Pioneer west Texas doctor James Wayland was born in Missouri in 1863. After completing his medical degree from the Kentucky School of Medicine, Wayland moved to Texas, settling in Plainview in the panhandle. At that time, Plainview consisted of 75 people, the Hale County courthouse, and a few meager buildings. Because the population of the region was sparse and scattered, Wayland’s practice covered a huge area, ranging south to Lubbock, north to Amarillo, east to Matador, and west into New Mexico. The only “road” out of Plainview was actually a rutted trail leading north toward Amarillo. Wayland learned to navigate the flat treeless country by reference to the sun and stars and a few landmarks such as windmills. After getting lost in a snowstorm on one occasion, he ordered a $5 compass from the Montgomery Ward catalog.
In the brutal winters on the high plains, he would heat rocks and place them on the floor of his buggy to keep his feet warm and throw a heavy wool blanket over himself to break the chilling wind. To communicate with his patients, he left carrier pigeons they could release to fly to his home in Plainview when his services were needed.
Wayland realized the people of the plains needed more than medical care. They also needed educational opportunities. In 1906 a group of Plainview citizens petitioned the Staked Plains Baptist Association to establish a school whose mission would be to provide a Christian education for young people of the area. Despite all the adversities he encountered, Wayland has prospered not only from his medical practice but also from a drug store he owned as well as a small ranch he operated. Consequently, he donated $10,000 and 25 acres of land for a campus for the proposed school. Local citizens raised an additional $40,000, and the school opened in 1909 under the name Wayland Literary and Technical Institute with 241 students ranging from elementary age to junior college level. The name was changed to Wayland Baptist College.
Although the school prospered during its first two decades, the Great Depression threatened the existence of Wayland. The bank holding the school’s deposits failed, leaving them with no funds. The faculty agreed to stay on board at no pay until the situation improved. Better times returned, and in 1948 Wayland was approved as a four-year institution.
Wayland was a pioneer in women’s athletics and produced the nationally known Flying Queens basketball team. The program recorded 131 consecutive victories in the 1950s. Wayland was also the first four-year institution in any of the former Confederate states to voluntarily integrate, admitting five black students in 1951.
Today the University continues to provide quality education to students not only from West Texas but literally from all over the world, fulfilling the dream of a pioneer West Texas doctor.
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Dr. Tommy Stringer is executive director of the Navarro College Foundation.
Click here to e-mail Dr. Tommy Stringer.
Click here to Soundoff on this column.
Latest News
Stringer: A Doctor and a college
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County gathers to honor military heroes who gave their all
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Former Mildred school leader passes
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Local Beat 5/28/12
A list of meetings and events of interest from throughout Navarro County
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Sample Ballots, Polling Places for May 29 Election
Click this link to get sample ballots for the May 29 Primary Election
Early voting
Early voting will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays Monday thru Friday May 14 through May 18, and May 21 through May 25, 2012, in the basement of the Navarro County Courthouse, 300 W. Third Ave., Corsicana.
Early voting will be held on the weekend from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday May 19, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 20, in the basement of the Navarro County Courthouse, 300 W. Third Ave., Corsicana. -
Memorial Day ceremony honors servicemen, women
Navarro County turned out in numbers Monday to honor those who made the ultimate sacrafice in service to the U.S. military.
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One killed, five hurt in Interstate rollover
One man was killed and five others injured Sunday when a Ford Expedition rolled several times and jumped a cable barrier on Interstate 45 south of Corsicana.
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Memorial Day services Monday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Monday is Memorial Day, and Corsicana will host two separate ceremonies to honor those who gave their lives in service to our country.
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Downtown's 'The Diner' to close its doors Thursday
The Diner, in downtown Corsicana, will close its doors after the close of business Thursday, owner Richard Arnett said Sunday.
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Commissioners to meet Tuesday
The Navarro County Commissioners Court is scheduled to meet in special session at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 29, in the county courtroom of the Navarro County Courthouse.
The meeting was moved from Monday, May 28, due to the Memorial Day holiday. - More Latest News Headlines
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