By Josh Siatkowski | Lead Writer
Hundreds gathered in the Hurd Welcome Center on Wednesday afternoon to remember the life of a classmate, brother, son, student and friend.
22-year-old William “Blake” Driskell, a Master of Accountancy student and a Baylor alumnus as of May, died Sept. 23. Numerous speakers addressed the crowd to share Driskell’s kindness, gentleness and impact on individuals and the Baylor community alike.
“Blake is just an incredible guy,” Marshall McDuffie, Driskell’s cousin and a 2024 Baylor graduate, said. “He’s just such a good human being. He was really soft-spoken, but he was so outgoing. He was so kind. He was caring. He was really, really hardworking.”
A Waco native, a son of two university employees and a die-hard Bears fan, Driskell’s connection to campus was deep and unmistakable. Campus, McDuffie said jokingly, was also where Driskell found most of his clothes.
“You can’t bring up Baylor University without bringing up Blake Driskell,” McDuffie said. “90% of his wardrobe was from the bookstore, and it was probably too small for him, but it is just so fitting that we are here today … Baylor brought out the best in Blake.”
Driskell attended Midway High School while his parents served at Baylor. His mother, Robyn, is a vice president and the chief compliance and risk officer, while his father, Will, works in the business office. When he came to Baylor, Driskell joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity, where he made some of his closest friends.
Three of them — classmates Trey Craft, Collins Archer and Will Taylor — spoke Wednesday to share memories of their fraternity brother and roommate. In addition to his incredible athletic ability, Archer recalled Driskell as a quiet, loyal and steadfast friend.
“Blake was never the loudest guy in the room, and he was never going to be the one standing up to give the speech,” Archer said. “That just wasn’t him. He led by example. He showed up.”
The trio also shared some of the lighter moments that highlighted Driskell’s quirks, like his commitment to a beat-up pair of Nike sneakers and his limited diet of chicken fingers, french fries and candy. Despite his diet, Driskell still dominated intramural sports, they said.
“The most annoying part was it really worked,” Archer said, laughing. “Blake was a freak athlete. He would work out for two weeks and somehow have a physique most people couldn’t get after six months.”
In addition to words from family and classmates, two Baylor faculty members spoke about their two decades knowing Driskell.
Dr. Kim Kellison, Associate Professor of History & Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Dr. Mona Choucair, Teaching Professor in the English and Education Departments, shared stories of a lovable boy who grew up to be an accomplished young man — one who had just graduated from one of the nation’s top accounting programs and earned a full-time job at Ernst and Young in Houston.
Dr. Duane Brooks, Senior Pastor at Tallowood Baptist Church in Houston, led the service. Brooks’ message was also accompanied by two music recordings of Driskell’s late grandfather, Clint Bateman, who attended Tallowood. Bateman’s renditions of “The King Is Coming” and “Because He Lives” bookended the memorial, with “That Good Old Baylor Line” played at the end.
Letter from the editor: Baylor provides resources for students facing personal or emotional challenges, including support through the Office of Spiritual Life and the Counseling Center.
