Baylor to Hold Founders Day Celebration Jan. 29

January 24, 1996

WACO, Texas - Baylor University will hold its annual Founders Day Celebration at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29, in Waco Hall.
Founders Day is an annual event which honors the founding fathers of Baylor, when university officials, students and staff express their gratitude and appreciation for the establishment of the university.
President Robert B. Sloan will present the Baylor University Founders Medal, reserved for individuals who have distinguished themselves in their professions and their service to Baylor and mankind, to Dr. Cornelia Marschall Smith of Waco and to Mrs. Patsy Hollandsworth of Longview.
Smith, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday, served as chair of the Department of Biology at Baylor from 1943 until 1967. She retired as an active faculty member in 1968.
Since 1968, Smith has devoted herself to her former students, to hundreds of friends from previous years, to the study of biology and English and to cultural pursuits. Smith has also received many honors and recognitions from professional organizations, civic organizations and academic organizations. Among these are the Minnie Piper Professor of the Year Award (1966), Baylor's Distinguished Alumni Award (1971) and a citation from the State Board of Medical Examiners (1967).
Patsy Hollandsworth, widow of Earl Hollandsworth, is recognized for her support of Baylor students through endowed scholarships. Hollandsworth is known for her interests and skills as a musician, playing both piano and organ, as well as being a singer. She has also demonstrated skill as an artist, particularly of florals. Hollandsworth and her late husband, a well-known East Texas businessman whose drilling company and oil investments were quite successful, have supported more than 2,297 students in their education since 1980 through Hollandsworth Scholarship Funds. During these years, they resisted any form of public recognition for their generosity.
Special musical arrangements and speakers will highlight the program. Speakers will include President Sloan; Dr. William D. Hillis, vice president for student life and The Cornelia
Marschall Smith Distinguished Professor of Biology; Dr. W. Keith Hartberg, professor and chair of biology; Collin Cox, student body president; and Alison McGinnis, student body vice president.
Chartered on Feb. 1, 1845, by the Republic of Texas and the oldest university in the state, Baylor is currently in its 150th year of continuous operation. Established in Independence, Texas, the university moved to Waco in 1886 and is now the largest Baptist university in the world with a current enrollment of more than 12,000.