May 20, 2002

Davis led once-ailing Wayland to era of security and growth
___By Teresa Young
___Wayland Baptist University
___PLAINVIEW--Relaxing in a blue floral loveseat and chair set, Wallace and Patsy Davis are noticeably comfortable in the house they've called home at Wayland Baptist University since 1991.
___The Davises are proud of the atmosphere of comfort they enjoy in the stately university chancellor's home on 6th Street in Plainview.
___"She's made this house a home," Davis said. "A lot of president's homes are like museums. When guests and students come (here), they are first

WALLACE AND PATSY DAVIS

awed by the size but are comforted by the warmth of the house."
___That warmth and comfort is reflective of Davis' tenure as president and chancellor of the university, according to those Davis has worked with. Now, with retirement a few weeks away, the couple speaks with a mixture of nostalgia toward the past decade and excitement for the decades to come.
___But they have no regrets.
___"My mother always said, 'Leave while they still like you,'" Davis quipped with a mischievous smile. "I hope there are at least one or two out there who wish I wasn't leaving."
___Davis downplays his role in rebuilding the West Texas university once plagued by monetary woes and image problems. He sees himself more as a catalyst for the often-painful refining process Wayland inevitably faced, something he calls "a collective effort of a lot of people--administrators, faculty, students and staff."
___"If I did anything, I helped them believe in themselves again," he said. "And by being able to tell the Wayland story, (the community) was able to believe again in the university."
___To those who were around when Davis first took office as president 11 years ago, the changes he has helped bring about are both visible and unseen to the human eye. From new curtains in Harral Auditorium--his first "beautification" project as president--to new facades on several campus buildings, the look and feel of the Wayland campus has seen a dramatic makeover.
___But the invisible things--moving Wayland into financial security and reconnecting the university with the community--are perhaps more essential.
___Of all the projects he's had a hand in, Davis marks completion of the Mabee Learning Resources Center as a major achievement.
___"The night we dedicated the new Mabee LRC was the most memorable for me," he said. "It was really dark, and we turned on the flame for the first time. It got brighter and brighter, and it was as if in that flame, everything that was Wayland was being announced. The library had been such an albatross, and this put all that behind us, and we were reborn. It brought a tear to my eye."
___Davis' spring announcement of retirement might have been unexpected to many, but he admitted it wasn't the first time he was ready to call it quits. When his first wife, Janis, died late in 1996, Davis said two things had him contemplating retirement then.
___"I really feel the university deserves two people working together as a team, and there were too many memories here of her," he recalled. But before he could compose a resignation letter for Davis led Wayland to period of newfound success_the board of trustees, he met Patsy Mayfield, a retired Lubbock schoolteacher and Wayland alumnus.
___"We had so much in common," he said. "It was as if we had always known one another when we first met. We truly believe God intended for us to be together."
___The two married in July 1998, and Davis' leadership team was again complete. He lauds Mrs. Davis' role in the administration of Wayland, although she has not been a paid employee.
___"She is involved in the university and the community in a quiet, dignified way," he said. "We attend school events often, and she is so encouraging to the students. She knows their names and cares about them. In many ways, her presence is more important to this university than I am."
___She is quick to correct that perception, however.
___"I'm very much background to him. But I kept him here; that's my big accomplishment," she said, sending a smile in his direction. "He told me before I came here that this will be like a job, and it has been. But it's been one I've relished. I see my job as supporting him and encouraging him and being available."
___When she joined the Wayland family again, the faculty and staff made her transition easy and welcomed her, she said.
___"The alumni association held a reception for me ... and the faculty and staff and welcomed me to the family. At the time I thought, 'What a nice thing to say,' but I realized later I was being welcomed into a family, and I have appreciated and enjoyed that."
___Her only request of Davis was that he not leave Wayland until the class she came in with graduated. Four years later, she is almost graduating herself, for the second time, as she moves on with him.
___The Davises said his decision to retire came not from unhappiness or a lack of passion for the workplace, but rather just "knowing it was time." Grandchildren and other interests mark their future, and they are excited to know Wayland is left in capable hands and in good shape.
___As they move to San Antonio, Davis hopes to spend time with woodworking and painting, two hobbies he enjoys but has had little time to do the last few years. He also hopes to try his hand at writing and has an interest in penning more devotional books to follow his first book, "Breakfast with Matthew." He also wants to teach Sunday School again, something his recent years of traveling have prevented.
___Mrs. Davis wants to continue writing family stories she started years ago and to volunteer more as well as teach Sunday School. But the grandchildren--who will number 15 by summer's end--are a main priority for both of them, as is service.
___"Our collective desire is to continue in God's service. We want to use our gifts in a way that's more exciting than what we've already done," Davis said, adding that they do plan to revisit Plainview and Wayland occasionally.
___"I would hope we'd always be welcome at Wayland, just to visit and enjoy a place where we've lost our hearts."

Highlights of Davis administration
___ Introduced new campus master plan, "Spanning the Centuries." The $30 million plan included the renovation of several campus buildings, improvements to landscaping and aesthetics and updating of technology.
___ $6.8 million in deferred maintenance projects were completed, overhauling climate-control systems, dormitory furnishings and the campus auditorium. Three computer labs were added.
___ The Mabee Learning Resources Center opened in 1996, with an outdoor concert and fireworks show held in the fall to mark the success of the 66,000-square-foot library facility.
___ The Van Howeling Library facility was renovated to house the university's Don Williams School of Education, the Academic Achievement program and the Baptist Student Ministries center.
___ A new 50-bed women's dormitory was constructed to meet the needs of student enrollment growth. The suite dorm was the first residence hall built on campus in almost 40 years.
___ Columned entrances with porticos were constructed outside Harral Auditorium and Hutcherson Physical Education Center, tying those buildings aesthetically into the rest of the campus.
___ A brick-lined path called the Heritage Walkway was constructed from the front of Hutcherson Center to the grassy area outside Harral.
___ The university's troubled fiscal health was restored, and Wayland became debt-free.
___ Enrollment soared on Wayland's external campuses in other states and regions. A new facility was dedicated in October 2000 in San Antonio.

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