ROBIN NASBY
staff writer
The Pepperdine community came out in full Oklahoma fashion to celebrate the service of Dean David Baird on Monday at the amphitheater overlooking Stauffer Chapel. Inter-tribal dancers performed their native routines as the Oklahoma flag waived proudly overhead for this day of celebration and recognition.
At the celebration service, the concert choir performed a selection from “Oklahoma!” to honor Baird’s native roots and research interests. Baird specializes in history of the American West, Native Americans and the history of Oklahoma and the Churches of Christ in Oklahoma.
“The dancers warmed my heart,” Baird said. “It is a special honor to have them here, and it reminds me of many wonderful memories.”
Every detail of the ceremony was chosen to reflect Baird’s taste and interests. From the corn bread, strawberries and peanut array, to the good old Oklahoma music and native dance, it was truly a joyous occasion.
Monday’s ceremony showcased “the Oklahoman” in many of the Pepperdine community — President Andrew K. Benton sported a straw cowboy hat while Provost Darryl Tippens showed off his jeans jacket and boots.
“Dean Baird kept me true to my Oklahoma roots,” said former Pepperdine professor Carolyn Hunter. Hunter served as a “Lecturer of Composition” at the university between 1995 and 1999, under Baird’s leadership.
Baird has become an essential part of Seaver College, serving the university through many roles since 1988. His first experience with Pepperdine was as a parent, when his daughter chose to leave Oklahoma and head west to Pepperdine. While most parents move their children into their dorms and say goodbye, Baird decided to stay.
Despite his initial uncertainties about life in California, Baird quickly felt at home teaching humanities at Pepperdine. He advanced to chair of the Humanities and Teacher Education Division, authored and edited 11 books, 12 articles and 42 papers, taught students for a year through the Heidelberg International Program and served as a Fulbright lecturer in New Zealand.
“Dean Baird is always looking for ways to raise the intellectual and the spiritual tenor of our campus,” said Tippens, who has worked alongside Baird for eight years. “He called for, and modeled, balance — always pointing us both to the chapel (the spiritual) and the library (the intellectual).”
Baird’s passion for the university’s mission statement and dedication to liberal arts prepared him for his ultimate and final role at Pepperdine: Dean of Seaver College.
“He has supported greater undergraduate research at Seaver, making us a national leader in this area,” Tippens said. “He has inspired students to seek national fellowships and scholarships. Through it all, he has been a consummate gentleman.”
During the past 10 years, Baird has initiated many changes at Pepperdine, according to Benton. He recruited international leaders to speak at Pepperdine and thus established the Dean’s Lecture Series, while also playing an active role in Seaver faculty selections over the past decade.
“He never lost sight of what was best for Seaver College and for the university as a whole,” Benton said. “He is kind, self-effacing and not afraid to laugh at himself.”
In addition to his dedication to the students of Seaver College, Baird has served as president of the Malibu Rotary Club and national president of the Western History Association. He currently serves as executive director of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Association.
Upon retirement in May, Baird said he plans to spend time with his loved ones and continue his research and writings on the Churches of Christ in Oklahoma and possibly the history of Pepperdine.
“We will miss his leadership in the dean’s chair, but are glad that he will continue to live and work among us,” Tippens said.
As Baird prepares for the next chapter in his life, he can take with him a few words of wisdom from professor Cathy Thomas-Grant, chair of the theatre and fine arts division: “Keep blustering and blowing like the winds of Oklahoma.”
04-03-2008
