As we give thanks this week, we celebrate the individuals who shaped our lives. Who made the most profound impact on you while at Schreiner?

My husband Kyle will quickly say Dr. Sam Lanham.

Dr. Samuel W. T. Lanham III ’51 was a Schreiner student, faculty member, trustee, and benefactor. He was also a Presbyterian minister, an attorney, a poet, an artist, and an avid cyclist. Dr. Lanham won the Harriet Garrett Award for Teaching Excellence five times, as voted on by students. Anybody remember taking Japanese Bookbinding during winter term? Or admiring the church bell ropes he hand-knotted? I could go on and on, but many of us will remember him as the perfect blend of wisdom, toughness, and love.

In 2003, Dr. Lanham received Schreiner’s Distinguished Alumnus award. Kyle and I were honored to attend the ceremony, and afterward I asked Dr. Lanham for a copy of his acceptance speech. It was a beautiful metaphor comparing a Schreiner education to the custom pair of leather boots he was wearing, handmade specifically for him in the Fort Worth Stockyards 35 years earlier.

Here are some powerful ideas from that speech:

  • There is something special about the things we actually make with our hands. Other pairs of boots I’ve worn were generically made, mostly by machine, without any particular concern for the specific wearer.
  • The beauty of imperfection is the mark of the human hand. God doesn’t care much about efficiency; what God values is effectiveness.
  • Education can be machine-perfect but not effective. For an effective education, we must respect the natural, individual variations of people.
  • Is Schreiner perfect? Nope. It’s better than that.

Dr. Lanham died in 2020, and his beloved wife Missie passed away this past April. Today, I think Dr. Lanham would be proud to know that even as Schreiner University continues to grow and evolve, it remains a place where authenticity beats efficiency; where relationships matter more than numbers, and every student is known, valued, and handcrafted for success. For that I am grateful!

If you’d like a full copy of Dr. Lanham’s speech, please email me at alumni@schreiner.edu. And let me know who most impacted your Schreiner journey?

Sincerely,
Lea Nye ’92
Assistant Director of Development: Alumni Relations