By Greg Jaklewicz, Reporter
• Abilene Reporter-News
ABILENE, TEXAS - Bill Libby had two intentions in life, Bob Monk said.
One was to help others in their lives, be it a student-athlete at McMurry University, a veteran who felt disconnected or someone he might not know.
"The reality, as far as I'm concerned, is you look at Bill and see him as finding his life in helping others in their lives," Monk said. Particularly as a mentor to young me - on the battlefield in Vietnam or on the college campus.
The other was more practical. What could he do to make something, such as easier access to a building, happen?
"What I saw was that over the years, whatever McMurry might need that other people maybe didn't recognize, he was simply able to say to McMurry, What's going on? What else can I help with?" Monk said. "That is a major aspect of how he was generous.
"He was generous to the core."
Libby, a Vietnam War veteran, will be buried later this year at Arlington National Cemetery. His late wife, Amy, is interred there.
"Bill Libby is really the embodiment of the core values of McMurry University," said University President Dr. Sandra Harper. "One of his major characteristics was he was a problem-solver. He would see something that he felt would enhance the university, and he then would figure out if he could fix it or provide support for it or garner some other kind of group that would be able to support it.
"He was the penultimate problem-solver.
Coming to Abilene
Monk met Libby at Texas A&M University in 1964. Monk was assistant campus minister when Libby was a "fish."
"Our lives were intertwined" since then, Monk said Thursday. Libby later would attend seminary not far from where Monk was going to graduate school
They reunited when Libby came to Abilene in 1991 to take an assistant pastor's role at St. Paul. Monk already was here, at McMurry, where he taught for 31 years in the religious life department. In 1996, that Methodist connection and Monk's push landed Libby as a faculty member there.
His Old Testament and History classes were student favorites.
Libby was religious, too, about running, and seeing a need, launched a cross country program in 1995. It became a school athletic program the next year. For five years, he personally funded the program. He won two conference titles before stepping down in 2002 to return to teaching. Before doing so, he established an endowment to continue to fund the sport.
"His most important aspect at McMurry was to be appointed so that he had the opportunity to work with the athletes," Monk said. Libby was a marathoner, who run courses in Europe and in the U.S. - wherever he was stationed in the military.
Libby served as athletic director from 2006-08 and headed a life skills program called CHAMPS.
Monk said Libby was tasked to help athletes in academics "but also in the variety of how the college could serve through athletes," Monk said.
“Bill loved McMurry, and that love was reciprocated,” Sam Ferguson, vice president for student Affairs and intercollegiate athletics, said in a university statement. “He was the guy who would go out of his way to add value to others, and we were lucky to call him a friend."
His third and fourth callings in life were leading biblical and archaeological trips to Jordan and teaming with McMurry political science professor Paul Fabrizio as hosts of the radio talk show "The Professors," from 2005-17.
Earlier life
Libby was born in Barnsdall, Okla., and graduated from high school as a Dumas Demon. He traveled 600 miles southeast to College Station to attend Texas A&M to play the French horn in the band. But the calling for the pastoral ministry began there, leading him to also become chaplain of the band and the then-all-male Corps of Cadets.
"I think he knew every person in the band ... and the Corps," Monk said, laughing. "Bill was concerned about people. You already saw him as a pastor. That became his major focus, really."
Libby's education included attaining his Master of Divinity degree from Drew Theological School, a Methodist campus in Madison, New Jersey.
He married Amelia Ann Dunkle on Sept. 9, 1961, in Wilmington, Delaware.
Libby served for 30 years in the Army. His service included duty in Vietnam, where he earned a Bronze Star for his ministry. He retired as a colonel.
"Vietnam was very important to him. It defined a lot of aspects of his life," Monk said.
He was photographed in Hue, Vietnam, in 1968, as soldiers mourned the fallen. It was included in Ken Burns' documentary on the war
Have need, will fund it
Monk said Libby didn't look for list of people in need, he found that person or that need on his own.
"Which is a pastor," Monk said. "That was part of who he was. There would be no way to account for how many students he personally helped, not only in terms of their spiritual life and academic world but also simply helping them financially."
Or giving them a ride.
His friend, Monk said, lived a simple life so he could pour his time and resources into others and into projects.
"When I also think about the core values," Harper said, "what stands out to me, we have a core value about relationships being the catalyst for life. With the students, the student-athletes, student artists and thespians and musicians, he would really garner those relationships. He would be the ultimate fan or the ultimate audience member and then would come back and talk about how great a production it was or how great a game it was. Be sure to support the students.
"When I think about our core values, his relationships will stand out to me and it will be his lasting legacy at McMurry."
As he recognized the needs of young athletes, Libby in later years saw needs for those growing older, as he was.
If became a challenge for him to navigate the stairs in the McMurry administration building.
"He said, 'OK, we need an elevator in this place," Monk said. "So he funded it."
A similar thing happened at St. Paul, where Libby led an effort to install a ramp to make back-door entry to the kitchen easier for seniors ...
• Read the rest of this ARN report ...
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