Saturday, May 26, 2007
By Terri Jo Ryan and Tommy Witherspoon
Tribune-Herald staff writers
Herbert Hal Reynolds, president emeritus of Baylor University, is being remembered this weekend as the epitome of a Christian gentleman who was never quite so gentle on issues of religious freedom and academic integrity.
Those characteristics made Reynolds’ death Friday morning at his mountain vacation home in New Mexico all the more crushing.
“Oh no, oh no,” retired religion department head Glenn Hilburn moaned softly when informed. “This is quite a blow. This hits so hard.”
Clyde Hart, head track coach at Baylor from 1963 to 2005, said he, too, was stunned. “I played golf with him just a couple of weeks ago, and he was enjoying life and excited about going to his place in New Mexico.”
“I’m really in kind of a shock,” said Bill Penson, executive director of the Baptist General Convention of Texas from 1983-2000. “I spoke to him only a few days ago and his voice was so strong.”
Penson recalled how Reynolds had to observe a strict diet because of his heart condition but that sometimes in their travels Reynolds could only succeed in finding a hamburger to eat.
When Penson “caught” him one time, he said, Reynolds looked up at him sheepishly and, thinking of his wife, said, “Now, you won’t tell Joy about this, will you?”
Yet others wondered aloud whether Reynolds knew the end was near. Paul Powell, who retires as dean of Truett Seminary on June 1, said Reynolds, a meticulous planner, years ago asked him to preach his funeral service.
“The last time we talked, about a month ago, he mentioned it again,” Powell said. “He was trying to get ready, I suppose.”
Even so, Reynolds’ legacy promises to endure. Colleagues and friends say he was one of the leading spokesmen for religious liberty and the separation of church and state — and at a time when such beliefs were under increasing attack by some Southern Baptists.
During Reynolds’ 14-year tenure as president, the university changed its charter so the Baptist General Convention of Texas could no longer appoint all of its governing board. Reynolds said the change was needed to protect the school from being taken over by fundamentalists who already had assumed control of some institutions of the Southern Baptist Convention and were fast making inroads into state conventions.
‘Pure courage, pure class’
David Currie, executive director of Texas Baptists Committed, who worked closely with Reynolds in resisting fundamentalism, told the Baptist Standard that Reynolds was “pure courage and pure class” as well as being “a Baptist hero for the ages.”
Even after his retirement as Baylor president in 1995, he was ever on the watch for evidence of fundamentalism that might taint the world’s largest Baptist university.
Hart said Reynolds also was a visionary when it came to Baylor athletics. At the end of Reynolds’ presidency, Baylor became the only private school to be part of the Big 12 Conference, which also includes the University of Texas, University of Oklahoma and Texas A&M University.
“He saw that we might eventually merge into some larger conferences, and we had to position ourselves by not only improving facilities but giving more scholarship help,” Hart said. “I can really only speak for track, but he was the one that basically got us going in women’s athletics. We had basically no aid for the women. And when I went to him, he immediately gave us aid to get the program going.”
Hart added, “History, I’m sure, will put him in the right place as one of the best presidents in the history of Baylor University.”
Roger Olson, a theology professor at Reynolds’ beloved George W. Truett Seminary, said he met Reynolds at a Homestead Heritage Easter concert near Waco and struck up a correspondence.
“I found him to be a passionate defender of academic freedom,” Olson said. “He did not always agree with my writings but expressed appreciation for them anyway. His vision for Baylor and for the worldwide Baptist community focused on freedom, and he was a champion of moderate Baptist principles of soul liberty and soul competency.”
Birth of Truett Seminary
Powell said Reynolds’ most lasting legacy may well be the establishment of the Truett Seminary, an institution seen by some as a moderate Baptist alternative to the conservative-leaning Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. Reynolds registered the name years before the first shovel of dirt was turned for the project because he anticipated the need for it.
“Thanks to Herbert Reynolds, Truett Seminary is sending out hundreds of young men and young ladies to minister to the world,” Powell said, terming such graduates Reynolds’ “spiritual grandchildren.”
Penson said Reynolds was a rare blend of Baptist statesmanship, an academic who made time for church duties. He taught Sunday School for many years at First Baptist Church of Waco and served as a deacon.
His personal hero was George W. Truett (1867-1944), legendary pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas for some 47 years. Truett, Penson said, was a pastor who declined numerous invitations to lead Baylor because his calling was to the pulpit. Reynolds, Penson said, declined numerous invitations to become a preacher because his heart was in academia.
“Dr. Reynolds gave extremely able direction to the university all of the days he was there and in all of the capacities in which he served. I know for a fact that Baylor University was absolutely at the center of his heart,” said the Rev. R. Scott Walker, pastor of First Baptist Church of Waco.
BU historian Eugene Baker said Reynolds’ legacy is caught up in his abiding desire to do what’s right for the university.
“He never put himself first,” Baker said. “He always put others first. The university was always on his heart and always on his mind, and everything he did was to make Baylor better.”
Powell, Reynolds’ friend for more than 25 years, said he was a man of “courage, conviction and compassion. You wrap those all together and that makes a mighty good man.”
Reynolds’ legacy of compassion and understanding often boiled down to a personal level.
Kay Toombs, an emeritus associate professor of philosophy, was diagnosed in 1973 with multiple sclerosis, an incurable, progressively debilitating neurological disease. She was in the middle of her five-year tenure as his administrative assistant at the time.
He reminded her of Viktor Frankl’s words, that everything can be taken away but the last of human freedoms — the freedom to choose how to react to circumstances, she said.
“These words have never left me,” she said. “In a real way they enabled me to confront the challenges posed by my illness. Moreover, in the days and weeks following my diagnosis, he prodded and cajoled me into believing that I could continue to pursue projects that were important to me, thus enabling me, at that crucial time, to pick up the pieces of my life.”
Robert Baird, a Baylor philosophy professor, said few people have been as important to his professional development as Reynolds, who supported him through his years as a faculty member, then as chairman of the philosophy department.
“Ten years ago, he and Joy made a gift to the department, establishing the Herbert H. Reynolds Lectureship in the History and Philosophy of Science,” Baird said. “This contribution to the intellectual life of the university will be an ongoing legacy of an individual whose contributions to Baylor have been unsurpassed.”
Staff writers Jerry Hill and Carl Hoover contributed to this report.
Comments
By Rick Stamps
Jun 12, 2007 7:31 PM | Link to this
Dr. Reynolds was President when I attended Baylor. I will always be grateful for his protecting Baylor against Baptist extremists. Today, Baylor enjoys its high academic reputation because of Dr. Reynolds.
By Kris Bolcom
Jun 10, 2007 9:30 AM | Link to this
Yes, Reynolds could be a good man and had some good qualities. But he could also be ruthless and unethical. He ruined his legacy by conspiring against those who support Baylor 2012. He used his training to wage an almost anonymous psychological war through the internet (baylorfans), and bullied people through unkind correspondence and phone calls. He admittedly kept an "asbestos file" to use against his enemies. We, the new generation of Baptist leaders, need to do better than this. Unethical means can never be justified.
By Dr. Maggie B. Thomas, Class of 66
Jun 8, 2007 3:07 AM | Link to this
Dr. Herb Reynolds and I talked less than seven weeks before his sudden death on the day he delivered the eulogy at the funeral of former Baylor trustee Judge Joe E. Briscoe.
Dr. Reynolds was gracious as I approached him to express my appreciation for his eloquent words praising the many contributions Judge Briscoe and his wife, Gene Aubrey Briscoe, made to Baylor in time, energy, and scholarships.
On a personal note, I told him that my uncle, Dr. Walter J. Williams, was a former chair of the math department at Baylor and my cousin, Lucille W. Brigham, also taught in the math department for many years. Dr. Reynolds had delivered the eulogy at the funeral for my cousin when she died suddenly and unexpectedly.
I also told him my Baylor roommate was Judge Briscoeıs daughter, Dr. Harriet B. Harral, and I am a second-generation Baylor graduate.
Upon hearing the personal connections, Dr. Reynolds began telling personal stories about his experiences with my relatives and the Briscoe family.
His ability to make personal connections, amid all the responsibilities he had through the years, was a distinctive part of his personality and character that I appreciated.
As Baylorıs leader, Dr. Reynolds had to be ıtoughı quite often to function effectively. I admired his skillful and innovative ways of protecting Baylor from the conservative element in the Baptist denomination. I also was favorably impressed by his caring ways of maintaining personal relationships with people.
?ıAnd now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.ı
1 Corinthians 13:13
By John Hewett
Jun 1, 2007 8:38 AM | Link to this
In a world filled with religious politicians, he was a statesman. His courage, integrity and personal strength were an inspiration to many, and to me personally. We are all diminished by his passing.
By Dale Connally
May 31, 2007 8:56 PM | Link to this
My admiration for Dr. Reynolds started when I was a Junior at Baylor and we interacted at BSU functions. After graduation, he was the President who hired me onto the faculty of the university we both dearly loved. As a faculty member I attended myriad luncheons where he was present. I donıt think I ever heard a topic from Physical Education to Physics come up that he didnıt chime in, I was reading about that the other day, and ı.
After his retirement we have regularly shared the balcony of First Baptist Church. I was always challenged by his copious notetaking during every sermon and his singingıa lifetime participant in worship, not a spectator. Thanks to the Reynolds family for sharing him with us.
By Michael Fallon
May 30, 2007 7:17 PM | Link to this
Although I did not know Dr. Reynolds very well, My father Frank Fallon, was a life long friend, and he performed my father's eulogy,in May of 2004. My father always spoke highly of Dr. Reynolds, as he had my Dad come to work at Baylor full time in 1981. He did as much to move the Baylor name to new horizons in Education, as my father did to promote Baylor Athletics onto the national scene in broadcasting. He will be sorely missed. God Bless his memory, and his family.
By Bronnie McNabb, Jr. - BBA '73
May 30, 2007 6:05 PM | Link to this
Claremont, California
May 30, 2007
I am experiencing a profound sadness at the passing of Herbert Reynolds. Dr. Reynolds came to Baylor during my first year there as a student. He and Abner McCall made quite a team, really complementing one another in the most effective manner. I never really got to know him personally as so many who have posted comments here, but I respected him as an intelligent, open-minded, progressive and faithful leader of Baylor University.
His son Kevin lived a few doors down from me in Penland Hall and observing Kevin's film career from here in California I have always been reminded of those days at Baylor. Dr. Reynolds became President several years after I graduated and although he remained far more conservative that I personally would have liked, without him and his visionary leadership I believe that the value of my Baylor education in the eyes of the broader national community would be measurably de-valued.
Herbert Reynolds was a voice of reason and intelligence throughout the Presidential debacle that followed his term of office. All through that difficult time, his obvious love for Baylor led him to continue to strive for the best that Baylor could be; faithful to its Baptist roots, but looking to a future that was more mindful of globalization, diversity of people and less inwardly focused. Frankly, I wonder who will be able to fill his "shoes" in the days to come. This accounts for some of the sadness I feel at his passing.
The Board of Regents continues to reflect an inconsistent and quite troubling pattern of leadership, at least for those of us who would hope that Baylor would indeed someday become a world-class educational institution. The counsel of Herbert Reynolds will be sorely missed for those who would lead Baylor in the next five to ten years. But for now, we can all be thankful for what he did accomplish for Baylor and gives thanks for his life and offer our deepest sympathy to the Reynolds family.
By Dr. Jim Moshinskie
May 30, 2007 2:03 AM | Link to this
Almost 20 years ago on Father's Day when I was the Executive Director of Daniel EMS in Waco, I answered the ambulance call to Dr. Reynold's home when he suffered his first heart attack. I am so thankful that God gave me the skills then to quickly diagnose Dr. Reynold's problem and treat me correctly. He graciously thanked me many times "for saving his life" that day, and I was most honored. But it was in his years since his heart attack that impressed me. He volunteered so much of his time to promote the American Heart Association, live a healthy lifestyle, and execise often. I can remember seeing Dr. Reynolds and Joy walking together on the Bear Trail. Everytime he visited my funeral home for a visitation, he would thank me for taking care of him that day, but today, I want to thank him for taking care of us. He will be missed. Dr. Mo
By Laurie Miller Smith
May 29, 2007 7:48 PM | Link to this
My heart skipped a beat when I opened the e-mail from Baylor enews re: Dr. Herb Reynolds' sudden death today. I am personally devastated by this news. Growing up in a Baylor Family, as the daughter of Bob Miller & Ann Miller, I have interacted with Dr. Reynolds & his family from the earliest parts of my life. Herb Reynolds has been a rock for my parents as long time faculty, for myself, my husband, Pat Smith, as a student, my brother, Robert Miller and for Baylor over the years and years of his "touch". He nurtured the "family" of Baylor University and helped to create & maintain "the best" of Baylor University in my view. He could be counted on during the great times or during the stormiest weather imaginable.
My mother and father, as professors at Baylor owed so much to Herb Reynolds. He was always an anchor in a storm. We send our love to Joy, Kevin, Kent and Rhonda. We will miss knowing Herb Reynolds is "there" at Baylor, making a difference. Baylor is a far better place for Herb Reynolds' tenure, tutelage and love. Herb's death will leave a void in the heart of Baylor for a long long time.
Laurie Miller Smith
By Steve Swinney
May 29, 2007 3:17 PM | Link to this
I first met Dr Reynolds in 1965 when he served in the Air force with my Dad at Holloman AFB in Alamogordo, New Mexico. His son Kevin and I went to 8th grade together. Five years later I was offered a football scholarship to Baylor University. I was also considering some other schools at the time. On my recruiting visit I asked if I could speak to Dr Reynolds. He took time out of his busy schedule to spend an hour with me telling me why he thought Baylor was my best choice. We talked about the education I would recieve but also about the importance of a Christian institution and the influence it would have on my life. We talked about what it would some day mean to be part of the Baylor family. Lastly we talked about his vision to see Baylor compete for a championship in the Southwest Conference After our talk I committed to Baylor and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I am prayerfully thankful for Dr Reynolds and the influence he had on my life and the friendship we developed over the years. His love and compassion for people and his ability to respect the dignity of all men regardless of their positon was a lesson I have always remembered and tried to immulate. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Reynolds family as we all share your loss.
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