BLF names At-Large Directors, new Editorial Board

Baylor Line Foundation President Fred R Norton Jr. ’80, JD ’83, has announced 10 new At-Large Directors who will serve the BLF membership for the next year.  He also announced the return of the organization’s Editorial Board, which will provide BLF leadership with a sounding board as it produces The Baylor Line magazine.

“Our Bylaws have given Baylor Alumni Association presidents the privilege for nearly 40 years of appointing directors to serve one-year terms as a way to introduce them to the organization and continue to get fresh perspective on the challenges that face us,” Norton said. “These At-Large directors enable us to further diversify our board and bring in different perspectives, encourage younger alumni to join us, and allow those who are reluctant to run for a three-year term to participate and get a better feel for the organization and the time requirements.  Some of our new directors who were elected this past June were At Large directors last year and contributed a great deal to the organization.”

Our 2016-17 At-Large Directors are:

• Gary Burford ‘81 of Carrollton, TX.  Gary is territory manager for Western Waste Inc.
• Chase Fickling ’15 of Allen, TX.  Chase is assistant directors of orchestras at Liberty High School in Frisco ISD.
• Bryan Fonville ‘09 of Waco, Bryan is a former student body president and the assistant vice president and director of marketing at Central National Bank.
• Bette McCall Miller ‘67 of Pittsburg, TX.  Bette is a German instructor at Northeast Texas Community College and the daughter of Judge Abner McCall, who was Baylor’s president for 20 years (1961-81) and later chancellor.
• Doug Myers ‘80 of Chicago, IL. Doug is senior vice president and Chicago Director of the Wealth Management division for Associated Bank.
• Daniel Pellegrin ’16 of Texarkana, AR.  Daniel is a permanent officer of the Class of 2016 and is a student at Baylor Law School.
• Dutch Schroeder ‘49 of Waco.  Commonly known as “Mr. Baylor,” Dutch was Baylor’s baseball coach from 1961-1973 and is an ambassador for both the university and its athletic programs.
• Randy Stevens ‘80 of Waco.  Randy practiced law until recently when he became a public-school teacher.
• Jan Vicary ‘94 of Plano, TX.  Jan is an area business leader with Novartis and has worked in the pharmaceuticals industry for 20 years.
• Gordon Wilkerson ’82 of Lubbock.  Gordon is president of Wilkerson Properties Inc., an industrial real estate brokerage, development, and construction company.

Norton said the new editorial board will provide valuable insight and historical perspective to The Baylor Line Editor Peter Osborne’s efforts to publish a magazine that tells the stories of Baylor alumni and provides a forum to discuss campus issues that are important to the Baylor Family – and is enjoyable to read.

The board is being chaired by BLF director Tony Pederson ’73, the Belo Distinguished Chair in Journalism at Southern Methodist University and former SVP and executive editor for the Houston Chronicle.  Other members are:

• Sherry Castello ’58, editor of The Baylor Line from 1968 to 1995.
• Gracie Hilton ’67, a Baylor journalism graduate who served nine years as a Regent and helped bring about the 1990 charter change.
• Marv Knox, editor of the Baptist Standard and CommonCall
• David Pickle ’74, former director of digital communications for the NCAA and former assistant sports editor for the Houston Chronicle.
• Claire St. Amant ’08, producer of CBS News 48 Hours in Dallas.

“One of the extraordinary developments of the settlement of the lawsuit with Baylor University is the right to continue publishing The Baylor Line,” Pederson said. “For decades, the magazine has been known for its professional content, quality writing and fairness in presenting news about Baylor.  I consider it a responsibility and an honor to be involved as The Baylor Line continues as an independent voice for alumni and the entire Baylor community.”