By Cameron McCollum | Photo Editor
The country music legend, lifetime academy award winner, activist and national treasure Willie Nelson has been banned from Baylor University’s campus since 1988.
To this day, we do not have a specific reason as to why.
In November 1988, Willie Nelson was invited to perform during a fundraiser at Baylor University for the citizens of Leroy who lost their life savings in bankruptcy. However, Baylor cancelled the fundraiser for Leroy after claiming Nelson was an unfit role model for students.
Willie Nelson was a Baylor student studying agriculture and a member of fraternity Tau Kappa Epsilon in 1954 until his music career took off. Nelson’s time at Baylor was only a semester, but his legacy is lasting.
During an interview with Dallas reporter Jim Ruddy, Baylor executive assistant to then-President Herbert H. Reynolds, Eugene Baker, gave some reasoning behind the initial Nelson ban.
“Our president, in looking over the entire situation, felt that Mr. Nelson has had great opportunity to be a positive influence to many young people, as well as older people throughout America in a positive way, but he has not availed himself of this particular opportunity,” Baker said.
Baker followed with saying Nelson was not harmonious with Baylor’s purpose and goals as a Christian institution.
It was in 2006 when Nelson rescued his childhood church from disrepair. The church where Willie and his older sister Bobbie used to perform for their congregation still proudly stands today.
Nelson has also starred as the angel in “Angels Sing,” a religious holiday film about finding faith, family and joy during the holiday season. If you watch it, keep in mind Willie was a singer before he was an actor.
Of course, there is a list of other good deeds Nelson has done. He co-founded Farm Aid in 1985 to raise money for family farmers, he helped raise money for 9/11 victims and other disasters and he is an activist for animal, voting and environmental protections.
With that said, I cannot speak about Willie Nelson without addressing his big influence on cannabis advocacy. However, if Nelson’s cannabis endorsements was a factor into Baylor’s decision to ban him, then the administration should have included that in their statement on why this decision was made.
Nelson has been honored by the University of Texas’ LBJ School of Public Affairs with the Willie Nelson Endowment for Uplifting Rural Communities which funds research and fellowships for students who benefit rural and farm communities. Nelson also performed for the 2013 Berklee College of Music commencement ceremony. One college honors Willie’s aid to rural communities, another recognizes Willie’s success and innovation within country music. Baylor bans him for not doing enough.
There is a group called Free Willie who started a petition calling on President Linda Livingstone in November 2019 through Change.org.
It is now 2024, and Willie Nelson just celebrated 91 years of life. I’m sure he doesn’t mind that he’s an outlaw of his former university; however, we should still honor the fact that this outlaw is member of the Baylor family.
