By Ashlyn Beck | News Editor
In its 65-year history, Baylor Family Weekend has taken on many forms. From a one-day event in 1960 for parents to meet their children’s professors to a weekend-long shindig complete with a barbecue picnic, the event has served many purposes. But every year since 1960, the event has had one chief goal — giving the families of Baylor students a glimpse into life on campus.
Following its conception in 1960, the event was an instant success. By fall, the event was extended to a full weekend. In the Sept. 30, 1962, edition of The Baylor Lariat, then-Baylor President Abner McCall shared a unique perspective on the reason for the event.
“About this time of year, students are getting homesick, so that’s why we decided to ask you to visit us at this time — to cheer up the students and at the same time see our campus and what we’re doing here,” McCall said.
University Archivist Dr. Elizabeth Rivera noted that despite the distance in years, the event that was born and Family Weekend today share the same formula. According to Rivera, it isn’t just a desire for students to be connected with their family and others around them — it’s an intrinsic human need, and Family Weekend is one way that need is met.
“You need that human interaction and connection,” Rivera said. “And the reason why we uncover these stories in the past is because you see that human need that we have today still existed in the ‘60s.”
In March 1962, Chamber of Commerce member and then-Parents Weekend Chairman Charles Lee prepared for an estimated 2,000 parents to flock to Baylor’s campus for the spring event. Lee told The Baylor Lariat at the time that the day was an opportunity for Baylor parents to “meet the school” for themselves.
“We want parents to see Baylor as it is every day in one weekend,” Lee said. “Parents come here to pick up their sons and daughters at the end of the semester, but when they come up for the weekends, they feel left out.”
Throughout the years, Rivera said the theme of the weekend has been connection. Early renditions of Parents Day connected parents with Baylor faculty and staff. As Parents Weekend, it became a method of connecting parents to Baylor culture and activities. Now, Family Weekend is one of the many Baylor events that foster connection and unity.
“Parents Weekend is as much about bringing people together as it is about anything else,” Rivera said. “It’s just another avenue that we can do that.”
Alongside many Bears, Rivera said the Baylor family is about more than just one weekend during the year. There are constant opportunities to foster connection with others, not just one’s nuclear family, she said.
“The reason why, within Baylor, the president wants us to focus more on the Baylor family is when you have a close-knit group of people, you have connection and belonging,” Rivera said. “And in order to cultivate that sense of belonging, you have to have people constantly, intentionally bringing you back to the family.”
The theme of connection and community translates throughout the campus, according to San Antonio freshman Hailey Davis. She said the reunion with her family is important to her, but it isn’t the essence of the event.
“It really brings them into the community and expands our community,” Davis said.
After a visit to Baylor’s 1973 fall Parents Weekend, Wayman Norman, a Baylor parent, sent a letter to McCall. After relaying some of his favorite events — After Dark, the Symphony Orchestra performance and the football game, he closed the letter.
“I thank God constantly for Baylor and what it has meant in my life and my family’s,” Norman said in the letter.
