“Train up a child in the way he [or she] should go…”

When my son was born, my wife and I decorated his room in a “bears” theme, and of course he left the hospital in a Baylor outfit. Today, he’s as big a Baylor fan as they come, and we’re hopeful that he’ll be earning his Baylor degree sometime around May 2031.

But I have to admit — it never occurred to me to start his Baylor training in the womb. That, however, is exactly how Kevin Hall, BA ’95, MDiv ’99, began bonding with his daughter. We’ll let him tell the story:

“Each morning in the months preceding our firstborn’s birth, I would sing ‘That Good Old Baylor Line’ to my wife’s stomach so that our daughter could hear it. Our baby would begin moving, kicking in the womb, and we believed we were waking our Alligrace up the right way every day.

“Just after she was born, I stood with the nurses as they cleaned her up. She had the shrillest newborn cry — until I began to sing to her. I just started singing ‘That Good Old Baylor Line,’ and she stopped crying, intently looking around to decipher where that familiar voice and song were coming from. She listened for the whole song, so sweetly. Once it was over, our Aggie Waco doctor said, ‘Sing the Aggie War Hymn!’ Alligrace immediately screamed again.

“Later this month, that sweet firstborn will follow in my footsteps and will be a freshman at Baylor. I could not be more proud of her or eager to see where her Baylor journey takes her! Sic ’em Bears and Class of 2020!”

Sic ’em, Alligrace — and sic ’em, Dad!

[We learned of this story from a Bear who shared his Baylor pride. Do you know of an inspiring story, news item, or just a fun link that makes you proud of Baylor and the Baylor family? Let us know! Click here to submit your point of pride!]