Videos « Baylor Proud

Points of Pride — Videos

Feb

2013

Baylor oral history archives tapped for PBS feature on ‘Lynching and Forgiveness’

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Research, Videos

A couple of years ago, a visiting scholar at Baylor, Dr. Angela Sims, interviewed more than 70 African Americans who had not only lived through an era where lynchings were common, but who had witnessed or narrowly escaped such treatment themselves.

Her interviews are now housed in Baylor’s Institute for Oral History; transcripts of some of those interviews can be read online here. PBS’ “Religion and Ethics Newsweekly” recently followed up with Dr. Sims and some of those who suffered through what the correspondent calls “one of America’s most shameful chapters” for this report:

They say that those who forget history are doomed to repeat. Baylor’s Institute for Oral History aims to make sure such history is never forgotten, so that it may never, ever be repeated.

Sic ’em, Dr. Sims and oral historians!

You might also like:
* Texas Historical Commission honors Baylor’s part in preserving the state’s history (April 2011)
* Baylor Institute for Oral History works to capture stories before they disappear (Oct. 2010)

Feb

2013

‘The Other Side of Art Briles’ offers a look into the personal side of Baylor’s football coach

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Extraordinary Stories, Videos

Today, Baylor head football coach Art Briles will announce his program’s 2013 signing class, the 20 or so young men who will join the team this fall. The Bears’ group of incoming players is expected to rank among the top 25 in the nation, further evidence of the program’s continuing rise in prominence.

But the person who stands at that podium today isn’t just a football coach; he’s a man, a person, someone who has known both tragedy (the loss of his parents while still in college) and joy (the grandchildren who have a uniquely cute nickname for their grandpa). Waco’s KWTX-TV ran this excellent package over the weekend that gives a good look at the man behind the clipboard.

Sic ’em, Coach Briles!

[Between 20 and 25 young men will commit to Baylor football's future today. Show your commitment to the program's future by putting your support in stone with a Baylor Stadium Brick.]

Jan

2013

Griner now the NCAA’s all-time leading shot blocker and Big 12′s all-time leading scorer

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors, Videos

It’s been a busy week for Baylor Lady Bear Brittney Griner.

In an 82-65 win over No. 20 Oklahoma on Saturday, she tallied eight blocks in the process of setting the NCAA career record for blocked shots. The 6-foot-8 Griner has now blocked 672 blocks in her career — more than any man or woman, at any level of college basketball, ever.

Then on Wednesday, the Houston native added another record to her name, recording the fourth 40-point game of her career while setting a new Big 12 Conference mark for career scoring. Baylor now holds both the Big 12 men’s and women’s career scoring marks, as LaceDarius Dunn set the men’s record two years ago.

Griner has now scored 2,873 points in 132 games, an average of 21.8 points per game; she ranks 12th in NCAA history in career scoring, with an outside shot at holding that record, too, before all is said and done.

[For more on Griner, check out this feature from the latest Baylor Magazine on how she is changing the face of women's basketball -- and having fun doing it.]

For good measure, Griner also added another dunk to her resume last night — the 12th of her Baylor career (and fifth this season). That, too, is an NCAA women’s record; the next closest competitor is Tennessee’s Candace Parker, with seven career dunks. [See video of Griner's dunk at the 3:10 mark here.]

Griner also holds the NCAA record for single-season blocks and nine other Big 12 marks in addition to her scoring, blocks and dunks numbers. She could have as many as 20 more games to build on her records, but only five of those will be in Waco. If you haven’t yet made it to campus to see her play in person, don’t miss out.

Sic ’em, Brittney!

Jan

2013

‘I’m thirsty!’: Alums’ product allows plants to text you when they need water

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Research, Videos

When Eduardo Torrealba, BS ’11, and his wife, Lisa, BS ’10, left Waco after graduation, they were given a small basil plant as a going-away present. Upon arrival at their new home in Illinois, where Eduardo was beginning grad school, they began to look for a product that would monitor the soil moisture level so they would know when the plant needed watering. One problem: They couldn’t find a good one out there. So, Eduardo decided to simply build his own.

Recognizing that others might desire such a product as well, Torrealba and four other former and current University of Illinois graduate students — four of them Baylor graduates — have since formed a company, Oso Technologies, to turn that initial hacked-together version into something they could take to market.

Now known as Plant Link, the system monitors soil moisture level for plants and sends an e-mail or text message when the plant needs water. Through use of a smart valve, it can even automatically water the plant when needed. (See video below.)

Torrealba and his Oso Technologies team — including Michael Clemenson, BS ’10, Trevor Hutchins, BS ’09, and Bradley Sanders, BS ’10 — launched a 30-day fundraising campaign on Kickstarter.com last month that has reached its $75,000 goal with a week to spare. The funding will allow one of the team members to move from part-time to full-time and help move Plant Link into production.

The four alums aren’t the company’s only links to Baylor. “Oso,” of course, is the Spanish word for “bear”, and a Baylor business professor, Dr. Greg Leman, has served the company in an advisory role. And before the Kickstarter effort, some of the project’s early support came from the Baylor Angel Network, an investor group that provides early stage capital to entrepreneurs.

Sic ’em, Plant Link and Oso Technologies!

[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!]

Jan

2013

Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center provides boost for Baylor tennis

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Photo Galleries, Videos

Jim and Nell Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center

For years, when inclement weather struck during a Baylor tennis match, the teams had to pack up and drive an hour and a half north to use an indoor facility in Ennis, Texas. The lack of nearby indoor courts has also prevented Baylor from hosting NCAA championship final rounds.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters such as Jim (BBA ’58) and Nell Hawkins, those problems are now in the past. Head coach Matt Knoll’s squad held its first match in the new Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center Friday night, drawing 700+ fans for a 7-0 sweep of SMU. [See photos and video from the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center debut.]

Fans sat and stood two-, sometimes three-deep in the viewing area to take in the first on-campus indoor match in program history. The state-of-the-art facility will allow the Baylor men’s and women’s tennis programs to practice and play year-round, regardless of weather.

That can only help two of Baylor’s premier athletic programs. Since 2000, the men’s and women’s tennis teams have combined to win 31 Big 12 team titles and four NCAA titles. The Lady Bears have reached at least the Sweet 16 each of the last eight years, while the men are aiming for their 12th straight Sweet 16 appearance this spring.

Jim and Nell Hawkins are longtime Baylor supporters, having faithfully supported scholarships for student-athletes and business school students as well as excellence funds across multiple sports and even mission trips by Baylor’s Sports Ministry Teams. Their gifts provided the practice courts for Baylor’s men’s and women’s basketball programs, and their first major gift to Baylor Athletics funded the scoreboard at Floyd Casey Stadium.

Sic ’em, Jim and Nell and Baylor tennis!

Jan

2013

Baylor geology prof featured in AMNH documentary

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Academics, Research, Videos

The short documentary embedded below explains how scientists work to re-create what an environment may have looked like thousands, even millions of years ago. Baylor’s own Dr. Daniel Peppe, an assistant geology professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, is heavily featured in the documentary, which is currently playing at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Peppe’s research focus is on using paleomagnetism, paleobotany and paleoclimatology to reconstruct past ecosystems and learn how they have reacted to climate change over time. A Yale graduate, Peppe primarily teaches upper-level geology courses at Baylor and works with students on their theses and dissertations.

Sic ’em, Dr. Peppe!

Jan

2013

Sing 2013 tickets go on sale this week

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Student life, Videos

The spring semester began Monday, but the students prepping for All-University Sing 2013 couldn’t even wait that long. Rehearsals for this year’s show began over the weekend — and performances are just a month away!

Tickets for Sing 2013 go on sale this week — first to current students on Thursday, then to the general public beginning Friday. All six shows tend to fill quickly, so don’t delay. Performances are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 14, 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23.

While you wait for this year’s shows, take a look back at last year’s performances:

Sic ’em, Sing!

You might also like:
* Scenes from Sing 2012 (Feb. 2012)
* Alum uses Sing as a way to reach special ed students (Feb. 2010)

Jan

2013

Is this the most Baylor Proud wedding ever?

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Alumni, Just for Fun, Photo Galleries, Student life, Videos

If there was ever a Baylor Proud wedding, it must have been this one.

When Brad (BBA ’08) and Stephanie (BS ’08, MS ’10, PhD ’12) Doherty got engaged, they decided the wedding should be back where they met and started dating — on the Baylor campus. The couple shot engagement photos on campus (this is my favorite) and booked Miller Chapel for the big day, but the Baylor theme didn’t stop there:

The wedding colors were green and gold.
The new couple led a “sic ‘em” immediately after being named husband and wife.
The recessional was “That Good Old Baylor Line.”
Nine members of the wedding party were also Baylor alums (including three from Stephanie’s Welcome Week group).
After the ceremony, everyone in attendance who attended Baylor posed for a group photo at the Judge Baylor statue.
The groom’s cake was the university seal, and the reception featured Dr Pepper floats.
The fight song played during the reception.
Stephanie wore a Baylor garter.
As the couple left the reception, guests waved green-and-gold pom-poms.
Even the getaway car (a family member’s van) was green and gold.

[Click here for photos of the most Baylor Proud wedding ever.]

Perhaps this will give some great ideas to Baylor students Austin Aeschbacher and Christine Cookus. Austin, a senior music education major, proposed to Christine, a junior music education major, during the Baylor Symphony Orchestra’s annual Christmas at Baylor concert last month. [See the video.]

Sic ’em, Baylor couples!

[Weddings, babies, job changes and professional honors are just a few of the reasons to update the Baylor family with what's going on in your life after graduation. Share your news 120,000+ of your fellow Baylor family members -- submit a class note for the next issue of Baylor Magazine!]

You might also like:
* Young alum turns Homecoming tradition into marriage proposal (Nov. 2012)
* Senior trip to Independence perfect for popping the question (May 2012)
* Baylor guys find creative ways to propose to their Baylor girls (Sept. 2011)

Jan

2013

Baylor Law provides Christmas gifts for nearly 1,000 students at local elementary

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Service, Student life, Videos

Just before Christmas, the generosity of the Baylor Law School family allowed law school representatives to visit a local elementary school with a new, wrapped toy for every child in the school. (See the video above and this report from KWTX.)

Baylor Law faculty, staff and students raised more than $4,000, which was used to purchase toys for each of the school’s nearly 1,000 students plus 400 pairs of gloves for the children. Twenty students at Bell’s Hill Elementary had specific wishes fulfilled — wishes like these:

“All I want for Christmas is a crib for my two-month-old sister, because she has to sleep on the floor because she falls off of the regular bed and I don’t want something to happen to her.”
“I want a heater for Christmas for my cousin, because he is sick and if he gets cold he will have to go to the hospital.”
“I want silverware and dishes for Christmas to give to my mom because I love her so much, and she wishes she could get this stuff but she doesn’t have the money.”
“All I want for Christmas is clothes because I only have a little bit of clothes.”
“All I want for Christmas is to give toys to St. Francis Children’s Hospital because my cousin died from cancer and I want to give toys to the kids in the hospital.”

Sic ’em, ~~Santa’s elves~~ Baylor Law!

Dec

2012

Football pounds No.17 UCLA, 49-26, to win 2012 Holiday Bowl

Posted by The Baylor Proud Team in Athletics, Honors, Photo Galleries, Videos

Jarred Salubi and Nick Florence with Holiday Bowl trophy

Under Art Briles, the success of RG3 and Nick Florence has helped Baylor football become known for its passing. But Thursday, it was the Bears’ rushing game and defense that stood out most as Baylor dominated Pac-12 runner-up UCLA, 49-26, in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl.

Sure, Florence passed for almost 200 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover as the Bears won back-to-back bowls for the first time since 1985-86. But it was the rushing attack, led by Lache Seastrunk and Glasco Martin, that carried the offense, putting up 306 yards and five touchdowns on the ground as the Bears coasted past the 17th-ranked Bruins to end the season on a four-game winning streak.

As it did against No. 1 Kansas State earlier this season, Baylor’s defense again stepped up, holding UCLA’s all-time leading rusher to just 34 yards on 14 carries and taking down the Bruins’ quarterback six times after tallying just 13 sacks through the Bears’ first 12 games.

[LINKS: ESPN/AP story || Watch ESPN highlights || Holiday Bowl trophy presentation || Baylor Photography photos || AP photos || Get your Holiday Bowl Champions gear (here, here, here and here)!]

It’s worth remembering that this Baylor team could easily have folded in mid November, when the Bears were just 4-5, had lost four of their last five games, and faced three ranked opponents to finish the year. Instead, Briles’ squad toughened up, won all three games to get bowl-eligible, then blew out UCLA in front of a Bruin-friendly southern-California crowd and a national ESPN audience.

A few notes from the day: Briles joined Grant Teaff (1985-86 and 1979-80) and Frank Bridges (1921-22) as the only coaches ever to have led Baylor to back-to-back seasons of 8+ wins… Florence set a new school record for passing yards in a season, finishing the year with 4,309 yards passing to break RG3′s total from his Heisman campaign… After totaling just 181 yards rushing through the end of October, Seastrunk came on late to finish his sophomore season with 1,030 yards and became the Bears’ third-straight 1,000-yard rusher (just the ninth in BU history).

[PHOTOS & VIDEOS FROM BOWL WEEK: Sunday hospital visit & Navy ship tour || Day One practice and behind-the-scenes video || Monday at San Diego Zoo & Christmas eve service || Day Two behind-the-scenes video || Tuesday at SeaWorld || SeaWorld video || Wednesday press conference || Wednesday pep rally || Thursday balloon parade || Pep rally & parade video || Pre-game tailgating]

What a year… A special thanks to Baylor football’s outgoing seniors for their efforts in making this the most successful three-year period in program history, and for taking us along for the ride. Amazing to think that the next senior class could leave Baylor knowing nothing but bowl games — and that the class after that will get to play in the gorgeous new Baylor Stadium. (Speaking of which, have you ordered your Stadium Brick yet?)

A great big sic ’em to Baylor’s coaching staff, players and support staff, plus all of Baylor Nation that turned out or tuned in for this game — especially the students who bussed 26 hours to get to the game in-person. In short…

Sic ’em, Bears!!

Points of Pride — Videos

Baylor Links

Subscribe:

Points of Pride