Alum chosen to sing German anthem for audience of 300 million
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Just for Fun, Alumni, Honors
At big American sporting events, it’s usually pop or rock stars who are selected to sing the National Anthem — singers like Billy Joel or Carrie Underwood.
The 2008 UEFA European Football Championship (commonly called Euro 2008) wrapped up Saturday in Vienna as Germany faced Spain in the title match, which is roughly equivalent to an international Super Bowl of soccer. And who was selected to sing the German national anthem? Baylor grad Eddie Gauntt, a native of Clifton, Texas, who now sings opera in Karlsruhe, Germany.
An estimated 300 million people worldwide tuned in to the game, and thus heard a Baylor grad singing. (Click here for video from ABC’s coverage, or here for the view from inside the stadium.) Gauntt graduated from Baylor in 1979 with a bachelor of music degree in voice. His wife, singer-composer Cae Cooley Gauntt, is also a Baylor music graduate (class of 1978).
Sic ’em, Eddie!
Legendary sportswriter putting away his pen
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Alumni, Athletics
Legendary sportswriter Dave Campbell, creator of Dave Campbell’s Texas Football Magazine, and longtime sports editor of the Waco Tribune-Herald, announced recently that he’s retiring — for at least the second time.
Campbell spent 40 years as the Trib’s sports editor in the middle of a career that began (as a student, graduating in 1950) and ended (working for the Baylor Bear Foundation) at Baylor. He last retired in 1993, when he left the Trib; five months later, though, he accepted an offer to head up the Baylor Bear Insider, a newsletter sent out to Bear Foundation members. That job ended up lasting 15 years.
A member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame and the Baylor Athletic Hall of Fame, Campbell founded Texas Football in 1960; he still serves as editor-in-chief for the publication, which quickly emerged as the nation’s prototype for regional sports publications and is still known as “the Bible of Texas football.” Among his many recognitions, the press box at Floyd Casey Stadium — where Campbell has spent countless hours — is named in his honor.
Sic ’em, Mr. Campbell!
Former NFL star volunteers to experience an athlete’s worst nightmare
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Alumni, Athletics
Former Baylor and NFL linebacker Ray Crockett was never a teammate of Kyle Woods, but he recently volunteered to experience some of what Woods has dealt since his 1979 accident. Crockett spent a month confined to a wheelchair for an episode of FX’s 30 Days, learning what life can be like for a paraplegic.
The show, headed up by Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame, takes individuals outside of their comfort zone for one month to see how others live. Crockett, a 14-year NFL veteran, won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, and he was there when Denver Lions teammate Mike Utley was paralyzed during a game in 1991.
Crockett was clearly moved from the experience, both from what he went through and from others he met who didn’t have any choice about their fate. This 30-second commercial previews the episode, and FX has clips from the show online here, here, here and here.
Sic ’em, Ray, for your willingness to help others learn, and an extra-big sic ’em to those who deal with such disabilities everyday, for your courage in the face of adversity!
Live, from the International Space Station to Baylor!
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics
This morning, visitors to the Mayborn Museum Complex will get to hear astronaut Greg Chamitoff discuss life in space — live from the International Space Station!
Chamitoff is in the middle of a six-month stay at the space station, which orbits the planet over 200 miles above Earth’s surface. Traveling nearly 18,000 miles an hour, the space station circles the Earth more than 15 times a day. During his talk today, the space station will be tracked on screen and contact will be maintained until the station disappears over the horizon.
Besides the folks at Mayborn, a whole herd of people have come together to make this happen at Baylor: ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station), the Baylor Amateur Radio Club, the Heart of Texas Amateur Radio Club, and Robinson Elementary.
Sic ’em, space station speakers!
Academic summit fosters discussion on improving tenure process
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : AcademicsEarlier this month, a number of Baylor professors and administrators gathered for an Academic Summit organized by President Lilley and Provost O’Brien to review the tenure process at Baylor and to make suggestions for its improvement. Master Teacher Robert Baird moderated and shared his thoughts about the summit in an opinion piece for the Waco Tribune-Herald. Judging from Dr. Baird’s comments, Baylor is making good progress towards improving the tenure process for all those involved. That’s good news for faculty and that’s good news for Baylor.
Sic ’em, President Lilley, Provost O’Brien, Dr. Baird and all the summer summitters!
Former Bear among baseball’s top rookies
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Alumni, Athletics
In 2003, David Murphy set a Baylor record for batting average when he hit .413, earning all-America honors and leading the Bears within two innings of a College World Series trip. That June, he was selected in the first round (17th overall) by the Boston Red Sox.
Three years later, he was in the big leagues, getting brief appearances with the Red Sox in ‘06 and ‘07 before a midseason trade to the Texas Rangers. Since then, he has done nothing but hit, and he is among the top candidates for American League Rookie of the Year.
As of today, Murphy is hitting .274 with 10 home runs and 51 RBI, leading all other rookies in hits, doubles and RBI. Apparently that was good enough to get the attention of President George W. Bush when the Rangers visited the White House this weekend; Bush recognized Murphy as the “Baylor boy.”
Sic ’em, David!
School of Social Work teaching service, from Waco to Moldova
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Academics, Student life
Baylor’s School of Social Work is perhaps the University’s fastest growing program; 86 students graduated from the program last month, double the previous year’s class. To put that in perspective, the three-year-old program graduated more students than Truett Seminary, Baylor Law School and the Louise Herrington School of Nursing.
Baylor social work students from Waco to Washington, D.C., worked with churches and charities this past year that received large grants from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Locally, graduate student Kelly Baker (pictured) worked with University Baptist Church to plan out a mentoring program between neighborhood children and college students, after-school tutoring, parenting classes, and English as a Second Language classes. The grant will enable the congregation to launch these new ministries.
In Washington, another graduate intern, Lance Summey, worked at Bread for the World to begin an initiative that involved identifying and cultivating “leadership churches” that will embrace anti-hunger and anti-poverty advocacy. According to Diana Garland, dean of the School of Social Work, “The grant will be the springboard for this initiative, and Bread for the World has hired Lance to go to Washington, D.C., and serve as their Director of Development and Membership.”
Meanwhile, the School also has partnered with the College of Theology and Education (CTE) in Kishinev, Moldova. Tracey Kelley, an adjunct professor at Baylor, taught two courses last month at CTE to students from all over Moldova.
What an impact from such a young program!
Sic ’em, School of Social Work!
Freshman dual-sport athlete takes bronze in 400-meter hurdles
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics, Honors
Freshman Robert Griffin should have been wrapping up his high school track career this spring. Among the nation’s top sprinters, Griffin would likely have won several state titles and perhaps even break some records in his final season.
Instead, he graduated a semester early so that he could go through Baylor’s spring football practice; Griffin is among the candidates to start at quarterback this fall. In the meantime, he was able to run track for the Bears this spring, just for fun — but only after football’s spring practice ended in early April.
Head track and field coach Todd Harbour was certainly glad to see Griffin join the program. Even with limited training time, Griffin brought home the bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles at last week’s NCAA Outdoor Championships.
I, for one, look forward to seeing what Griffin (and the rest of Briles’ players) can do on the field this fall. The Bears will kick off the season Aug. 28 in a nationally televised matchup at home against Wake Forest; get your tickets now!
Sic ’em, Baylor track and field and Baylor football!
Another look at this fall’s freshman class
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Baylor 2012, Academics, Student life
Incoming freshmen and their parents are all over campus this month for orientation. A couple of months ago, we gave you a sneak peak at some of the students who will make up this fall’s incoming freshman class. Here are a few more faces you’ll see on campus in August when the class of 2012 arrives at Baylor.
* Stephenville (Texas) High School salutatorian Brandon Ratliff is one of a number of National Merit Scholars entering Baylor this fall. Baylor annually ranks among the nation’s leaders in attracting National Merit Scholars; last year’s class ranked 26th nationally. The Stephenville Empire-Tribune profiled Ratliff here.
* In a few years, you may be hearing the work of Deer Park (Texas) High School co-valedictorian Derek Schnitzer in movies and on TV. Another National Merit Scholar, Schnitzer plans to study music composition with the goal of writing TV and film scores after graduation. The Deer Park Progress ran this Q&A with Schnitzer.
* Kansas City, Mo., student Patricia Salgado says she and her twin sister, Leah, have never been apart for more than a few days. That will change this fall when Patricia comes to Baylor while her sister heads to Cornell. Both graduated with honors; Patricia will study pre-med here. The Kansas City Star featured the twins in this article.
* Further south, Monterrey, Mexico, native Monica Gonzalez-Ruggeberg was the valedictorian of IDEA Academy and College Preparatory high school in South Texas. Before moving to the Valley her freshman year, she said the only colleges she knew of were Harvard and Texas; then she visited Baylor. “I have a great vibe from the school,” she says. Read about her and other Valley graduates in this article from The Monitor.
Such students certainly seem to fit the Vision 2012 goal of attracting a top-tier student body.
Sic ’em, incoming freshmen!
Four straight national titles for Baylor track relay team
Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in : Athletics, Honors
The vaunted Baylor 4×400-meter relay team brought home its fourth straight national championship over the weekend. Only one school has ever won more than four straight titles in the event: Baylor, which won five in a row from 1990-92.
Some other numbers on the run… The team clocked a season-best time of 3:00.22, the fastest in the world this year. The time also ranks as the second-fastest in Baylor history and the fifth-fastest in NCAA history.
The national championship was Baylor’s 10th outdoor 4×400-meter relay title in school history to go alongside the program’s eight indoor wins. In the outdoor relay, Baylor has been in the final heat the past 29 years, finishing in the top-three 23 times (40 times overall, if you include both indoor and outdoor seasons).
The feat of winning both indoor and outdoor mile relay championships in the same season has only happened 11 times in the 44-year history of running both indoor and outdoor national meets, and Baylor has been responsible for five of those occurrences (1990, 1991, 2004, 2007, 2008).
Sic ’em, Baylor track and field!
