Family Weekend Strengthens Baylor Bonds
During the weekend of September 16-17, the Baylor community came together for Family Weekend, a University tradition since 1960. Family Weekend connects families of Baylor students and helps them become better acquainted with the University and the city as they spend time with their students.
On Friday, families explored Baylor’s traditions by participating in a student- guided history walk through campus and heard “Last Lectures” from some of Baylor’s world-class faculty members. After a special tailgate and watch party at McLane Stadium for the Baylor-Rice football game in Houston, students and their families were able to attend the first showing of After Dark, an all-University variety show featuring top student talent.
Another full slate of activities followed on Saturday, including a “State of the University” address by Baylor Provost Dr. Gregory Jones in the morning, a parent-faculty coffee on Fountain Mall and a dinner at the Hippodrome in downtown Waco, featuring former Baylor baseball star and recently retired Texas Ranger David Murphy, followed by a second showing of After Dark. One of the highlights of Saturday’s After Dark event was the recognition by the Baylor Parents Network of Tom and Suzanne Martin of The Woodlands, Texas, as the 2016 Baylor University Parents of the Year.
The Martins’ connection to Baylor came through their daughter Megan, who was drawn to attend Baylor’s Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON). In 2014, the Martins established The Megan Elizabeth Martin Endowed Scholarship Fund in Nursing in honor of their daughter, who earned a BS in nursing that year. The Martins’ younger daughter, Peyton,followed Megan’s footsteps and currently is a junior nursing major.
While they are not Baylor alumni—Tom graduated from the University of Oklahoma, and Suzanne attended Sam Houston State University—the Martins have demonstrated a deep commitment to the University as Baylor parents. They have provided leadership for the LHSON Parent Chapter for several years, and Suzanne also has worked on the highly successful Going for the Gold Gala, which raises scholarship funds for student nurses and the LHSON’s new building fund.
In her role as volunteer coordinator for the Parents Network School of Nursing Chapter, Suzanne writes a monthly newsletter that delivers news and calendar events for parents of Baylor nurses, whose students face unique challenges while living in Dallas during their junior and senior years. Although the Martins live in the Houston area, Suzanne makes several trips to Waco and Dallas throughout the academic year to fulfill her volunteer commitments. Suzanne also has served as a panelist during Summer Orientation dinners for parents of incoming students. Along with other parents of current students, Suzanne has shared advice and her own parent perspective with hundreds of first-time Baylor parents nervously anticipating sending their sons and daughters to college.