ON GIVING: THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL

ACCEPTANCE SPEECH BY SAMUEL T. OLA AKANDE P.HD. ON THE OCCASION OF HIS BEING AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD BY WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY, PLAINVIEW, TEXAS, U.S.A., ON NOVEMBER 18, 1995.

I CAME TO THE THEN WAYLAND BAPTIST COLLEGE (NOW WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY) AS A STUDENT IN AUGUST 1959. I WAS 33 YEARS OLD WHEN I CAME. COINCIDENTALLY, OUR SON, BEN AKANDE, A WAYLAND GRADUATE, RETURNED TO WAYLAND AT THE AGE OF 33 YEARS AS ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND CHAIRMAN OF THE DIVISION OF BUSINESS AT THE UNIVERSITY. OUR OLDEST DAUGHTER, NIKE, ALSO STUDIED HERE. MY WIFE, COMFORT, STUDIED HERE BRIEFLY IN 1961, AND MY COUSIN, DAVID AKANDE ALSO GRADUATED FROM WAYLAND. I AM VERY HAPPY INDEED TO BE HERE TO ACCEPT THE 1995 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD FROM WAYLAND, THIRTY FOUR YEARS AFTER RECEIVING MY BACHELORS DEGREE IN ENGLISH HERE.

WAYLAND WAS ONE OF THE TWO UNIVERSITIES IN TEXAS IN THE 1950’S THAT WOULD ACCEPT BLACK MEN AND WOMEN AS THEIR STUDENTS. I RECALL WITH GRATITUDE THE HELPFUL ROLE PLAYED BY DR. HOPE A. OWEN, THE PRESIDENT THEN, AND DR. ROY C MCCLUNG, THEN PASTOR OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH PLAINVIEW. THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, PLAINVIEW ACCEPTED ME AS A MEMBER. I CAME TO WAYLAND AS A PIONEER, TO OPEN THE DOOR. BUT WAYLAND WAS ALSO A PIONEER BECAUSE OF THE COURAGE TO GO AGAINST THE NORM, TO DO WHAT WAS RIGHT. THE 1950’S AND EARLY 1960’S WAS THE ERA OF SITTING AT THE BACK OF THE BUS BETWEEN PLAINVIEW AND AMARILLO AND BETWEEN PLAINVIEW AND LUBBOCK. THOSE WERE THE DAYS WHEN AT THE BUS TERMINAL, THERE WERE DIFFERENT SEATS SET ASIDE FOR BLACKS AND DIFFERENT ONES FOR EVERYONE ELSE. THOSE WERE TIMES WHEN WE WENT ON EXCURSIONS AS STUDENTS OF THE COLLEGE, AND STOPPED TO EAT BREAKFAST, BLACK STUDENTS WERE ASKED TO EAT THEIR BREAKFAST IN THE KITCHEN, NOT IN THE OPEN HALL. THAT WAS A TIME WHEN AS A MEMBER OF THE ALPHA CHI, I WAS DENIED THE PRIVILEGE TO TRAVEL TO NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA TO PRESENT A PAPER AT ANOTHER UNIVERSITY JUST BECAUSE I WAS BLACK. ALL THAT IS HISTORY, BUT WE THANK GOD FOR THE EXPERIENCES.

IN THE MIDST OF THESE EXPERIENCES, HOWEVER, THERE WERE THREE FAMILIES WHO EXTENDED THEIR LOVE AND NON-DISCRIMINATORY ATTITUDE TO ME. THEY ARE LOUIS AND NORMAN WRIGHT OF PLAINVIEW WHO ARE IN THIS AUDIENCE, RUBY AND CLEO VAUGHAN OF AMARILLO, TEXAS, AND REV. AND MRS. L. B. GEORGE, AFRICAN AMERICANS ALSO OF AMARILLO, TEXAS.

MY YEARS AT WAYLAND GAVE ME A VERY STRONG FOUNDATION ON WHICH I BUILT MY ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF LATER YEARS. I AM PROUD TO SAY THAT WAYLAND ALSO PREPARED ME ADEQUATELY FOR THE DENOMINATIONAL LEADERSHIP POSITIONS THAT I LATER HELD IN THE NIGERIAN BAPTIST CONVENTION, IN THE ALL AFRICA BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP, IN THE BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE, AND IN THE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES. THE EDUCATION FOUNDATION I RECEIVED AT WAYLAND PROVIDED ME WITH THE DEEP SENSE OF URGENCY AND A COMPELLING URGE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I BELIEVE IT PLAYED SOME ROLE IN MY DECISION TO RUN FOR THE PRESIDENCY OF NIGERIA.

THE RACIAL EXPERIENCES THAT I HAD IN THE LATE 50’S AND EARLY 60’S TAUGHT ME A GREAT LESSON IN TOLERANCE AND THE NEED TO LEARN TO FORGIVE AND NEVER TO RETALIATE, EVEN WHEN PEOPLE HURT YOU. BUT BECAUSE WAYLAND SHOWED LOVE IN THE MIDST OF HATE, I TOO LEFT WITH NOTHING BUT LOVE IN MY HEART. I LEFT WAYLAND, A BETTER PERSON, A STRONGER MAN. THE RIGORS OF STUDIES AND HIGH ACADEMIC DEMANDS HERE AT WAYLAND COMPELLED ME TO APPLY MYSELF SERIOUSLY TO MY STUDIES, KNOWING THAT THERE IS NO EASY WAY TO SUCCESS. THE CHAPEL WORSHIP SERVICES ENHANCED MY COMMUNION WITH GOD IN THE NAME OF JESUS.

THE FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TEACHERS HERE AND THE NON-RACIAL ATTITUDE OF THE STUDENTS MANY OF WHOM INVITED ME TO THEIR HOME-TOWNS ON WEEKENDS, CONVINCED ME THAT WAYLAND IS INDEED A CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY. BUT I LEFT THIS UNIVERSITY WITH UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. WHAT KIND OF SPIRIT MOTIVATES PEOPLE TO GIVE LIKE WAYLAND GAVE? WHAT KIND OF SPIRIT COMPELS VIRTUAL STRANGERS TO GIVE THEIR HARD EARNED MONEY TO ENDOW PROFESSIONAL CHAIRS OR TO ERECT BUILDINGS TO SERVE THE NEED OF THE STUDENTS AND THE UNIVERSITY? THE ANSWER CAME MANY YEARS LATER. GIVING IS TRULY THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL. THANK YOU WAYLAND FOR THE PART YOU HAVE PLAYED IN MY LIFE. THANK YOU FOR THE PART YOU HAVE PLAYED IN MY FAMILY’S LIFE. THANK YOU FOR THIS AWARD. GOD BLESS WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY AND ALL OF YOU.