First Families of Baylor Award To Be Presented During Parents Weekend

by Judy Prather, Baylor Alumni Association, (254) 710-6431
The Baylor Alumni Association will present the First Families of Baylor Award to four generations of the Shelton family on Friday, Sept. 9, during the 7 p.m. performance of After Dark in Waco Hall. The family also will be honored at a reception at 8 p.m. in the Hughes-Dillard Alumni Center.
This year marks the 25th annual presentation of the First Families of Baylor Award, which recognizes a multi-generational alumni family that has shown continuing interest in and support of Baylor University. Among those to be honored are Waco residents Hornor and Melba Brown Shelton, along with Hornor's three siblings -- Virginia Shelton Blakely of San Antonio, John Shelton of Tulsa, Okla., and Robert Shelton of Houston.
Their late parents, Perry Wayne and Mary Morrow Shelton, enrolled as newlyweds at Baylor in 1919. Perry Shelton later earned two Baylor degrees and went on to serve as superintendent in the La Vega School District for 35 years. He and his wife also nurtured in their four children a deep love and devotion to Baylor that continues to be passed down to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Seven third-generation Sheltons received Baylor degrees, and four of them married Baylor graduates. The tradition continues with two children in the fourth generation who are current Baylor students.
Families who have previously received the First Families of Baylor Award include the Abner McCall family, the J.M. Dawson family, and the Samuel Palmer Brooks family.
For more information, contact the Baylor Alumni Association at (254) 710-1121 or go to bayloralumni.com.