylor produces, choosing a select few to honor can be an overwhelming task. But since 1981–when the Baylor Alumni Association recognized such legends as Martha Barkema, P.D. Brown, and Guy B. Harrison–the association has been recognizing retired members of the Baylor faculty and administration who have shown professional merit during their university service.

This year’s Retired Faculty Award recipients are Carolyn Backus, Buddy Gilchrest, and Stanley Wallace Campbell (posthumously accepted by Robbie Howell). Retired Administrators Award recipient: C. Thomas Newsom.

To see photos from this year’s event, please visit our photo galleries.

The Baylor Alumni Association hosted the spring 2010 Ring Ceremony on Tuesday, May 4 at 5:30 p.m. in Waco Hall. Ring sales were at an all-time high this year with 475 students purchasing rings, and over 800 people in attendance at the ceremony.

The BAA hosts the event twice each year since the university adopted the single official ring concept as the newest of the Baylor traditions in the mid-1990s, and the event was moved to Waco Hall after outgrowing the Barfield Drawing Room. During the ceremony, students are presented their rings and told the history and meaning of the more than a dozen historic symbols on the ring.

Designed by the Balfour Company in 1995, the Official Baylor Ring may only be purchased by alumni or students who have completed 75 or more hours of study. Jeff Kilgore, executive vice president of the alumni association, said, “Baylor University’s tradition encompasses 160 years, and the Baylor Ring is a tangible symbol of that heritage. For Baylor alumni, it unites our past with our present and our future.”

For a complete look at the 2010 Ring ceremony, click here.

If you were unable to attend the ceremony you may pick up your ring from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hughes-Dillard Alumni Center. Call 710-1121 for more information.