May 21, 2015 (Thursday)
Waco is the home of Dr. Pepper, a soft drink known around the world. I remember being in Oklahoma City in a restaurant where the lady took my order, called it to the kitchen aloud, and called to the person in charge of beverages, “Gimme a Waco.” That’s what they called Dr. Pepper for many years, around the world. Maybe even today, I don’t know. I have not heard the word used that way in a long time.
I wrote recently about the Waco tornado in 1953. A horrible memory. Since the tornado, other bad memories have become associated with Waco: David Koresh and a burning inferno where many perished, and now, the infamous Bike Rider war at Twin Peaks restaurant. Probably many people who have never been there think Waco is a bad place to be. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
When I think of Waco, I think of breathing fresh air. I started at ETBC in Marshall, where I had asthma so bad I could not get out of my room to attend classes, so I dropped out and started over at Baylor University in Waco, where I never once had an asthma attack. I don’t know why, I just know it’s so. So that in itself is a pleasant memory of Waco for me.
When I think of Waco, I think of Baylor. I was a student from 1949 to 1953, and the student body numbered around 5,000. Those four years were very happy ones for me. Six members of our immediate family graduated there.
Here’s what Erin Albin wrote about Waco in facebook after the Biker incident: “For the record, Waco is a wonderful place to live. I’ve called it my home for 4 years now and truly love it. So let’s not just associate it with Branch Davidians and biker gang shootings, please!”
Amen, Erin. Not only did I love Waco as a student, but later on when I was pastor at Kosse, about 45 miles to the east, Waco was our “town.” We went there to shop for clothes, to go to movies, and make major purchase of lumber, etc. I went there often to visit patients in the hospitals. It was a wonderful, peaceful and quiet town where the lines were short and the people gracious. A really good place to live and work. And you’ll find one of the nation’s greatest city parks (nearly 500 acres), Cameron Park, where you can visit the real “Lovers Leap.” Or you can visit the Texas Rangers museum, an exciting exhibit. If you get there on game day, you can eat hot dogs and cheer the team in one of the finest college stadiums to be found anywhere, complete with a view of the Brazos river and the impressive Baylor campus.
Waco grows slowly. At least one census showed a decrease in population, which is now about 130,000, more or less. Maybe some bad eggs have made it to Waco because the folks there just go about their business without complaint or bothering to judge people. A generalization, I know, because Waco, like many towns, could put up a sign like a Florida town: “”Welcome to Sebastian, Home of Pelican Island, friendly people and six old grouches.”