November 17, 1999

R.C. Buckner
___By Scott Collins
___As he stepped off the train at the depot, R.C. Buckner was smothered by children welcoming their "father" home. It was a custom among the children living at Buckner Orphans' Home in Dallas to meet

R. C. BUCKNER Photo: Buckner Benevolences

"Father Buckner" at the station as he returned from speaking engagements.
___But on this occasion, George W. Truett, who observed the ritual, said Buckner noticed a young girl named Mary standing to the side, unwilling to join the others as they hugged and kissed him.
___Mary was the sole survivor of a fire that killed her entire family and left her badly scarred. According to Truett, Buckner left the other children and walked over to Mary.
___"Mary, why didn't you come to kiss me?" Buckner asked.
___"O, Papa Buckner, I could not ask you to kiss me," she replied with tears streaming down her cheeks. "I am so ugly. But if you will just love me like you love the other children, and tell me you love me, then you need not kiss me at all."
___At that, Truett said, Buckner sat down on the depot platform, gathered the child onto his lap and tenderly kissed her little face over and over, telling her how precious she was to him.
___Since his death in 1919 at age 86, Baptist historians have chronicled the countless accomplishments of Buckner's life to describe his success. But the true measure of Buckner's impact was felt one by one in the lives of thousands of children like Mary who were recipients of Buckner's love.
___As historian Karen Bullock noted: "Buckner had led in championing the cause of the poor and vulnerable for many years. A man of incessant activity, he began a variety of campaigns for social justice."
___Among Buckner's causes were care for the elderly, improved race relations, prison reform, rehabilitative programs for juvenile offenders, better education for the poor, shelters for abused women and an epilepsy treatment center. Texas Baptists know him as:
___ Founder of Buckner Orphans' Home in 1879, which he deeded to the Baptist General Convention of Texas in 1914.
___ President of the BGCT from 1894 to 1913--longer than any person in history.
___ Founder of the Baptist Women's Missionary Training School, later transferred to Southwestern Seminary.
___ One of the founders of Baptist Memorial Sanitarium--now Baylor University Medical Center--and president of the board from 1904 to 1908.
___In his sesquicentennial history of Texas Baptists, Leon McBeth writes: "Clearly Buckner was a man ahead of his time, and just as clearly Baptists supported his many social ministries heartily. Many Baptists opposed the 'Social Gospel' in those days but, paradoxically, heartily supported the social ministries of Father Buckner."
___In a letter to Buckner's biographers introducing their book "R.C. Buckner's Life of Faith and Works," Truett writes: "Greater than all that he has said or done is the greatness of his character; his virile intellectual power; his indomitable strength of will; his moral resoluteness; his dauntless courage; his remarkable faith both in God and in men; his never-failing optimism; his rich, deep, tender human sympathies--are all such as to make his personality greater and more valuable than can be measured in any terms that are human and earthly."
___Scott Collins is director of communications at Buckner Baptist Benevolences in Dallas
__

---

Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!