City of Waco proclaims ‘Robert Doyle Day’ in honor of Baylor aquatic ecologist

For a quarter of a century now, the Lake Waco Wetlands have provided a rich home for countless species of birds, deer, amphibians, and other animals, plus a wide variety of plants and trees indigenous to Central Texas.

From the wetlands’ very beginning, Baylor’s Dr. Robert Doyle (BS ’81, MS ’85) has played a key role — first in helping establish it, then in helping study, enhance and expand it. For his longstanding service, the City of Waco proclaimed Feb. 17, 2026, as “Robert Doyle Day.”

The official city proclamation described Doyle — a two-time Baylor graduate, and a Baylor faculty member since 2001 — as “a dedicated scientist, passionate educator and tireless advocate for the preservation and restoration of wetland ecosystems.” (You can hear the full proclamation and Doyle’s response in this City of Waco video.)

Doyle was literally there at the start, providing assistance in plant selection and establishment for what would become the Lake Waco Wetlands in the early 2000s. A couple of years later, he helped launch Baylor’s Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research (CRASR) to expand Baylor’s water-related research. His teaching has long used the Lake Waco Wetlands as an outdoor classroom and research project site.

“I came to Baylor because of the City of Waco,” Doyle says. “The partnership with the city, the institution and the people will be the shining part of my recollection of my academic career, and I am delighted that it is continuing with a new generation of professionals both at the city and at Baylor… It’s been an honor.”

Sic ’em, Dr. Doyle!