Donald D. Schmeltekopf of Waco, provost emeritus at Baylor University, died July 30. He was 85. He was born Aug. 18, 1939, in Kyle to Emil and Ruth Schmeltekopf. He was a member of the NAIA national championship basketball team in 1960 at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University). He earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor University in 1962, followed by a Master of Divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Drew University. He also pursued postdoctoral studies at Princeton University. Throughout his career, he served in various roles in higher education and as a program officer for the National Endowment for the Humanities. He was vice president and dean at Mars Hill College in North Carolina before joining Baylor University in 1990. There, he served as vice provost and then provost until 2003. He was the director of the Center for Ministry Effectiveness from 2006 until 2014. He also was instrumental in affiliating Baylor as a member of The Lilly Network of Church-Related Colleges and Universities (formerly the Lilly Fellows Program) at Christ College, Valparaiso University. He was named provost emeritus upon his retirement in 2015. He was instrumental in shaping Baylor’s academic landscape, including the founding of Truett Theological Seminary, the Institute for Faith and Learning, the School of Engineering and Computer Science, and the Honors College, including the addition of the Great Texts Program. He was honored with the Charles D. Johnson Outstanding Educator Award in 2016 for his contributions to Christian higher education. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Judy; their four children, William, Elizabeth, Andrew and Stephen; six grandchildren; and his older brother, Robert of San Angelo. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts to the Endowed Donald and Judy Schmeltekopf Ethics & Culture Lecture Series at the Baylor University Honors College or Christ Church Waco.
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