The Baylor Line

Ida Stamps was walking up the steps of the science building when she was approached by Walter King – nephew of the very man who paid for the very building Ida was walking into. The pair had never spoken before and came from completely different worlds. Ida was from the faraway village of Seguin, while Walter was a Baylor legacy whose family’s wealth had helped build the campus. That day, Walter invited Ida to the Junior Picnic with him.

The chemistry the pair uncovered at the picnic was undeniable, but the strict rules at Baylor that limited interactions between male and female students made further communication difficult. But they found a way. They enlisted friends to help them pass notes to and from each other.

As they grew closer, Ida grew more daring. With Walter’s impending graduation approaching, she decided to dedicate herself fully to celebrating his accomplishment – breaking whatever rules necessary to make it happen.

Having worked up the courage, one day, she snuck out of chapel to take an unsupervised buggy ride with Walter. When confronted by the matron of her dorm, she said she left the chapel because she was simply too tired to sit there any longer and went up to bed. The success gave her the confidence to plan an even bolder escape. Ida, and a group of other girls, made plans to sneak out one night to a club which many of their beaus belonged to. Whether the rules were relaxed because of graduation festivities or the faculty decided to turn a blind eye, the girls got away with it and snuck back into the dorm later that night without any confrontation.

Walter graduated that year, and Ida’s reputation went unblemished. The two married three years later and enjoyed 60 years together.