By Lori Fogleman
Former U.S. Congressman Chet Edwards has been appointed the W.R. Poage Distinguished Chair for Public Service at Baylor University.
Edwards, who represented parts of central and north Texas in Congress from 1990 to 2011, will serve the Baptist-affiliated university in a part-time capacity as he divides his time between commitments in Waco, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
He will be in-residence at Baylor two weeks per semester, providing public and classroom lectures. He will serve as host for educational events in the nation’s capital for Baylor students who participate in the university’s longtime Washington internship program.
He also will assist in processing the Edwards Archive, which consists of materials from his 20 years of public service. Once processed, the collection will be available to scholars and citizens.
Edwards was honored with the T.B. Maston Christian Ethics Award in honor of his years of public service and with the Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award from the Interfaith Alliance and the Barbara Jordan/Hatfield Courage Award from the Baptist Joint Committee for his defense of religious liberty. He credits former Baylor President Herbert Reynolds for inspiring his commitment to the cause of religious liberty.
Edwards and his wife, Lea Ann, along with their sons, J.T. and Garrison, attend Calvary Baptist Church in Waco and McLean Baptist Church in McLean, Va.
-30-
Lori Fogleman is director of media communications for Baylor University.