Fall 2025 | Disruption
Featuring “It’s a New World,” “Rod Aydelotte on the Art of Moments,” “In Conversation with John David Rainey,” and “The Arts Celebrate Our Common Humanity”
Continuing a 77-Year Tradition…
Disruption – it takes many forms. Whether it’s the good, the bad, the changemakers, or the awakenings, disruption impacts our lives in ways that are both subtle and hard to ignore, altering the course forever. That’s what this issue of Baylor Line Magazine ponders – the members of the Baylor Family making waves in their careers, the ones who take disruption in stride every day, and the chapters of life that develop the plot in such a way which cannot help but color the rest of the story.
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Behind the Cover
Disruption defined much of The Baylor Line’s year – shaking up the status quo, rejecting the way things used to be, and constantly attempting to push the limits of traditional enterprise journalism. Also defining a significant portion of our year was a character who lovingly became known as Summer Bear from Baylor Line Magazine’s Summer 1993 issue. This year’s cover is our take on the 1993 original – but with a twist. Summer Bear’s serene beach scene is disrupted by stormy weather and rain, a nod to the magazine’s theme.
In This Issue
Editor’s Note
Disruption takes many forms – the good, the bad, the changemakers, and the awakenings. Sometimes a chapter develops the story in a way which cannot help but color the rest of the story. Editor-in-chief Kourtney Nering reflects on blips that disrupted her timeline, and encourages readers to do the same.
In Conversation with John David Rainey
From small town Angleton, Texas, Walmart Chief Financial
Officer John David Rainey’s life lesson of leadership begins
with how you treat people.
Tales from The Green Room
The Baylor Line’s flagship podcast The Green Room brings
conversations by Baylor alumni, for Baylor alumni, about the
Baylor Family.
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It’s a New World
In 2025, grad school rules as enrollment increases during an unstable economy where AI is looming.
Owen Lind and the Birth of Environmental Studies at Baylor
At age 91, Dr. Owen Lind vividly remembers the cacophony of righteous noise at the end of the tumultuous 1960s and how a different voice quietly emerged: a sudden awareness of the environment.
A Look Inside Dr. Francesca Penner’s Lab at Baylor
How early parenting and child outcomes connect, and the woman behind the work.
Rod Aydelotte on the Art of Moments
After 44 years at the Waco Tribune-Herald and 16 years teaching at Baylor, photographer Rod Aydelotte pictures possibilities for students and life.
The Arts Celebrate Our Common Humanity
Amjad Dabi’s journey from war-torn Syria to the Lone Star State was bittersweet, but a community of kind and caring people helped ease the transition for this Baylor alum.
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BL Classic: A Tale Too Tragic
A final chapter is written to the international friendship of Gordon Wilkerson and Reza Emam
