David, BA '60 and Shirley Lake
Baylor Legacy Award

Awarded to individuals who demonstrate extraordinary service and philanthropy to Baylor or to causes that fit our mission as a Christian university.
David, BA ’60, and Shirley Lake seek to mold the joyful and painful moments of their lives into blessings for others. For them, that’s what “living life to the fullest” means.
Through The David and Shirley Lake Endowed Scholarship Fund, the couple provides a tangible blessing to students in need. They empathize with families’ struggles to afford higher education. At one point, all four of their children—Joel BA ’92, JD ’06; Jonathan, BBA ’93; Kyle, BA ’94; MDiv ’97; and Kristi Lake Fuller, BA ’95, MSG ’96—attended Baylor at the same time.
The Lakes have experienced countless joys in life since David’s Baylor roommate set them up on a blind date nearly 50 years ago. In addition to their children, who collectively earned seven Baylor degrees, they have 14 grandchildren who they bring to games and are lobbying to attend Baylor someday. Many of their lifelong friends are a part of the Baylor family.
They also have known great heartache. Their son Kyle, a beloved pastor at University Baptist Church in Waco, died while preparing to baptize a believer in 2005. Following the devastating loss, the couple felt the embrace of the Baylor family and a deepening sense of the calling on their lives. A decade later, Kyle’s weekly benediction, “Love God, embrace beauty and live life to the fullest,” still resonates within their hearts.
In keeping with their desire to steward the most difficult moments for something good, the Lakes have found multiple ways to ensure that Kyle’s legacy lives on in students who benefit from their generosity. Students from Baylor and elsewhere have been blessed by the 66 scholarships awarded by The Kyle Lake Foundation and The Kyle Lake Memorial Endowed Scholarship Fund at George W. Truett Theological Seminary.
The Lakes also established the Kyle Lake Center for Effective Preaching in Truett Seminary. Equipping ministers to communicate the gospel in a meaningful and effective way, as Kyle did, the Center enhances Truett’s capacity to train students for the preaching ministry.
Baylor remains a major presence in the couple’s lives, and their love for all things green and gold continues to advance the Baylor mission in the lives of generations of future students. It’s a legacy that they hope inspires others.
