A new endowed professorship in the law school will honor the late Lyndon Olson Sr., JD '50, a long-time Waco attorney, and his brother, William Olson Sr., JD '50, a retired Houston attorney. The endowment was made possible through the generosity of Lyndon Olson Jr. '69, past president of the Baylor Alumni Association and chair of the alumni association's Sesquicentennial Campaign, and his wife, Kay. Lyndon, former ambassador to Sweden, has served as president and CEO of Travelers Insurance Holdings, the Associated Madison Companies, and the National Group Insurance Co. He is currently a senior advisor to Citigroup. A recent luncheon on campus celebrated the new professorship and honored Bill Olson Sr., his wife, Virginia, and Frances Olson, wife of the late Lyndon Sr. Pictured are (l-r) Law Dean Brad Toben, Kay Olson, Virginia Olson, Bill Olson Sr., Frances Olson, and Lyndon Olson Jr. Kay, Virginia, and Frances are all Alumni By Choice.

Granted

Patty Keenon Tremble '81 has been named the project director for the federal Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration Grant for Harris County. The $9.5-million grant will run for six years and provide specialized services to children with mental illness and their families. Patty lives in Houston with her son, Colin, who is sixteen. Her daughter, Taryn, is a freshman at Schreiner University in Kerrville.

It's time to renew your membership in the Baylor Alumni Association, if you have not already done so. All annual members should have received a renewal notice recently, and memberships can easily be renewed by returning the enclosed forms. Those who prefer to do business online can renew at bayloralumni.com on the secure site.

Many alumni also make generous year-end gifts to the alumni association, so please be aware that the office will be closed for the holidays from December 21 through January 2. Mailed checks that are dated and postmarked in 2006 will be credited to that year. If you would like to make a year-end contribution and have questions, contact Chad Wooten.

Ringing It Up

More than 150 Baylor students proudly received their official Baylor Class Rings in a Waco Hall ceremony on November 28. Students received their rings from Dr. Dub Oliver '87 (left), vice president for student life, and Jeff Kilgore '90, MSED '92, (right) executive vice president of the Baylor Alumni Association. Ring recipient Michael Miller is pictured with them here.

Baylor senior Allan Marshall, student body external vice president, was one of the speakers at the event. Echoing President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Marshall said, "In the final analysis, our generation does have a rendezvous with destiny. We have a choice as a generation for service to others. We have a choice to follow our faith in Christ. And we have a choice to continue in the traditions of Baylor University with ‘pride, privilege, and responsibility.'"

As always, students were mesmerized by the historical talk by Vince Clark '83, JD '85, MA '91. Clark brings Baylor history to life as he takes the audience on a walk around campus, explaining the various symbols on the class ring--among them Judge Baylor, the bear, the University Mace, and a railroad spike representing the Immortal Ten. To read Clark's description of the symbols on the Official Class Ring, click here.

Basketball season started off with a bang for the Baylor men's and women's teams, who appeared in the pre-season NIT and WNIT tournaments. The women made it to the final game, which was held at Baylor's Ferrell Center on November 19, but fell to twelfth-ranked Purdue to take runner-up honors. But two days later, back at the Ferrell Center, the number-fifteen Baylor women outlasted number-nine LSU to notch a 64-60 victory. After beating Sam Houston State on Monday, December 4, the Lady Bears' record stood at 9-1. (Pictured is senior Bernice Mosby.) The Baylor men beat Colorado State 87-82 in double overtime of the opening round of the NIT, but fell to Gonzaga in the regional finals. After an 89-64 home win over Texas State on December 2, the men's record stood at 6-1. For complete updates, check in often at the newly remodeled Baylor Athletics website.

The Lady Bears are scheduled for televised games several times this season, with the first one coming on December 17 when the Lady Bears travel to Los Angeles to take on the UCLA Bruins. The 2:30 p.m. (Central Time) game will air on FOX Sports Net as part of the Pac-10 package.

Christmas at Baylor

As students and faculty prepare for semester finals and December graduation, the campus is also in full Christmas mode. On Friday, December 1, the campus hosted one of the favorite events of the year--Santa's Workshop. Co-sponsored by Baylor and Aramark, the event drew some eight hundred children between the ages of three and five from the Waco community to a celebration in the gym of the McLane Student Life Center. The children enjoyed a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus, a lunch, snacks, a goody bag, and a wrapped gift. The event is run by a student steering committee, and student volunteers spent hours wrapping the gifts, donated by students, faculty, and Baylor and Aramark staff members. Students and Aramark staffers (pictured) served as Santa's elves, delivering the presents to the children.