Memorial Service to Be Held for Baylor Historian March 23

A memorial service for Lois Murray Strain, author of the book Baylor at Independence, will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Foyer of Meditation at the Armstrong Browning Library on the Baylor University campus. Strain died on December 18, 1998, at a Waco nursing home. She was 92.
Strain, who was associated with Baylor for more than 50 years, came to Baylor from her home in Hillsboro in the 1920s. She received her bachelor and master's degrees from the university, and immediately upon graduation, she began teaching in the English department in 1931, becoming a full professor in 1961.
She served as director of the Armstrong Browning Library, originated and taught a course in human relations, founded the Laurel Society (now Mortar Board), co-founded the Baylor Parents League and worked as assistant to the vice president of development. She retired from the university in 1972. In recognition of her contributions to Baylor and the community at large, Strain was designated a Distinguished Alumnae in 1975 by the Baylor Alumni Association.
A prodigious writer, Strain also was the author of Through Heaven's Backdoor, a biography of A. Joseph Armstrong; Effective Living, a textbook that was used in human relations courses throughout the country; and the afore-mentioned Baylor at Independence. At the age of 80, she co-wrote with Gladys Hudson the biography of millionaire Paul Meyer, founder of Success Motivation Inc., and donated all her royalties to charity.
The family has requested that memorials be sent to the Armstrong Browning Library, Baylor University, P.O. Box 97152, Waco, TX 76798. The Armstrong Browning Library also is planning to dedicate a stained-glass window in her honor when it celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2001.