At a recent farewell reception for outgoing Baylor University Interim President David Garland, many of the speakers repeated the same words of praise about him. Terms such as “peacemaker,” “collaborator,” “calming,” “integrity” and “strength of character” were lauded upon Garland at the May 10 fete.

It’s not that they didn’t have other things to say. It’s just that Garland has been so impressive in these ways during his 21-month tenure. He took over at a time of tumultuous division between the campus administration and the Baylor Alumni Association. Yet his term was, indeed, marked by its very peacefulness.

This mild-mannered dean of Truett Seminary told the Trib that he called upon experience garnered from 16 or so interim pastor stints he has served at various churches to squelch rivalries and redirect focus on future goals.

Indeed, extending the olive branch and bringing all to the table to break bread seems part of his DNA. Interim Provost Elizabeth Davis summed it up best, calling his time in charge a “tranquil tenure.”

Trust is the key to any success. And he had quite a few successes as a leader. Impressed by what they saw, donors supported Baylor initiatives, ensuring that grants continued and academic research did not falter, despite the recession. The community stepped up and offered to collaborate on major projects. He brokered final details of the multimillion dollar Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC), which has tremendous financial implications for generations to come. And once-bitter rivals lowered their swords and came together for the common good of this mighty institution.

He did this all with very little orientation to the job. He hit the ground running. And he did it so very well.

“All eyes of Baylor and the community were focused on Dr. Garland from his first day in office, and he filled that role in an extraordinary way,” Waco Mayor Virginia DuPuy said just days before she stepped down from office. “He has a God-given talent — without pretenses or ego but with clarity and a quiet confidence — to encourage and engage all.”

Perhaps it is this quiet intellect that served him best. Lest anyone think he’d buckle to bullying, he resolutely proved them wrong. But he also proved that one must not always roar to be heard. And we all heard him clearly.

He showed no tolerance for alleged racist acts on campus (which later proved to be false) but used the so-called “noose” incident and a supposed anti-Obama bonfire as teaching tools to bolster diversity and mutual respect.

He buffeted himself with talented staff and found ways to complement their skills. (One, of course, being his esteemed wife, Dr. Diana Garland, dean of the School of Social Work.) He collaborated with city leaders and the community to better Central Texas in everything from the implementation of the DASH downtown shuttle, to the school’s involvement in the Waco Mammoth Site, to student studies of our wetlands to improve water quality. He put campus and community before self.

Lady Bears basketball coach Kim Mulkey jokingly said Garland “handled” her after she spouted off because her team had no practice site days before the Final Four.

Whether through divine intervention or divine inspiration, we’ll never quite know the wellspring of his intellect and abilities. We just know we’re grateful for his leadership acumen.

We wish him well as he writes books in the tranquility of a Colorado cabin before returning as Truett dean. We hope he enjoys his new granddaughter.

And we heartily welcome his successor, Ken Starr.

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