Three Baylor employees reach 50 years of service to the university

Thousands of Baylor alumni return to campus each year for Homecoming. From the day they’re born, future Bears are taught “That Good Old Baylor Line” and how to do a proper sic ’em. And those who decide to continue their careers at Baylor — regularly on the list of “Great Colleges to Work For” — tend to stick around.

This year alone, three Baylor faculty and staff members reached the half-century mark, having served our university for the past 50 years; all three were honored earlier this spring at Baylor’s 2017 Service Recognition Ceremony:

* Law professor David Guinn, BA ’97, JD ’63, first came to Baylor in the 1950s, spending three years as an undergraduate student before jumping on ahead to Baylor Law School. (He would finally finish his bachelor’s degree in 1997, after more than 30 years of teaching at Baylor.) After earning his LLM in international law from Michigan, Guinn (pictured at left above) returned to Baylor as a law school professor in 1966. “I tell all my young people that the most important thing to securing a job is to find something that you really enjoy doing,” he says. “You will never be good at it if you don’t enjoy it. No one on this Earth ever had a job they loved more than I love mine.”

* Armstrong Browning Library Director Rita Patteson, BBA ’68, held her first Baylor job as a student, working in former Baylor President Abner McCall’s office. Eventually, she became a faculty member, received an Outstanding Staff Award in 1998 and an Outstanding Professor Award in 2002, and became director of the Armstrong Browning Library in 2009. As the ABL’s director, Patteson (pictured center above) overseen the operation of the library, planned cultural events, and helped grow the Browning collection of original materials.

* Professor Emeritus of Biology Owen Lind’s long list of awards — honors such as Distinguished Texas Scientist, Outstanding Scholar, and Outstanding Mentor — should tell you all about how he’s spent his 50 years at Baylor. For half a century, Dr. Lind (pictured at right above) researched the ecosystems of inland fresh water (part of which relies on Baylor’s long-time cooperative programs with universities in Mexico), published more than 80 manuscripts on his work, and individually mentored 35 different graduates.

Lind and Patteson each retired recently after reaching the 50-year mark, while Guinn is still teaching at Baylor Law School. Congratulations to all three Bears, and thank for your many, many years of service to Baylor!

Sic ’em, Baylor professors!