Lloyd Grogan: An Enduring Gift
Lloyd Grogan has lived in the same house for over fifty years. He's participated in three different churches during that time. After retirement, he and his wife volunteered through Campers on Mission, building and remodeling churches and other buildings. Lloyd's wife passed away in 1997, but he's active in his church and in touch with friends from his building ministry days. Lloyd wanted to leave an enduring gift to Christian ministry, and needed income that he could count on. He worked with the Missouri Baptist Foundation to give a gift to a Missouri ministry organization. The Foundation will manage his gift as long as he lives. Lloyd will receive secure income. At his death, his gift will go to the ministry he has designated. MBF helps people receive income for life and leave gifts to ministry. You can give a gift like Lloyd has done and receive lifetime income. Contact the Missouri Baptist Foundation for more information.
Harold Dunn: A Life that Resounds
He's not too interested in frills or a complicated weekly schedule. Harold Dunn lives a simple, thoughtful life. And that's just the way he likes it.
A native of Ballwin, Mo., Harold grew up with a hard-working family: parents who managed the family's small businesses together and, along with his sister, Helen, they regularly served in their local church communities.
"From the time my father became a Christian as a teenager, he served as a deacon in every church where he was a member, and Helen played the organ for six different churches," Harold recalls. "For my mother, the hardest work was to be idle."
But service and hard work weren't the only things the Dunn family members had in common. They also shared a passion-a deep appreciation for music, education, ministry and any combination of the three. To Harold, it made perfect sense to study music and education together. And after earning a bachelor's degree at Missouri State University, followed by a two-year stint in the U.S. Army's First Guided Missile Battalion, he was on the lookout for the right place to continue his training.
"My best friend, David, had graduated from Baylor, and he was so enthusiastic about it that I decided I had to get my master's degree there," Harold said. "The confidence the Baylor faculty had in me was really encouraging."
The year that Harold experienced the joy of achieving his master's of science degree in music education from Baylor, however, was the same year he suffered the tragedy of losing his father. It was 1954. Devastated by their great loss, Harold moved with his mother and sister to St. Louis County, Mo., and remained incredibly close with both of them until their deaths years later.
A talented musician and former member of the first violin section of the Springfield, Mo. Symphony Orchestra, Harold found great satisfaction as an elementary school music teacher-a position he held for more than 30 years. During his meaningful career, Harold took the time to enjoy his students, turning their amusing statements and answers (what he called "youngsterisms") in the classroom into several books. Having no children of his own, he came to think of the thousands of children he taught as part of his own family.
Several years after retirement, however, Harold began thinking about extending his "family" once again. He wanted to make a difference in the lives of many more students, both in his family's honor and in line with what they most deeply valued. Baylor, he found, has a place where music, education and ministry merge in a powerful way: Baylor's Center for Christian Music Studies, an academic hub where transformational leadership in all aspects of Christian music develops on a daily basis.
"I so admire the goal that Baylor has of becoming the preeminent Christian music center worldwide," Harold said.
He feels so strongly about it, in fact, that he decided to establish the Dunn Family Endowed Fund for the Center for Christian Music Studies, gifting a stunning 100 percent of his estate to benefit the Center, its students and staff after his passing. By using a bequest, Harold has furthered the impact of his resources far beyond what he could have tangibly given in this life.
And when asked how he's felt about making this bequest, Harold responded: "In all my years of musical experience, I have never before come across an opportunity with such soul-stirring potential."
Yes, Harold Dunn lives a simple, thoughtful life...because he believes that the fruits of his steadfast stewardship will have a powerful impact on the lives of others. It's a tune that's spot-on. Harold's life is a song that will continue to ring true in the music and callings of countless Baylor students to come. His legacy will truly be-"soul-stirring."