A Remarkable Legacy of Support

In June, the Baylor Family mourned the death of longtime benefactor and Baylor parent Barbara “Babs” Nell Baugh of San Antonio, who passed away after a long, courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease. As president of the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, she was a champion for higher education informed by Christian values. Her generous support of Baylor’s faculty, staff and students left an indelible mark on the institution.

In 2019, as part of the Give Light campaign, she directed a gift from the foundation to provide significant support for the preservation and restoration of Tidwell Bible Building. This helped successfully complete fundraising efforts for the project and allowed the University to begin work on this central building on Baylor’s campus.

“Babs Baugh — like her parents John and Eula Mae Baugh — was an iconic figure in Baptist life and truly a shining example of Matthew 5:16,” Baylor President Linda A.
Livingstone, Ph.D., said. “She let her bright light shine and glorified God through her good works and joyful, generous spirit that supported Baptist causes, the local church and universities and institutions. Every day on our campus, Babs’ and the Baugh family’s love and support of Baylor allows us to carry out our Christian mission in higher education in significant ways: theological education at the Baugh-Reynolds Campus of Truett Seminary; endowed student scholarships in ministry, music, social work, business, entrepreneurship, history and biology; endowed chairs and professorships for faculty to pursue teaching and research that impacts the world and the local church; and the restoration of Baylor’s iconic Tidwell Bible Building.”

Creating Opportunity with Philanthropy

Baugh was a steadfast supporter of Baylor, where her father served as a regent and regent emeritus and provided one of the lead gifts establishing Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary. She continued her parents’ support of philanthropic initiatives at the University through word, deed and prayer, maintaining the legacy her father and mother began.

At Baylor, Baugh created opportunities for students through numerous endowed scholarships within the School of Music, Hankamer School of Business and Truett Seminary, and through the establishment of the John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise. An alumna of the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in music education, she gave generously to foster the arts at Baylor. Her continued support of endowed faculty positions honors many of the faculty and alumni she grew to count as friends over her decades of involvement with the institution, including support for The Diana R. Garland Chair in Child and Family Studies, The David Garland Chair in Preaching, The Foy Valentine Chair in Christian Ethics and The James Vardaman Endowed Professorship in History.

Baugh’s Baylor roots truly ran deep. Although not an alumna, she championed the University’s causes as a parent to two Baylor graduates ­— daughters Jackie Baugh Moore, BSEd ’86, and Julie Baugh Cloud, BA ’89 — and saw three of her grandchildren follow in the family’s legacy as Baylor alumni. Through her years of involvement, Baugh forged long-lasting friendships with members of the University administration, faculty, staff and students. She was honored over the years with the Herbert H. Reynolds Award for Exemplary Service, the Parent of the Year Award, the W.R. White Meritorious Service Award and membership within the University’s Medallion Fellowship and Endowed Scholarship Society.

“The legacy of the Baugh family is one of generosity and Christian commitment,” Baylor Vice President for Advancement David Rosselli said. “Babs has truly been a champion of higher education based upon Christian values, and we give thanks for the support of faculty, the investment in students and the prayerful services she has provided as a volunteer on the Boards of Advisors for our academic units. Her legacy at Baylor exemplifies what it means to be a member of the Baylor Family, and I am grateful for her steadfast commitment here.”

A Legacy of Service

Beyond Baylor, Baugh served on numerous boards for nonprofits and Baptist organizations such as Christian Ethics Today; the B. H. Carroll Theological Institute in Irving, Texas; Mercer University in Macon, Georgia; the Baptist Joint Committee on Public Affairs; and Texas Baptists. She also volunteered at Woodland Baptist Church, her home church in San Antonio, and was active in music programming through her church. She passed along the same commitment to philanthropy to her daughters, who serve as directors and officers of the family foundation.

Baugh leaves behind multitudes of friends and her beloved family, including John Jarrett, her husband of nearly 23 years; daughters Jackie Baugh Moore and her husband Kim, and Julie Baugh Cloud; grandchildren Sterling Moore and his wife Jenni, Katie Moore, Jake Moore and his fiancée Alayna Hudson, Breck Ortiz, Alexa Ortiz and Clara Cloud; and great-grandson Asher Moore.