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Fellowship of the RingBy Vince Clark
At the heart of the ring tradition is a talk about the symbols on the ring. For several years, history professor emeritus
 Robert Reid enchanted the crowd with his explanation of the symbols. That tradition--like the ivy chain at Ring Out--has now been passed to Vince Clark '83, JD '85, MA '91, (right) Reid's friend and former student, who teaches history at McLennan Community College. Excerpts from Clark's talk follow:
It is my pleasure--with all apologies to J. R. R. Tolkien--on behalf of the Baylor family to welcome you to "the fellowship of the ring."
What I would like you to do is to take your ring out of the box, and we'll use it like a road map as you and I take a tour of this campus.
Close your eyes, if you must. Use your imagination, but go with me now out of this building and onto our campus. As you know, this is not our first campus. Baylor University was founded by the Republic of Texas in 1845. We are the oldest university in this state, and our first campus was in Independence, Texas, where our very strict Baptist forefathers placed it upon two hills. One hill--the Academy Hill--was for the women. Down a slope, across a small creek, and up on the other side was another hill--Allen Hill--the men's campus. How those Baylor boys used to look across and dream! They nicknamed the creek "the River Jordan," for truly the other side was the promised land.
In 1857, on Academy Hill, they built a building. By today's standards and these magnificent structures here in Waco, the buildings in Independence would pale in comparison. But they were so proud of it back then--especially the four columns that guarded its front. Then in the 1870s, the railroad skipped over Independence, which killed the town and almost killed Baylor. The Baptist General Convention of Texas actually moved Baylor here to Waco. The only thing left of our campus down in Independence? Four columns. You can see a symbolic replica of those columns placed at each gate to our campus today, and you can also find them on your ring.
Stand with me now, in the middle of Fifth Street, right here on our campus. Be careful now. I know it's a pedestrian campus, but the buses still run up and down this street. In the old days, it was the trolley cars. Now it's buses that look like trolley cars! I want you to go to the Bear Pit, the home of the Baylor mascot. At the turn of the last century, when interscholastic sports were catching on, the student body at Baylor decided they needed a mascot. So in 1914, the students held an election, and they elected the bear. Some of the other nominees were the buffalo, the beaver ... and the ferret. Thank goodness they voted for the bear. I mean, "Sic 'em, ferrets" just doesn't intimidate anybody! On the side of your ring, you will find a small relief of the face of a bear to remind each of us of all the athletic contests we have witnessed.
Walk with me down Fifth Street in front of the Student Union Building and past the Fountain Mall, with Moody Memorial Library down at the end. Oh yes, think of all the hours spent in Moody Library--not studying. Walk with me to the Burleson Quadrangle, the oldest place on this campus. Judge Burleson's statue stands guard over this quadrangle that bears his name. He was president in both Independence and here in Waco.
Now, face the quadrangle and look to the far left side. There are two bells--one big and one small. The small one is the first bell of Baylor University. It rang in the classes at Independence. You will find it there on your ring, calling students home to Baylor.
Turn with me now inside the quadrangle and look through the sentinel oaks, the branches there against the sky. Old Main Hall, the tower of the Brazos, is on your ring. First constructed in 1886, the students started calling it Old Main shortly thereafter. That never made any sense to me at all. In those days, it wasn't old and it wasn't the main. In fact, they should have called it "the new" and "the only." That tower is special because it reminds us of what a beautiful campus we have. Those of you who have traveled the world know there is no place more beautiful than your Baylor.
On your ring, you'll also see small ivy leaves. In 1927, the senior class started a tradition of meeting with the juniors on Burleson Quadrangle for Ring Out. There, the seniors would hand down to the junior class a chain, a vine of ivy leaves, symbolic of passing on the Baylor spirit and Baylor wisdom. It also symbolized the continuity between the ages and the classes. Those ivy leaves are there for your ring, for your finger.
Now stand with me in the middle of the quadrangle. There among all the bricks with alumni names on them (kind of like legalized, permanent graffiti), is the great seal of Baylor University, conceived in 1938. In that seal is the motto of the institution--Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana--for church and for state. That great seal is the cap of your ring. On the side of the ring, you will find two flags. One is the Christian flag. This is for all of us, and everyone else, to know that Baylor was founded as a Christian institution. We follow the highest calling. But there is a second flag there, too. This is the state flag of Texas--Pro Texana--because we have to remember it is not enough just to believe. We are called to be on this earth and take care of others. Baylor graduates are to give themselves in service to the world--as governors, and judges, presidents of universities, lawyers and doctors and leaders of communities, teachers and preachers, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, friends and neighbors. Two flags, two missions--your mission.
Walk with me between Burleson Hall and Old Main, through the Draper archway, down to Founders Mall. Stand with me around the time capsule, there in the center of our campus, and then face back to the east. There you can see him, seated there forever--Robert Emmett Bledsoe Baylor, one of the three founding fathers of this institution. A relief of that seated statue is on your ring. (How many of you crawled up and sat in Judge Baylor's lap, whispered in his ear what you wanted for Christmas? You figured it couldn't hurt.)
Underneath Judge Baylor's statue on your ring is the mace. Created in 1972, it holds some of the most treasured relics of Baylor's history. When you graduate, a distinguished member of the faculty will carry the mace and actually lead you in. Contained in the mace are a sword presented to Baylor's brother by Andrew Jackson after the War of 1812, and there's also a walking stick that belonged to Sam Houston, hero of the Battle of San Jacinto, president of the Republic of Texas, governor and United States senator. Sam Houston was a very dear friend of Baylor University. Also in the mace is the cane of Rufus Columbus Burleson presented to him, in love, by his students. That mace is on your ring.
Turn now to the west. There silhouetted in the night sky is the tower of Pat Neff Hall, named for the former governor of Texas, president of Baylor University during two of the most serious crises this nation has ever faced. First, the Great Depression. For them in those days, that was the economic end times, and Pat Neff worked tirelessly to keep Baylor's doors open. Thereafter, he was president of Baylor during World War II when so many of Baylor's students put down their books and took up arms to defend their country. Too many of them did not come home. The tower of Pat Neff Hall is on your ring. So, too, are the lampposts that line Founders Mall. We walk by them each and every day. On the side of those lampposts, a shield. On the shield, a name. Names of heroes who sacrificed their lives for their country. That is especially poignant for us this night because there are people just like them, just like you, serving this country an ocean and a continent away in war. Let us never forget.
Finally, there is one other symbol. It's hard to find, but you can see some bushes, a hedgerow. Just above it is a small bump, almost impossible to see, so let me tell you about it. That is a railroad spike from Round Rock, Texas, where on January 22, 1927, in a tragic train-bus accident, ten Baylor students lost their lives. Those ten are immortal to us because they were just like us. They were the "we" of us--and there, but for the grace of God, go any of us. As much as any other symbol on your ring, this one captures the essence of Baylor. We are called upon by our Maker, enhanced by our education, and enforced by our experience to remember this: life is precious, but it is also fragile. It is for you to live every moment of the rest of your lives, not as if these moments were your last. But as if every moment was your best.
In the shape of a ring, we've come full circle. The words of Homer inside of the ring of Alexander the Great are the essence of Baylor. Hear me: "Ever to be the best."
God bless Baylor University and all who wear her ring. You may now put your rings on.
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