Baylor To Honor Distinguished Alumni Jan. 31

The Baylor Alumni Association will honor four graduates who have excelled- in their fields and in their communities following graduation during the annual Distinguished Alumni banquet at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, in the Barfield Drawing Room of the Bill Daniel Student Center. This year's honorees are Dr. Gary R. Cook, Dr. Barbara Montgomery Dossey, Dr. Kenneth Q. Carlile and the Rev. Bill Glass.
Cook, a 1972 Baylor graduate, has served as president of Dallas Baptist University since 1988, leading DBU to double both its enrollment and endowment. While a student at Baylor, he was named Outstanding Senior Man and Permanent Class President. He earned a master of divinity degree at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and was graduating class president. From Louisville, Cook moved to Fort Worth, where he served as a minister to senior adults, while working on a doctor of ministry degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a master's degree in aging studies from the University of North Texas. In 1976 Cook became pastor of First Baptist Church of McGregor. He joined Baylor two years later to teach the university's first gerontology course, and over the next 10 years served in a variety of roles, including assistant chaplain and director of denominational and community relations. He also served terms as a member of the Waco City Council and as mayor pro tem.
Dossey, a 1965 Baylor graduate, is the director of Holistic Nursing Consultants in Santa Fe, N.M. She was a founding member of the American Holistic Nurses Association, an organization of nurses that develops standards, manuals and position papers on holistic philosophy and the caring process. A registered nurse certified in holistic nursing and a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, Dossey has authored or co-authored 19 books, including a biography of Florence Nightingale, and recorded numerous audio tapes, including Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice. Her pioneering work in the holistic nursing field has helped patients create healthier lifestyles by learning new skills to balance their spirituality, nutrition and loving relationships. Dossey has received several awards for her work, including the Nurse Healers Award from the Nurse Healers-Professional Associates in 1998.
Carlile earned a bachelor's degree from Baylor in 1969 and his doctor of dentistry degree from Baylor College of Dentistry in 1973. As a young man, he worked for his father's oil company, Marshall Exploration Inc. After practicing dentistry for several years, Carlile sold his practice and returned full time to the oil business. He went back to school to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in geology from Centenary College, then completed his doctorate in geology at Baylor in 1996. He is co-chair of The Carlile Companies, a conglomerate that employs more than 400 people and includes five subsidiaries: Martex Drilling Co., Martex Well Services, Unitex Properties, Camterra Resources and First Service Bank. He was co-owner of Marshall Exploration, a company that merged in 1990 with Southern Natural Gas and then later with El Paso Gas. Since 1998, Carlile has been co-owner of First Service Bank, which merged with Hibernia National Bank of New Orleans. From 1993-95, he served a gubernatorial appointment as chair and commissioner of the Texas Department of Commerce. In 1994, he received another appointment to serve as a member of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.
The Rev. Bill Glass, a 1957 Baylor graduate, is founder of Champions for Life, a Dallas-based Christian ministry. A consensus All-American defensive end at Baylor, Glass helped lead the Bears to an upset win over Tennessee in the 1957 Sugar Bowl. He played 11 years in the NFL, seven with the Cleveland Browns who won the NFL championship in 1964. During off-seasons, he attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, earning a degree in theology in 1963. He spoke several times at Billy Graham crusades, and as his football career neared its end, Graham urged Glass to start his own ministry. Bill Glass Ministries was formed in 1969 and changed its named to Champions for Life in 2002. With a staff of 35 and thousands of volunteers, the ministry stages citywide crusades called "Celebrations of Champions," motivational, anti-drug school events called "Champions for Today" and "Weekends of Champions" held inside prisons across the country.
For more information about the Distinguished Alumni banquet, contact Todd Copeland at the Baylor Alumni Association at 710-1121.