PLAINVIEW – Amid honors and other events, Wayland Baptist University celebrated five new endowed scholarship dedications that will bless students.
Most recently, the Barrera Family Endowed Scholarship, the Paulie and Mary Louise Jones Endowed Scholarship, and the Randy and Carol Kaufman Endowed Scholarship were all dedicated at Wayland’s Board of Trustees luncheon, which was held April 25.
Barrera Scholarship
Joe and Frances Barrera and family are long-time residents of Plainview with a heart for business, ministry, and missions. This scholarship is established to assist first-generation students at Wayland who are active in missions and aspire to work in a mission field.
Frances Barrera was a first-generation college student and aspires to empower and mentor young women, paying forward those who have helped her. She has worked in banking for many years and is president of Western Bank’s Plainview branch and a senior vice president with the financial institution. She has been involved in missions for many years, taking regular trips and serving with Hispanic WMU and UFM of Texas.
Jose “Joe” Barrera is senior pastor at Abundant Grace and a church starter who also works as salesman at Bill Wells Chevrolet. The family also owns rental property through JAB Prime Properties, LLC.
The Barreras have two children that both attended Wayland on the PEP program. Jarred is an independent physical therapist and entrepreneur, including ownership of Lubbock Exotic Car Rental and Sales. Jovanna Barrera Duffy is senior vice president and human resources director of Western Bank. A 2012 and 2018 graduate of Wayland, she served as Miss Wayland 2011.
Jones Scholarship
Paulie Christian Jones and Mary Louise Jones of Clovis, N.M., were passionate supporters of higher education and Christian service. Paulie served on the staff of Eastern New Mexico University for more than 20 years, helping enable his children to attend college. Though neither Paulie or Mary Louise had a college degree at the time, their three children all graduated from college and together earned seven degrees, including three master’s degrees and one doctorate. Their grandchildren earned six college degrees, including two from Wayland — Curtis Jones in 1988 and Mark Jones in 1990.
At age 60, Mary Louise also completed her degree. Paulie and Mary Louise were longtime members of First Baptist Church of Clovis, with him serving as a deacon and her starting the church’s first single adult program, which she led for more than 15 years. Mary Louise was a frequent visitor to Wayland’s Plainview campus to visit her grandsons. With this scholarship, the Jones family continues their commitment to Christian higher education, hoping to assist students in need as they pursue their educational goals.
Kaufman Scholarship
Randy and Carol Kaufman are passionate about Christian education. Randy was born in Indiana and attended a Christian junior college in Kansas, where he met Carol. They married and moved to Plainview in 1979 and had three daughters, all of whom attended Plainview Christian Academy and went on to attend Christian universities.
Randy graduated from Wayland with an accounting degree in 1991 and has been working in his local CPA firm since 1987, becoming an owner in 1997. He attributes his professional success to the education he received while attending Wayland. Randy is a long-time member of the Wayland Board of Trustees and has also served as an adjunct accounting professor. The Kaufmans have been generous supporters of Wayland, receiving the Keeper of the Flame honor in 2019. They are members of First Baptist Church of Plainview and long-time members of the church choir.
Because of the blessings they have received, Randy and Carol want to bless Wayland students with this scholarship to help them with their financial needs. They praise God for the difference Wayland makes in the lives of her students and want to participate in the education of the future of our nation.
Sims Scholarship
The Lt. Col. Odis V. and Edith R. Sims Endowed Scholarship, established a few years back by Odis and Edith Sims Foundation trustees, was formally dedicated at the April 18 Pioneers of Excellence donor appreciation dinner.
Growing up in small, rural towns gave both Edith and Odis a deep understanding of community. Odis poured his heart into helping to protect American communities as a 22-year career U.S. Air Force military pilot. Edith was at his side the entire time as his helpmate. His time in the Air Force found this Texas family in a multiple assignments around the globe.
To the benefit of Plainview, it became their home for the next 40 years after retiring from the USAF. Odis founded The Road to Recovery program of the American Cancer Society, served on multiple boards, and was involved in many community support organizations.
Their commitment to Jesus, their Savior, was first and foremost. Odis and Edith supported Christian education from kindergarten through post-graduate. They both strongly supported the education of ministerial students, and they directed scholarship funds to this endeavor. Even after their passing, the Odis and Edith Sims Foundation continues to support these students as they prepare for their church assignments, perhaps even around the globe.
On hand for the dedication were primarily foundation trustees, Larry and Pat Hammit of Canyon, who are former residents of Plainview, and other Sims family members who attended Wayland.
Starnes Scholarship
The Dr. Charles and Susie Starnes Endowed Scholarship was also dedicated at the April 18 donor dinner. Charles and Susie Starnes met in college and married in April 1970, two days after Charles was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. After a 27-year Navy career where they lived all over the world with their four children, they returned home to Texas.
Charles went back to school, earning a doctorate in economics at Texas Tech University. They settled in Plainview when Charles began teaching economics and finance in Wayland’s School of Business in August 2003.
Wayland has become the best job ever for Dr. Starnes, even though he commanded a ballistic missile submarine during the Cold War and served as Naval Attaché to Germany. Of the many places they have lived, they say Plainview is the best.
Dr. Starnes is very proud of the many students he has been able to influence, and Susie is proud of her community volunteer work. He and Susie pray that this scholarship will provide important assistance to students for years to come, and the scholarship specifically blesses undergraduate and graduate business students in Plainview.
Endowed scholarships at Wayland require a minimum $25,000 gift and are then invested as part of the university’s endowment. Earnings are then pulled annually to provide scholarships for students, with the main corpus remaining intact for generations to come.
For more information about endowed scholarships, contact the Office of Advancement at 806-291-3602.
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