THE DUET IN EXCELLENCE: JONATHAN AND DAVID HASTIE

April 28, 2006

Source of Article: COLLEGIUM , A Publication of Baylor University , College of Arts & Sciences, 2001. PP 22-23.

"THE CLASS HAD A LASTING IMPRESSION ON ME AND TRAINED ME TO UNDERSTAND MEDICINE IN A MORE MEANINGFUL WAY THAN SIMPLY TREATING DISEASE." - Jonathan Hastie

As they have for so many important events in their lives, identical twins Jonathan and David Hastie shared the spotlight at Baylor's spring 2001 commencement -- honored as the first co-recipients of the University's coveted Outstanding Student of the Year award.

"Jonathan and David Hastie exemplify what Baylor is truly about," said Dr. Wallace Daniel, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, "being grounded in the liberal arts while reaching out to other fields -- in their case music, reaching out to other people, developing a strong sense of service, seeing all of life as connected. They are a duet in excellence."

It was a fitting moment of closure at Baylor for the two, who first visited the campus as youngsters attending a summer music camp. From that junior high

adventure to their walk across the stage at the Ferrell Center in May, the Hasties have left a trail of academic, service, and musical accomplishments as broad as their ready smiles.

They qualified for prestigious Baylor Regents Scholarships, participated in the Honors Program as University Scholars majors, posted 4.0 GPAs, became members of Phi Beta Kappa society, and continued their love of musical performance through appearances with the Baylor Symphony. In addition, Jonathan was chosen as the Outstanding Senior from the College of Arts and Sciences in fall 2000.

"It was a nice way to go out," David said of the Outstanding Student of the Year Award. "It was a great honor. I know there are so many other outstanding students and people who'd be qualified to receive the award." His brother agreed: "It was a surprise and an honor. It made leaving Baylor more memorable," Jonathan said.

Everything about these Kilgore, Texas , natives is striking: their academic ability, their musician-ship (Jonathan in violin and David in cello), their 6-foot-3-inch height, their genuine humility, and the fact they are so identical it's a challenge to tell them apart.

"Our parents tease us that we may have been switched at birth," David said.

When it came time to choose a college, the Hasties agreed on Baylor. "We wanted a school that had a good academic program as well as a strong music program," Jonathan said. "Baylor's size, atmosphere, and Christian heritage were also attractive."

Both came to Baylor with a slew of scholar-ships to their credit, each garnering the National Merit Scholar award and Baylor's top scholarship for National Merit Finalists and Music Incentive scholarships. In addition, Jonathan received the Jerry Johnson Math Award and David received the Friends of Baylor Symphony scholarship.

Both came to Baylor planning a medical career and both chose to participate in the challenging University Scholars Program. That, however, is when their paths began to diverge. This fall Jonathan, the elder brother by three minutes, pursued his dream of a medical career and began studies at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. David, however, found a new direction during his studies at Baylor and began postgraduate work at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia this fall. It will be the first time the two have been separated for any significant length of time since their birth.

Jonathan's undergraduate preparation for medicine was atypical in that he chose an inter-disciplinary degree plan well-represented by courses in the humanities. One of Jonathan's mentors was Dr. Kay Toombs, retired associate professor of philosophy, whose class on "Literary and Philosophical Perspectives on Medicine" is popular with aspiring health care professionals.

"The class had a lasting impression on me and trained me to understand medicine in a more meaningful way than simply treating disease," Jonathan said. "Its purpose is to encourage students to recognize that there's a difference in perspective between doctors and patients, and that in order for doctors to treat patients effectively, they must understand illness from the patients' perspectives."

David's academic exploration led him away from medicine. He took 27 hours of mathematics courses out of a pure love for the subject, then found his way into a business ethics class taught by Dr. Richard Chewning, professor of management.

"Dr. Chewning's business ethics class -- which was 95 percent ethics and 5 percent business -- challenged all of us to look at the world in a different light," David said. "It was upsetting in a good sense, making us examine the foundations of our thinking and the presuppositions we hold throughout life upon which we make decisions and through which we view the world. Dr. Chewning has been a role model in my life, an example of a great Christian."

David added Greek to his academic schedule and discovered a new passion.

"The more I study Greek, the more I study the Bible, I realize that's what I want to spend my life doing," he said. "That's what I have a passion for. I have a burning desire to incorporate that scholarly aspect into becoming a pastor, studying the Bible, and then teaching it to others."

The Hasties also took advantage of the many extracurricular activities offered at Baylor. Jonathan served as president of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the medical honor society, was a member of Mortar Board and the Honors Program student advisory council, and spent a summer working in a mission hospital in Cameroon . David was a member of Alpha Chi national honor society and spent two summers on mission trips to Haiti and Trinidad, supervising teenagers in various building and humanitarian projects. Both brothers were involved with Reformed University Fellowship, the Presbyterian student group at Baylor.

"One of the things I've enjoyed most is the opportunity Baylor affords its students to get to know their professors, and to have more interaction with them than you would in a larger school," David said. "I've appreciated getting to interact with professors through small seminar-type classes, talking with them about all kinds of subjects after class, and even having professors invite the class over for dinner."

Jonathan gives Baylor high marks for fostering an environment amenable to discovery.

"There is a great diversity here, in that you can find several people who have similar interests and are pursuing the same goals you are," Jonathan said. "Yet there is the option to meet people with different interests you would not have the chance to interact with in the working world. I've met people here from all different back-grounds, and that's been a broadening experience.

"There's so much education that happens out-side the classroom -- a poetry reading, a chemistry lecture -- and there's a great chance to educate yourself in areas outside your areas of specialty."

-- Randy Fiedler

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