Baylor hosts children's hospital patients at bowl

Baylor's appearance in the 2010 Texas Bowl wasn't only an athletic accomplishment; it also provided a stage to showcase the university's distinct mission. Among the 68,000 fans in attendance at Reliant Stadium were approximately 300 special guests of the university: a gathering of patients (and their families) from Texas Children's Hospital in Houston.

Sitting with members of Baylor's Student Foundation, the children received not only tickets to the game but Gold Rush shirts, green and gold pom-poms and BU temporary tattoos. Some families even brought homemade signs to cheer on the Bears.

Baylor also provided 450 t-shirts, pom-poms and tattoos directly to TCH for those children who could not leave the hospital. Some of those kids gathered together to watch the game and cheer on the Bears from the hospital. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with the Baylor College of Medicine, which branched out from Baylor University in 1969 but still holds ties to BU.

A host committee of Houston business leaders helped make it all possible. In addition to supporting university events around the game, the committee underwrote the cost of the Texas Children's Hospital activities. Regent Jeff Reeter, BBA '84, chaired the committee and was joined by Regent Bob Beauchamp; Bob Brewton, BBA '74; Carroll Dawson, BS '60; Jennifer Elrod, BA '88; Jack Fields Jr., BA '74, JD '77; Cary Gray, BA '79, BACC '80, JD '83; Denman Heard, BA '89; Dan Hord, BBA '89; Bill Howard; Brooks McGee, BBA '79; Matt Miller, BBA '57; Tom Powers, BBA '60; Bill Robbins, BA '52, LLB '54; Haag Sherman, BBA '88; Regent Chair Dary Stone, JD '77; Steve Strake; Kirk Townsend; and Mark White Jr., BBA '62, JD '65.