In midst of cancer fight, 71-year-old checks Baylor graduation off his bucket list

If you attended December's commencement ceremony, you might remember the extended standing ovation given for one graduate in particular: a dimpled, white-haired, 71-year-old man. But why was this septuagenarian crossing the stage with a bunch of 22-year-olds?

Ted Carroll first came to Baylor from Dallas as a wide-eyed freshman in 1961. He had been working all summer to save money for his housing, then worked in Penland and a sporting goods store the rest of his years at Baylor to cover his meal costs. "I was an average student," he recalls, "and my grades suffered some." That unfortunate reality hit Carroll during what would have been his final semester at Baylor: he was nine grade points short of graduating.

Frustrated, newly wed, and with a job offer in hand, Carroll decided to go ahead and enter the work force. Then, life simply got in the way. "I had often thought about trying to finish my degree, but it didn't seem feasible or practical to take off and move my family to Waco for a semester or year," he says. "So I just let the idea pass."

Carroll moved on. He traveled throughout Asia and the Middle East selling a plumbing system cleaner, worked for two entrepreneurial firms as a sales rep and manager, then ultimately ended up owning a memorial firm. But in 2005, he was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, and by the summer of 2014, with the cancer stronger than ever, Carroll became determined to finish what he'd started. "I guess it was sort of on my bucket list."

Faculty members in the Hankamer School of Business helped Carroll navigate the steps needed to complete his degree. After registering for classes, he encountered one final hurdle: how to pay for tuition. Carroll hadn't realized the cost of the two classes he'd enrolled in, and he and his wife simply couldn't afford it on their fixed income. That's when yet another member of the Baylor family -- department chair Blaine McCormick -- stepped up, working with Financial Aid staff to find scholarship assistance for Carroll.

This time around, Carroll proved to be a stellar student. But as the end of the fall semester approached, he and his family began to worry that the cancer would overtake him before graduation day. One day, the mail brought Carroll not only his diploma, but also a personal letter from President Ken Starr. "When Mr. Carroll and his wife found out what we had done, that made them all the more determined that he would make it to commencement," says Lois Ferguson, BA '68, MSED '94, who oversees Baylor commencement. "The diploma was returned to us unopened so we would have it for the ceremony."

Finally, graduation day came, and Carroll was surrounded with the people who had made his final journey possible. His course professor, Dr. Phil Van Auken, escorted him while he waited to cross the stage. President Starr gave him his diploma, a grin, and a bear hug. One by one, the Baylor Regents and deans on stage shook his hand. He walked to the end of the stage, down the steps, had his photo taken (like every other graduate), and met Leigh Ann Marshall, BBA '81, assistant director of the Baylor Parents Network, who was waiting with his wheelchair.

He'd done it. Ted Carroll had finally achieved his dream.

"Through God's grace, prayer, and a multitude of people working to make this happen, I now have my diploma hanging in my office," he says.

Sic 'em, Ted!

Neurologist, dean, CDC officer -- and now Baylor provost

Just before Christmas, President Ken Starr announced the appointment of Dr. Edwin Trevathan as executive vice president and provost -- essentially, Baylor's chief academic officer.

Trevathan will follow interim provost David Garland, who has filled the post since Dr. Elizabeth Davis, BBA '84, left last June to become president of Furman University. Trevathan will certainly bring a vast array of experience and an impressive resume when he begins work at Baylor in June; he'll also bring a lifelong passion for education in a faith-based environment.

A practicing neurologist, Dean of the College for Public Health and Social Justice at Saint Louis University, and a former officer at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Trevathan's leadership experience includes both academics and practical experience, including work handling global response to disease outbreaks.

Prior to his four years as dean at Saint Louis University, Trevathan was on faculty at Emory University, the University of Kentucky and Washington University in St. Louis, all the while serving as a pediatric neurologist (he was neurologist-in-chief at St. Louis Children's Hospital) and medical officer for the CDC, where he led the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. When the H1N1 flu epidemic broke out in 2009, Trevathan was tapped to lead the strategic response in pediatrics.

But you could also say he was being prepared for this opportunity long before he earned such impressive credentials. As a graduate of Lipscomb University (a small Christian school in Nashville) and the son of a Lipscomb professor, Trevathan was steeped in Christian higher education from an early age.

"I am thrilled to have this opportunity to serve one of the world's outstanding Christian universities and to assist the faculty in fulfilling the great promise of Pro Futuris," he says. "Speaking as a product of Christian higher education, I think one of the things that has made me have whatever success I've had as a physician and a scientist is that I had education that really educated me as a whole person. ... The environment at a Christian university, where people are really pursuing truth as a manifestation of faith and service to the poorest of citizens is something that really sort of brings all parts of life together."

Sic 'em, Dr. Trevathan!

Clyde Hart Track & Field Stadium dedicated to honor legendary coach

Say hello to the newest "jewel on the Brazos" -- the Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium, dedicated last week.

The new facility includes not only a new track, but also the 13,500-square-foot Lewis A. and Mary Woodall Training Center (which includes an indoor practice facility), a 6,000-square-foot team facility (which includes the Winston Wolfe Clubhouse), a 10,300-square-foot team building (which includes hydrotherapy pools, a training room, offices and meeting rooms, and storage space), and the Bob and Brenda Barkley Champions Plaza (which recognizes Baylor's many Olympic and NCAA title-holders).

The dedication ceremony included a Q&A with the facility's namesake, legendary Baylor Track and Field Director Clyde Hart. President Ken Starr addressed the crowd, then -- likely calling upon his years of practice running with the Baylor Line -- ran a ceremonial first lap around the freshly lain green track.

[SEE PHOTOS of the Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium dedication]

The Bears' previous facility, known as the Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex, was located off campus, adjacent to Floyd Casey Stadium. In April 2012, Baylor track letterman Richard Woodall, BBA '80, MS.Eco. '81, and his wife, Donna, made a lead donation to help bring the complex to campus, where it is now next door to McLane Stadium along the Brazos River.

In addition to the Woodalls, the stadium was made possible by notable gifts from Winston Wolfe, '64; Bob (BBA '79, JD '80) and Brenda Barkley; David (BBA '85, MBA '87) and Amy (BS '85) Hodge, and Gill Athletics.

"Our hope is that today's student-athletes will remember this," Athletics Director Ian McCaw said at the dedication. "The gift they have been given is much larger than an opportunity to compete. They have been given the opportunity to learn among some of the best in the field -- both inside the classroom and on the field, and soon they will be given the opportunity to take these lessons into their own professions where we hope they will grow and thrive like you."

Sic 'em, Baylor Track & Field!

Happy 75th birthday, Pat Neff bells!

Something about the sound of the McLane Carillon bells, chiming from atop Pat Neff Hall, elevates even the most routine strolls across campus into something more. They've provided the soundtrack to daily life here at Baylor for generations, having played their first hymn ("Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow") 75 years ago last month, in December 1939.

Originally a 25-bell chime set presented by Trustee Cullen Thomas, the carillon now consists of 48 bells donated by Regent Emeritus Drayton McLane, BBA '58, in the late 1980s after the original set had worn down. The bells are iconic here at Baylor, but how much do you know about them?

For instance, did you know each bell is inscribed with Biblical and literary quotations, as well as quotes from every Baylor president up through the 1960s? You can read the quotations on a plaque in the Pat Neff Hall entryway.



The bells are heavy, but that didn't stop them from making a long, circuitous journey to Baylor. The current set weighs in at more than 22 tons, with bells ranging in size from 29 to 4,370 pounds. They were forged by the legendary PACCARD Bell Foundry in France and dedicated here on Nov. 4, 1988. Their arrival on campus, however, was delayed a bit -- a shipping error sent the bells from France to Mexico, instead of Houston, causing the freighter that carried them to come back to Texas to ensure that they made it to their rightful home in the golden dome.

One person on campus knows more about the bells than anyone. Lynette Geary, MED '75, MM '82, has served as carillonneur since 2006, and has the honor of playing the bells as they turn 75. Geary, who assisted with the carillon for 10 years before ascending to her current role, plays the bells with closed fists as she operates a foot pedal to produce the bells distinctive sounds and contemplative songs. (Watch Geary play the carillon in the video above.) At more regular times (like on-the-hour tolls), the bells are played by a computer program that operates the levers and pedals.

They've tolled now for 75 years, and Baylor University just wouldn't be the same without them.

Sic 'em, McLane Carillon Bells!

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