Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Somewhere in Fort Worth, Texas, there stands a seminary with a story that starts not here, but down the road in Waco; and makes its way to Tarrant County carrying a whole lot of ambition and a whole lot of faith. Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary was chartered on March 14, 1908, for graduate education in Christian ministries.

Now, 1908 is when the clock starts tickin'. And the very first man to take the helm was B.H. Carroll, who served as president from 1908 to 1914.

Six years at the front of something brand new; that's no small thing. Then in 1910, just two years after the charter, the seminary picked up and moved here from Waco. Pulled up stakes and came to Fort Worth.

And Fort Worth met it with open arms: two hundred acres of campus land and the first building, Fort Worth Hall, were gifts of the people of Fort Worth. That's a community making a statement. The seminary grew, it deepened, it kept on.

L.R. Scarborough stepped in after Carroll and held the presidency from 1914 all the way to 1942; twenty-eight years. Then E.D.

Head carried it from 1942 to 1953. J. Howard Williams took over in 1953 and served through 1958.

And Robert E. Naylor picked up from 1958 onward. Along the way, something else shifted too; in 1925, control of the seminary passed from the Baptist General Convention of Texas to the Southern Baptist Convention.

From a Texas institution to a national one. A charter, a move, a gift of land, a succession of leaders, and a growing reach. That's the marker's story; and Fort Worth's got the campus to prove every word of it.

What the marker says

Chartered March 14, 1908, for graduate education in Christian ministries. Moved here in 1910 from Waco, Texas. Original 200-acre campus tract and first building, Fort Worth Hall, were gifts of people of Fort Worth. Control passed from Baptist General Convention of Texas to Southern Baptist Convention in 1925. First president (1908-14) was B.H. Carroll. Successors: L.R. Scarborough, 1914-42; E.D. Head, 1942-53; J. Howard Williams, 1953-58; Robert E. Naylor, 1958-. (1972)