Jay Greeson: Wilson's next normal starts with fond Baylor memories

Jun. 14—For the last quarter century, Scott Wilson's summer vacation was long on the heat and short on the time off.

"During every summer for the past 24 years, I've worked really hard [along with my administrative colleagues] to get school ready to open. Preparing for a school year is pretty intense, especially last summer as we navigated COVID," he said Monday.

But this is a new summer and this is the next normal for Wilson, 64, who just finished his 12th and final year at Baylor School.

Sure, at 64, anyone would be looking forward to the next chapter, but for Wilson — who has managed his love for his job and for his alma mater with the energy of two 32-year-olds — the decision to walk away from his dream job of headmaster was as much about the present as the future.

Life is funny that way. We adjust to the daily schedule, we accommodate as that schedule becomes the routine, and whether it's 12 days or a dozen years, life quickly reminds us of its unpredictability.

"The last three years have been pretty tough on my family and me," Wilson said "We've had two cancer diagnoses — my daughter Georgia and me. We're both doing well now. Still, that reality took a lot of my attention and energy. My best qualities as a leader are enthusiasm and being a positive presence, and I just felt I wasn't being my best self for Baylor that the school deserved better, so, I really began considering stepping down.

"When Chris Angel told to me that the summer of 2021 might be a decent time for a professional transition for his family and him that sealed the deal. It is really good timing for Chris, Baylor and me."

Angel — who graduated from Baylor in 1989 — will start the 2021 year with monster shoes to fill, and Wilson is confident in Angel's ability and is working through the summer to help the transition.

"Since I'm not leading the work to prepare for the 2021-22 school year, this summer has been pretty laid back," Wilson said. "I'm still in the office, but I'm deferring a lot to Chris and our team."

Wilson's list of exemplary qualities could fill this page and run on to A3. He was a lot of things on the Baylor campus, filling his role as leader and motivator with the genuine smile that became his hallmark.

He was a regular at Baylor sporting events — his enthusiasm evident, whether it was a middle school game or following Baylor alum Harris English during a round at the Masters at Augusta National several years ago. So it's hardly surprising that one of his favorite memories included a huge sports moment and certain rival across town.

"During my first year (2009-10), our football team played McCallie at home, and we were attempting to break an 11-year victory drought," Wilson recalled. "We had a really fun week on campus, and then the team played great, and we won 24-10. We had talked all week about representing Baylor with spirit and class, especially if we were to win the game.

"Well, the seniors in the student section wanted to storm the field as the game ended, and I told them 'No.' They looked at me like I was crazy, but I did not want to disrespect McCallie. The seniors obliged — grudgingly — until the middle schoolers jumped the wall and began running on the field themselves. Keith Mitchell, who was our senior class president, looked at me quizzically, and I relented and waved the students on. It was a pretty spontaneous and wonderful celebration."

Wilson also added a rain-soaked recollection of a soggy senior trip — an annual tradition at Baylor — in 2018 that turned the outdoorsy optimist into a downtrodden drag before the joy of the moment reminded Wilson of the joy to be found in any moment.

"I was miserable," he said. "I was tempted to cancel the trip and head home. But wiser colleagues persuaded me to stick it out, and we did. The amazing part was that, despite the conditions, our students never complained. At our closing program, I thanked the seniors for having such a great attitude. They rose, as if on cue, joined arms, and sang the alma mater. That moment told me that we had done a good job preparing them for the future and that they truly 'got it.' It was perfect."

There are few people who can set a more important tone than the leaders of our schools.

Wilson embraced that challenge every day, and while the impacts he had spanned more than a decade and reached thousands of lives, he's convinced he received as much as he gave.

If not more.

"When I think of my time here, I am just filled with immense gratitude," Wilson said. "I love Baylor — the school changed my life, and I could never repay what my teachers and coaches here did for me, and later for my daughters Georgia [who graduated Baylor in 2014] and Jane [class of 2017]. During the past several years as my family and I have dealt with health challenges, everyone at Baylor, from the board of trustees to the student body, stepped in to support my family and me in extraordinary ways.

"We talk a lot about 'The Baylor Family' — my family has truly experienced the power of that reality."

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.