The Johnson- Porter-Smith Luce family legacy at Baylor began with Jesse Breland Johnson, a Baylor graduate of the class of 1891. Dr. Jesse Breland Johnson married Jessie Clara Brown, whom he met at Baylor. Jessie Brown wrote dozens of letters to family and friends during her time at Baylor, most of which have been preserved in the Texas Collection. The Johnsons returned to Waco in 1899 where Jesse served as head of the Math Department for 30 years and Jessie chartered the Baylor Round Table. Dr. and Mrs. Johnson passed away in 1929, six weeks apart. The couple had 10 children, so it is no surprise they are a Baylor legacy family.
Paul C. Porter graduated Baylor in 1915 and became a professor of Mathematics and dean of what was known as Baylor College. Porter was a math major and met his future wife Margaret as he visited the home of Dr. Johnson to study and learn from him.
Margaret graduated in 1922 from Baylor and was the youngest child of Dr. Johnson. The couple married and had five children, Lillian, Margarita, Celeste, Paul, and Nathan. The Porters served as missionaries to Brazil for over 20 years. Dr. and Mrs. Porter’s youngest child, Nathan, continued the family legacy by attending Baylor after coming to the United States from Brazil by boat and hitchhiking through the United States to Waco.
Nathan Johnson Porter graduated from Baylor in 1953 and married Mary Francis (Fran) Booth, and the couple had three children, Becca, Leslie, and Joel. Fran attended Baylor but graduated from Georgia State and then graduated from Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary and was ordained to the ministry at Calvary Baptist Church in Waco. She was one of the first women in Texas to serve as a deacon and minister. Nathan earned masters and doctoral degrees from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and served the Home Mission Board, overseeing social ministries and leading efforts to address racism, hunger, and capital punishment. In addition, he was pastor of First Baptist Church Arkadelphia, Arkansas from 1973-1980.
Leslie Porter Smith graduated from Baylor in 1978 and earned a Masters in Nursing from University of Texas at Arlington in 1986. Leslie has provided medical care to medically-underserved populations for over 30 years and is currently a Family Nurse Practitioner for the Family Health Center South 18th Street Clinic, where she has served for 18 years. Leslie and Sam Smith, are the parents of Porter Smith and Whitney Smith Luce. Whitney, a fifth generation Baylor Bear (’03 and MSW ’04) worked in adoption, medical social work, and bereavement services prior to teaching. She now serves as the Director of Field Education on the faculty of the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work at Baylor. Whitney is married to Brandon Luce (02). They have three future Bears, Hayden, Hallie, and Durham.
Dr. Joel Porter (‘87) is a Baylor football legend, having played lineman
as senior captain. He was drafted to play professional football, but pursued further education instead, earning his masters from Baylor’s School of Education in 1990 and his doctorate in 1997. He is currently Assistant Undergraduate Advising for the School of Education at Baylor. He has offered leadership in the school for 21 years. He and his wife, Janet Tindall Porter (86) have a daughter Josie, currently a Sophomore at Baylor, and a fifth generation Baylor Bear. Janet is a two-time recipient of the First Families Award, having been part of the 1992 Gilder/ Jackson/ Nesbitt First Family Award.
