Baylor to Dedicate Foyer of Clifton Robinson Tower

WACO, Texas - Baylor University will dedicate the foyer of the Clifton Robinson Tower in a ceremony scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19, in the foyer of the building. The dedication will honor William Dial Black Jr. and his wife, Mary Elizabeth, who provided a deferred gift to Baylor which assisted the university in obtaining the building.
Dr. C. Gwin Morris, vice president for university relations, will welcome and recognize honored guests including Black's sister, Sadie Jo Black, who will assist President Robert B. Sloan Jr. in unveiling a plaque in memory of William and Betty Black.
Sadie Jo Black is a former professor of home economics at Baylor. She received her bachelor's degree from Baylor in 1950 and master's degree from Colorado State. She joined the Baylor faculty in 1957 and taught for 35 years.
William Black, a 1946 graduate of Baylor, was a banker whose business interests included land development, oil and gas. He also was involved in ranching in Leon County and in soil conservation activities. He was a member of the Development Council at Baylor and a founding trustee of Houston Baptist University.
Betty Black was equally active in educational activities that reflected her interests in ranching and livestock. She joined her husband in support for youth and was a constant and mutual partner in their many civic and educational activities.
Thomas Z. Parrish, the first vice president for development for the university, will provide the benediction at the end of the ceremony. Parrish has been retired from university service since 1986, but the gift to Baylor by the Blacks is an example of many other deferred gifts that were made during his tenure and from which Baylor continues to benefit.
For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at 755-2561.