A Lifelong Learning Membership is required for course registration. Learn more about Lifelong Learning Memberships here.
In the event registration for a course fills up, a waitlist will be available on the website. Waitlisted individuals will be contacted in the order the requests are received, if someone withdraws from the course as a whole.
Gaza: How We Got Here
Wednesdays, September 3, 10, 17, & 24, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
The October 7th attack from Gaza did not happen in a vacuum. This course intends to examine the history of Gaza and what has led to the current discord. Tim Smith will review the background history, the entities involved, and the wider implications in the Middle East. He will present facts, in an equal and unbiased way, acknowledging there are di ering interpretations of the conflict. It is hoped that the participants will derive a better understanding of the issues, causes, and implications of the Gaza dispute.
Tim Smith
As a child of missionary parents, Tim Smith was raised in the Middle East and worked in Saudi Arabia for 5 years. I have traveled to 8 Arab countries. A History major in college, he has kept up my love of history by reading/studying history, especially as it relates to the Middle East. Growing up in Jordan, gave him the opportunity to participate in archeological digs. He has led 6 mission trips to Lebanon from our church.
What’s Happening to Our Weather?
Mondays, September 8, 15, 22, & 29, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
The Earth is now seeing more catastrophic weather events than ever before. In this course, Larry Smith looks at factors that create our weather, predictions of worldwide changes to come, and possibilities of what changes can be made that will impact our weather. Is man creating or contributing to these changes in our weather? What do changes in Earth's orbit, spin, and angle have to do with environmental changes that impact our weather? Can we do anything about it?
Larry Smith
A Baylor graduate with an MS degree from TCU and doctoral studies at OU, Larry has taught ten courses for Lifelong Learning/Continuing Education since 2018. Formerly a university administrator and secondary science teacher, Larry retired after serving as a National Park Ranger at Yellowstone & The Badlands National Parks.
The Woman Who Turned herself into a Poem:
Mary Oliver
Tuesdays, September 9, 16, 23, & 30, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
Join Tom Hanks in reading and discussing poems by the woman who was the best-selling poet in America for several years. Deeply imbued with an appreciation of nature, some of her poems also trace her personal journey from an abused child to a mature woman who refuses to let her past injuries govern her present life.
Tom Hanks
Emeritus Professor D. Thomas (Tom) Hanks, Jr., taught at Baylor University for forty-one years. He won the inaugural Fair Well-Known Award (2020) from the North American Branch of the International Arthurian Society for his "Women in the Wood in Wynkyn de Worde's 1498 Morte darthur" Arthuriana 30.1 (2020). Named a Baylor University "Master Teacher" in 2005, he also won every teaching award offered by Baylor University during his tenure there. He was in 2023 inducted into Baylor's Hall of Fame. He writes chiefly about Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte Darthur. His favored diversions are visiting with students in Moody Library and in the Fabled Bookstore.
Bubba and Bubbette:
Men and Women in Texas History
Tuesdays, September 9, 16, 23, & 30, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
What is it about the Lone Star State that makes it so great? Rosalie Beck will unfold the lives of fascinating women and men in Texas history, archiving them as some of the most unique people on the face of the earth. What makes Texas women and men larger than life? Texas was settled by diverse populations, resulting in strong leaders, a rich history, and stories that abound of charismatic and creative people who shaped the direction of people and the state.
Rosalie Beck
Rosalie Beck taught Church History at Baylor University for 35 years and was the first woman faculty member in the Department of Religion. She loves to introduce students of all ages understand that human nature is consistent through history and is a fascinating topic to study. People have so much in in common with people for all eras and ages.
The Spirit of 1775
Mondays, September 15, 22, & 29, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
(2-hour class)
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
"The British are coming! The British are coming!" 1775 was a fateful year for the American Colonies, and 2025 marks the 250th anniversary of all those events. In this course, Julie Sweet will examine those watershed moments like the shots fired at Lexington & Concord, the contentious meetings of the Second Continental Congress, and the defense of Bunker Hill. This background will show just how fraught those times really were and how what happened in 1775 set the stage for the years to come.
Julie Sweet
Dr. Julie Anne Sweet is a Professor of History and Director of Military Studies, and her teaching and research interests are in Early America, mainly the eighteenth century.
Let’s Travel the World
Wednesdays, October 1, 8, 15, & 22, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
These are not your neighbors’ vacation photos! Instead, Nancy Moore will share a travelogue that reflects the history, culture, and people of several less-visited countries. Come journey through Egypt with the pyramids, Nile River, its temples, & Abu Simbel; the countries of Southern Africa, its animals, & Victoria Falls; the United Arab Emirates with the tallest building in the world & Jordan with Petra; and Brazil & Iguassu Falls, along with the Amazon River and its piranha fishing, aboriginal tribe, and pink dolphins.
Nancy Moore
After retiring from a career that included Human Resources, teaching, and even coordination, Nancy has enjoyed traveling the world. With the exception of Antarctica, she has been fortunate to have spent at least three months on each of the other six continents. Sharing travel information is a passion for Nancy, and she looks forward to sharing her adventures.
A History of Railroads in America
Thursdays, October 2, 9, 16, & 23, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
Railroads have played a critical part in the development and the political, military, economic, and cultural history of America. Daniel Ogden will discuss this connection between railroads and American society including the various e orts to build a transcontinental railroad, the role railroads served in the Civil War and World Wars I and II, the challenge railroads played in alternative means of transportation, and the unique cultural and ongoing appeal of "riding the rails". Various forms of media will be used to illustrate the nature and appeal of railroads.
Daniel Ogden
Daniel Ogden, J.D. is a Lecturer at Baylor University where he currently teaches international relations courses in the Baylor Political Science Department and international business courses in the Baylor Hankamer School of Business. He is an attorney by profession who had an international law practice for 30 years before coming to Baylor to teach in 2018.
The Golden Age of English Hymnody
Mondays, October 6, 13, 20, & 27, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
The 18th century saw the writing of some of the greatest hymns of the Christian faith, including "Amazing Grace," "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing," and "There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood," and many more. While they may feel familiar, there are usually stories behind the hymns that you may not know. Explore (and sing!) with instructor, David Music, these and other hymns by such luminaries as Isaac Watts and Charles Wesley and find out why this period is known as the "Golden Age of English Hymnody"!
David Music
David W. Music is Professor Emeritus of Church Music at Baylor University, where he taught 2002-2020. He has written extensively on Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, and other 18th-century hymn writers.
Unlikely Heroes of WWII
Tuesdays, October 7, 14, 21, & 28, 4:30 PM – 6:00PM
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
Grab your seat to follow the captivating stories of Brad Livingstone, our ever-popular military history instructor, and Baylor’s First Gent! Sessions will feature Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector and medic who is credited with saving about 75 soldiers at Hacksaw Ridge; Rosie the Riveter, a symbol of women who filled non-traditional roles during the war in place of the men who went on to serve in the military; Doris Miller, the famous Wacoan who received the Navy Cross for carrying wounded sailors to safety during the attack on Pearl Harbor; and Louie Zamperini (“Unbroken”), the youngest American to qualify for the 5,000 meter race in 1936 Berlin and later became a WWII veteran and Christian evangelist.
Brad Livingstone
Brad Livingstone received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Oklahoma State while also playing basketball for the Cowboys. He had been an educator at Oaks Christian High School in southern California, served as Dean of Students, principal, and history teacher at Trinity Christian School in Fairfax, VA, and taught at Vanguard in Waco in the mid-1990s,returning in 2017 to continue teaching history with a specialty in World War II and the Viet Nam War.
A Witch, A Ladder and Lover’s Leap: The Storied
History of Cameron Park
Wednesdays, October 29, November 5, & 12, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM (2-hour class)
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
This class will be an exploration of the 114-year history of Waco's jewel: "William Cameron Park." Stephen Sloan will lead us in the exploration of the mystical and the literal history of this place that has long been a fixture of life in Waco. Whether you are a longtime Wacoan or are new to Central Texas, there will be compelling events, individuals, and happenings to learn about from the stories of this fascinating place. Take this course and then set o to new adventures in the park!
Stephen Sloan
Stephen Sloan is a Professor of History and the Director of the Institute for Oral History at Baylor University. His interests in community and public history led him to create the Waco History app and website (www.wacohistory.org) as well as co-create a local history podcast, the Waco History Podcast. He frequently speaks, provides tours, and consults on local history programming and exhibits. He was named Baylor University's Cornelia Marschall Smith Professor of the Year in 2024 as well as a Big XII Faculty of the Year.
Preserving Your Family Legacy
(Due to unforeseen circumstances, this course has been canceled)
What do you do with your old pictures? How do you capture family stories? Do you have a family tree? Judith Staples takes an entertaining journey through multiple ideas on how to collect and share your family’s legacy through scrapbooks, memoirs, photo boards, videotapes, and genealogy to preserve family, events, and memories. From simple projects to digitizing for the future, she will show a variety of ideas on how to approach the attic or closet to capture your family history.
American Medal of Honor Winners
Thursdays, October 30, November 6, 13, & 20, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Location: Mayborn Museum $20 per person
This course will trace some of the greatest stories of valor and bravery in American Military History. David Smith will unpack the stories of Medal of Honor winners from the years of the U.S. Civil War to today’s conflicts. Some you will know by name, others you may never have heard of their achievements. All of them are stories that show people at their best, struggling under conditions at their worst, but their contributions to history are unequaled!
David Smith
Dr. David A. Smith is a senior lecturer in American History at Baylor University. He graduated from what is now Texas State University in San Marcos, and he received his Ph.D. in modern American History from the University of Missouri in the year 2000. He is well-known for his teaching, speaking, and writing on art, culture, and politics. He has won awards for his teaching at Baylor University and at the University of Missouri.