W.R. White Meritorious Service Awards Presented At Homecoming

by Judy Prather, Baylor Alumni Association, (254) 710-6431
The Baylor Alumni Association honored five recipients with the W.R. White Meritorious Service Award during the association's annual membership meeting at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, in Jones Theatre of the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center.
Recipients of the award were Jackie Birdwell, Vince Clark, Dr. William Long, Kent Newsom and Dr. Jim Patton.
Birdwell has been a food service employee at Baylor since 1964, serving many generations of Baylor students in the Bill Daniel Student Center.
Clark, who has earned three Baylor degrees, serves on the history and government faculty at McLennan Community College, where he is also assistant coach for the men's golf team. He is a popular speaker for Baylor events, including the semi-annual Ring Ceremony for Baylor seniors receiving their official Baylor Class Ring.
A retired Belton physician, Long earned dental and medical degrees from Baylor in the 1940s. A former Baylor regent, he served on the university's Sesquicentennial Council of 150 and is the recipient of the Baylor Founders Day Medal and First Families of Baylor Award.
Newsom earned a bachelor's degree from Baylor in 1972 and his law degree in 1973. A partner in the Dallas law firm of Newsom, Terry & Newsom LLP, he is a past president and a current director of the Baylor Alumni Association, and he has served on the advisory boards for Baylor's College of Arts and Sciences and George W. Truett Theological Seminary.
Patton has been a member of the Baylor faculty since 1980, serving as chair of the department of psychology from 1992 to 2004. He earned a doctorate from Baylor in 1978 and previously taught at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He has been faculty sponsor of several student organizations over the years and is a Boy Scout leader in the troop at his local church and at the council and regional B.S.A. levels.
Dr. William R. White served as Baylor's president from 1948 to 1961. This award given in his name honors individuals who have rendered outstanding service to Baylor. For more information, contact the Baylor Alumni Association at (254) 710-1121 or go to www.bayloralumni.com.