For many it was about the ties that bound Baylor and Waco together. For some residents it was about sentiment, for others it was about practicality. Many people responded to the idea of moving Baylor University to Dallas, though some positively and some negatively. During the debate over whether or not to move Baylor to Dallas, the constituents of both Baylor and Waco had to undertake the process of evaluating elements of their town and gown relationship and then valuing what such a relationship was worth preserving for all those involved.īaylor’s history with Waco over the past few decades created a strong relationship between the people of the institution and the town. This can include financial aspects, as well as cultural, historical, and sentimental ones as well. Town and gown is a higher education euphemism for the connection and rapport between an institution of higher education and her host city. To this effect, one campaign motto read “Baylor is deeply rooted in Waco - Let it grow” to support the town and gown affiliation between Baylor and Waco (Lattimore, O.S., 1928, May 23, Letter to Baptists).
To remove Baylor from her setting and traditions could create strong opposition within the Baylor family and hinder any chance for her reestablishment in Dallas to be successful (Brooks, S.P., 1928, February 27, Letter to Scarborough). President Brooks feared that the minimal amenities of Baylor in Waco, which were characterized negatively, would actually be dear to the hearts of so many of Baylor’s alumni.
Baylor University would then be settled on land next to an orphanage in Dallas, a few miles outside of the town and just down the street from some of her competitors ( Dallas Morning News, 1928, May 1, n.p.).
One newspaper article reported that while Baylor would be moving to Dallas, Marshall College, Burleson College, Decatur College, Rusk College, and Howard-Payne College would all be moved to and consolidated at Waco to create a senior college. Many proponents for keeping Baylor in Waco argued that her long-standing history and relationships in Waco were essential to her future and that a move would severely set the institution back ( Dallas Morning News, 1928, December 21, n.p.). His belief was that moving Baylor University to Dallas to be close to the medical school was like ‘mov the dog to the tail’(Ray, J.
#LIVING EARTH WACO FULL#
Baylor had invested nearly three million dollars in the medical school and was still in debt for approximately half of the full amount. Ray, from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, asserted that Baylor’s medical department was a fiscal drain for the university and did not fully represent Baylor’s mission to provide Christian education and the advancement of Baptist principles.
#LIVING EARTH WACO PROFESSIONAL#
Samuel Palmer Brooks argued that, although the city of Dallas and some ‘Baptists of Texas’ desired to unite the ‘parent plant’ with the professional schools (The College of Medicine, The College of Dentistry, The School of Pharmacy, The School of Nursing, and Baylor Hospital), he believed that Baylor would be best supported in the Waco community ( Dallas Morning News, 1928, n.p.). In the Dallas Morning News, Baylor President Dr. The impetus for moving Baylor was for her to be more closely located to her medical department located in Dallas, both of which were owned by the Baptist State Convention. This proposition led to an uproar of opinions, conventions, and campaigns for those either supporting the move of Baylor or those opposing it. During the late 1920s, a proposition was made to uproot Baylor University from her home in Waco, Texas to move to Dallas, Texas for the sum of $1,500,000 and 1,000 acres of land. The partnership between the institution and the town has been the product of a much earlier debate and a critical time in Baylor’s history that eventually led to this stronger relationship. Billboards around the city of Waco today proudly boast “Baylor – Waco, Proud Partners.” This message could easily be taken at face value but, at greater depth, a much richer history and meaning would arise.
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