November 5, 2002
Notable alumni from Oklahoma Baptist University's 1958 and 1982 graduating classes will lead the annual Homecoming Chapel, a worship service for reunioners returning to campus, Saturday at 10 a.m.
Dr. Calvin A. Miller, a 1958 OBU graduate and well-known author and teacher, will deliver the Homecoming chapel message. Dr. Paul R. Magyar, '82, minister of music at Tallowood Baptist Church Houston, will lead music. Dr. Arnold M. Rawls, Jr., '82, a noted professional tenor from Wheaton, Ill., will sing during the service.
The event also serves as the university's annual alumni meeting, set aside to honor alumni achievements with the presentation of the Profile in Excellence awards.
P. Scot Sampson, '89, vice president of OBU alumni association, will present the 2002 Profile in Excellence awards to 11 outstanding OBU graduates.
Awardees include Dr. Angela Albright, '72, coordinator of the graduate nursing program at California State University in Long Beach, Calif; William David Austin, ex '89, international student volunteer from Shawnee; Connie Westmoreland Burton, '77, a clinical nurse with the International Mission Board in Richmond, Va.; Marie Terrell Davis, '61, a retired public school administrator for Mid-Del Public Schools in Oklahoma City; and Gay Goodwin Evans, '59, a family nurse practitioner at El Rio Health Center in Tucson, Ariz.
Other recipients of the award are Karen Henson, '76, an attorney with Henson, Henson, Henson, Marshall & Milburn, L.L.P., in Shawnee; Kammie Monarch, '85, director of accreditation and magnet programs and legal affairs for the American Nurses Credentialing Center in Alexandria, Va.; Jan Abernathy Myers, '69, owner of the Center for Behavior Therapy in Kansas City, Mo.; Teresa Shields Parker, '75, editor of Good News Journal, in Columbia, Mo.; Helen Gilmore Prickett, '58, retired missionary with the International Mission Board in Oklahoma City; and Dr. Larry Wedel, '64, hospital chaplain at the Citizens Medical Center in Victoria, Texas.
Miller is professor of preaching and pastoral studies at Samford University's Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Ala. He is a distinguished author and speaker, appearing frequently in lectureships and preaching engagements around the world.
A native of Enid, Miller earned the M.Div. and D.Min. degrees from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He was pastor of Plattsmouth Baptist Church in Plattsmouth, Neb., for five years before becoming pastor of Westside Baptist Church in Omaha, Neb., in 1966. He served in that pastorate for 25 years. During that period, the church grew from 10 members to more than 2,500. In 1991 he joined the faculty of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as professor of communication and ministry studies, and writer-in-residence. He moved to Beeson Divinity School in January 1999.
His first major writings, The Singer Triology, were released in 1975 by InterVarsity Press. He has completed more than 40 other works since that time. In addition to his books, Miller has published numerous articles in national publications, including Christianity Today, Moody Monthly, Leadership, and Decision.
Miller is married to the former Barbara Joyce Harman. They have two adult children, Melanie and Timothy.
The chapel service is at 10 a.m., in the university's Potter Auditorium. The public is invited to attend.