Wednesday, February 5, 1997
Doc Beazley announces retirement
By BRIAN BETHEL / Staff Writer
Dr. William Beazley, director of Hardin-Simmons' acclaimed
Six White Horses program, has announced his impending retirement.
Beazley, a 45-year staffer at HSU, will end his tenure as director
of the program May 31, serving as a consultant through the end
of the year.
"I'm going to be 81 by the time I retire, and obviously,
a lot of the activities involved in this job require a good bit
of strenuous exercise," he said. "I've discovered as
I get older that things tend to go to pieces physically."
Beazley, affectionately known as "Doc," said that
while he would miss serving Hardin-Simmons, he thought "now
was the best time to bring on someone else."
"There wasn't any pressure; it's just the right thing
to do," he said. "There just comes a time in your life
when it's time for a change, and I think this is it."
Beazley has headed the Six White Horses program since the early
'60s and has penned a series of 10 books about the animals.
In recent years, the Beazley White Horse Center was constructed
and named in his honor.
A native of Lexington, Va., Beazley first joined the university
in 1948 as an instructor in religious education, speech and Bible.
He left Hardin-Simmons in 1956 to serve as secretary of the
department of assemblies of the Virginia Baptist Board of Missions
and Education.
Beazley returned to Hardin-Simmons in 1960 as chairman of the
department of religious education and director of institutional
services.
Dr. Lanny Hall, Hardin-Simmons president, praised Beazley's
longtime service to the school.
"For over a century, many great people have given of themselves
to Hardin-Simmons University, but few, if any, have matched the
depth, breadth and length of Dr. Beazley's contributions to our
school," Hall said.
He said Beazley would be given special honors at the college's
HSU Alumni Association-sponsored Faculty-Staff Appreciation Banquet
in April.
Since his return to the university, Beazley has served in a
variety of roles, including twice as interim dean of faculties,
director of admissions, director of public relations and coordinator
of university relations.
He also has served as administrative associate to the president,
assistant to the president, athletic director, executive vice
president and vice president emeritus.
<I>Hardin-Simmons' media relations department contributed
to this report.<I>
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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