Cliff had it right on his blog when, for tribute to Dr. Ruth Ann Foster, he simply posted a photograph he knew she would have found quite amusing. I will attempt to do the same with an infamous story ...
Brian Van Holt, a former seminary student at Truett, told me not far into my first semester that I should ask Dr. Foster about "the margaritas" ...
For those of you who read this and do not know Dr. Foster, she is one of the founding professors at Truett Seminary, where I only recently finished graduate study. I took four classes under Dr. Foster (whom we often called RAF or Mother Superior), and she is responsible for pretty much all of my New Testament seminary education, as she taught me Intro to Scriptures, then two classes spanning Matthew-Revelation, as well as a whole semester spent on the book of her expertise, John. About a year ago she was diagnosed with lung and liver cancer. She passed away last week.
So, the margaritas. I proceeded to walk into Intro to Scriptures class and propose, in front of everyone, that Dr. Foster explain this cryptic reference. She gave me a knowing, lighthearted glare, and finished taking roll before beginning the story.
It seems that, back in the early days of Truett Seminary, before the beautiful campus building and the strong collection of faculty, the founding and senior professors used to go to lunch quite often at the same few places. Waco was still a few years off from exploding into the bustling metropolis that it is now, and so El Chico Mexican Restaurant was one of the few tasty places that could accommodate a moderate-sized, moderate-thinking group.
Well, on one particular day, RAF sat at her table with a few students she was working with on a book, when what should be served to her but a margarita. It was purchased for her as a joke by some other students who were also having lunch in the restaurant. Now, it obviously isn't couth for a seminary professor to be seen drinking a margarita in the middle of the day in a restaurant frequented by many a Baylor professor. But RAF would soon become mortified that she let the undrunk drink remain at her table when one of her students, spying the door, saw the seminary dean (and former professor under whom she studied in her own seminary student days), Dr. Robert Sloan, walk through the door with several suited men, obviously either respected ministers and/or potential donors, and head for a table very close to her own.
The story is still told by some of those prankster students how they watched in utter hysterics as Dr. Sloan approached RAF's table to introduce her and her party to the suits. In recounting the story, she was never clear if, in her students' scramble to hide the booze under the table, the suits caught sight of it. However, Dr. Sloan did, but graciously withheld himself from commenting on it.
Eventually, Dr. Foster made sure of two things: that Dr. Sloan understood she had not ordered the drink for herself, nor had she consumed it, and that the offending students be repaid for their prank in the silly-yet-frightening way only RAF knew how to do. After all, she did indeed own a bull whip, given to her by another former student as a fitting tool for her efforts in class discipline. After all, she would say, in her favorite book of the Bible, the Book of John, Jesus himself used a whip to get people to fall in line. Why should seminarians be treated any differently?
You may ask, what was the fallout of this event in Dr. Foster's life? Well, from that time on, every semester, she would find herself having to answer some ignorant new student's ignorant question about "the margaritas." And, every once in a while, a can or pouch of margarita mix could be found awaiting her in her office mailbox or under her office door.
A more gracious and loving woman there never was, nor was there ever someone who taught with such honesty and openness from her own painful past.
Brian Van Holt, a former seminary student at Truett, told me not far into my first semester that I should ask Dr. Foster about "the margaritas" ...
For those of you who read this and do not know Dr. Foster, she is one of the founding professors at Truett Seminary, where I only recently finished graduate study. I took four classes under Dr. Foster (whom we often called RAF or Mother Superior), and she is responsible for pretty much all of my New Testament seminary education, as she taught me Intro to Scriptures, then two classes spanning Matthew-Revelation, as well as a whole semester spent on the book of her expertise, John. About a year ago she was diagnosed with lung and liver cancer. She passed away last week.
So, the margaritas. I proceeded to walk into Intro to Scriptures class and propose, in front of everyone, that Dr. Foster explain this cryptic reference. She gave me a knowing, lighthearted glare, and finished taking roll before beginning the story.
It seems that, back in the early days of Truett Seminary, before the beautiful campus building and the strong collection of faculty, the founding and senior professors used to go to lunch quite often at the same few places. Waco was still a few years off from exploding into the bustling metropolis that it is now, and so El Chico Mexican Restaurant was one of the few tasty places that could accommodate a moderate-sized, moderate-thinking group.
Well, on one particular day, RAF sat at her table with a few students she was working with on a book, when what should be served to her but a margarita. It was purchased for her as a joke by some other students who were also having lunch in the restaurant. Now, it obviously isn't couth for a seminary professor to be seen drinking a margarita in the middle of the day in a restaurant frequented by many a Baylor professor. But RAF would soon become mortified that she let the undrunk drink remain at her table when one of her students, spying the door, saw the seminary dean (and former professor under whom she studied in her own seminary student days), Dr. Robert Sloan, walk through the door with several suited men, obviously either respected ministers and/or potential donors, and head for a table very close to her own.
The story is still told by some of those prankster students how they watched in utter hysterics as Dr. Sloan approached RAF's table to introduce her and her party to the suits. In recounting the story, she was never clear if, in her students' scramble to hide the booze under the table, the suits caught sight of it. However, Dr. Sloan did, but graciously withheld himself from commenting on it.
Eventually, Dr. Foster made sure of two things: that Dr. Sloan understood she had not ordered the drink for herself, nor had she consumed it, and that the offending students be repaid for their prank in the silly-yet-frightening way only RAF knew how to do. After all, she did indeed own a bull whip, given to her by another former student as a fitting tool for her efforts in class discipline. After all, she would say, in her favorite book of the Bible, the Book of John, Jesus himself used a whip to get people to fall in line. Why should seminarians be treated any differently?
You may ask, what was the fallout of this event in Dr. Foster's life? Well, from that time on, every semester, she would find herself having to answer some ignorant new student's ignorant question about "the margaritas." And, every once in a while, a can or pouch of margarita mix could be found awaiting her in her office mailbox or under her office door.
A more gracious and loving woman there never was, nor was there ever someone who taught with such honesty and openness from her own painful past.
Now you are finally reunited with your brother, and with your great partner, Chip Conyers. Nevertheless, know we down here shall miss you greatly. You cannot be replaced. I hope that every time I hear the cracking of a whip, I remember you. Farewell, my teacher, my mother, my friend.
Dr. Ruth Ann Foster with seminary student, Courtney Lyons
1 comment:
i miss chip. and now i miss RAF.
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