footprintsWinter 2011 Pray for Rain n West Texas drought has been hard on area farmers, page 2, 6 n Caring for Creation can help solve extreme weather condi- tions, page 10 Inside: Music professor travels to Germany to study teaching technique FOOTPRINTS - Volume 58, No. 2 Editorial Board Danny Andrews, BA’72 Features Publisher Jonathan Petty, BA’95, MA’09 2 Fighting fires Editor Wayland alum and family faced summer Richard Porter, BA’87 wildfires that threatened their livelihood Assistant Editor and lives. Alumni Officers Sally Dillman Eaves, BS’75 President 12 The Love of Music Tyke Dipprey, BSOE’96 Wayland professor spends a month in Vice President Germany learning from one of the best. Danny Andrews, BA’72 Director, Alumni Development Susie Vera, AAS’84 Secretary Miss Wayland Executive Board 16 Newly crowned Miss Wayland tries every Dr. Gary Abercrombie, BS’73 Kevin Carter, BBA’93 day to live up to her name. Rose Ann Chavez, BSOE’06 Michael Cox, BA’98, MA’10 Brenda Gonzalez, BA’73 Stacie Hardage, BBA’90 Mike Manchee, BS'94, MEd’97 Richard Miller, BS’87 Departments Danny Murphree, BS’69 Daleyn Schwartz, AAS’85 On the cover: 10 Creation Care Caren Smith, BA’92 David Appling Courtney Williams, BSIS’02 works in his 20 Athletics Review Danny Wrenn, BA’84 family’s field bringing in the 24 News in Brief harvest. The 26 President's Pen FOOTPRINTS is published by the Association of Former Appling farm is just Students at Wayland Baptist University. No outside advertising is one in West Texas accepted. Wayland Baptist University is affiliated with the Baptist 27 Thinking Out Loud General Convention of Texas. Wayland is accredited by the that has suffered Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of through record Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the associate, baccalau- drought conditions. 28 Annual Fund reate and master’s levels. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097 or call 404-679- 30 Class Notes 4500 for questions about the accreditation of Wayland Baptist University. Non-profit rate postage paid at Lubbock, Texas 79404. Telephone (806) 291-3600. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to FOOT- PRINTS, Wayland Baptist University, 1900 West 7th St. CMB If you have any questions or comments about Footprints, drop an e-mail to 437, Plainview, TX 79072. Danny at [email protected], Jonathan at [email protected], or write to us in Wayland Baptist University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex or national origin in administra- care of the Wayland Alumni Office. tion of its policies, admission policies, scholarships and loan pro- grams, athletic and other school administration. Fighting fires By Richard Porter Texas any people use the allusion of 2011, according to records from the having “been through the Plainview Herald — crops have withered, drought Mfire.” For Kress native Russell lakes have dried up and pastureland has Flick, it is not an allusion. He has really gone up in flames. has been been through the fire and for his wife, According to the Texas Forestry Service Wayland graduate and employee Tommie, wildfire update, “Since wildfire season it was the “scariest night” of the whole began on Nov. 15, 2010, Texas Forest tough on debacle that has been farming and ranch- Service and local fire departments have ing on the High Plains this past year. responded to 28,740 fires that have alum and Thanks to an historic drought that burned 3,975,657 acres.” started in the fall of 2010 as a strong La As it turned out, in May a couple hun- her family Nina weather pattern — Plainview has dred of those acres northeast of Kress received less than five inches of rain in belonged to the Flicks. 2 footprints Although he is not sure what prayers were going to come in and almost stalling the tractor. started the fire, Russell remembers handy. Russell explained that while As Russell began to realize that vividly the event that cost him valu- firefighters were busy fighting the he was being surrounded he looked able pastureland, and almost his flames, he was in a tractor trying to to the right side of his tractor and it life. cut a fire break to slow it down. appeared that the outer tire of the It was a day that has been typi- Suddenly, though, things took a bad duallies was on fire. He immediately cal this past year, with extremely turn. pulled the plow out of the ground high winds, and he was trying to “I was trying to plow out in front and was able to keep the tractor finish planting some cotton when of the fire and it swooped around from stalling and began driving the fire broke out. As he began to and got in front of me,” he said. what he assumed was a ball of fire work with three area volunteer fire Russell explained that the prob- toward where he knew the fire departments to get the blaze under lems began when he moved ahead departments had established their control, he called Tommie and told of the fire to try and save an irriga- base of operations. her what was going on and asked tion well. Before he knew it, the “At that time,” he said, “I was her to pray for him. wind blew the fire toward him, and just trying to get away from it,” he “I used texting to just get in then over him. As the flames roared said, adding though that he was touch with as many prayer warriors over the top of the tractor the facing a real challenge. as I could,” Tommie said. implement’s intake sucked in the “(The tractor) was running slow It wasn’t long before those fire and melted, choking out the air and the high wind . When you’re footprints 3 Russell Flick takes a picture of a whirlwind that is stirring up not dirt, but ash from his burned pasture. on a tractor and it only runs about weary; they shall walk and not be Russell said that after he got 20 mph and the wind blows 50 faint.” away from the tractor, he still had mph and that fire travels about as The wait seemed like an eternity, things to protect. He went from a fast as the wind . ,” he said as he though. burning implement to a lot that was recalled the struggle. “It always seems longer than it beginning to see small blazes pop “It melted the cap on the intake is,” she said, adding that though it up and he began stomping those and smothered it down. It lost seemed like hours, it probably was out with his feet. power and went to smoking and I only about 30 minutes before she Ultimately, the fire burned about didn’t know what was happening. I heard from Russell again and 200 acres of pasture and that has thought (the tractor) was going to learned that despite the scare, he made the business side of the die. Probably if I hadn’t gotten the was okay. adventure an ongoing challenge. plow up out of the ground it would Russell said that once he got out Russell pointed out that normally a have,” he said. of danger he assessed the situation. fire can be a good thing for grass- In the meantime, Tommie said, “I think that my first thought land because it allows it to rejuve- friends and family were praying for was, ‘It sure could have been a fatal nate. The only problem is that takes Russell and the others who were situation.’ I think that’s probably moisture and the region simply has fighting the blaze. She remembers when I called Tommie.” not gotten any this year. her concern over the “danger of the She immediately began to let “It cut us short on pasture and situation, you know, how volatile it everybody else know Russell was this was a year we really needed could be,” as she waited to hear okay. pasture,” he said. from her husband. “I immediately texted the prayer Like others across the region, As the clock ticked, she fell back warriors. I always feel like if you’re the state and even beyond, the on one of her favorite verses of praying for something you should Flicks have been forced to buy sup- scripture, Isaiah chapter 40, verse immediately get back to them with plemental hay to feed their livestock 31: “But they that wait upon the the results,” she said. — they raise cattle and horses — or Lord shall renew their strength; they Still, she pointed out, while her sell them off. Russell pointed out shall mount up with wings as husband was safe, the fire still was that depending on the quality, hay eagles; they shall run and not be burning. currently is going for three to four 4 footprints times what it normally would. because we know that God is going to take care “Haygrazer normally sells for $40-50 a bale. of us,” she said. Right now it is going for $150-200,” he said. Russell echoed that. That lack of pasture and the high cost of “We’ve got our hopes and dreams in some- hay has forced him to cull his herd deeper than thing a whole lot bigger than this,” he said. he would like. Although culling one’s herd is a As for the fire, they are both reassured of normal thing in ranching, Russell said that this the reality of God’s watch and care over them.