Don, BA '60 and Jenny Riddle
- 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.
Don Riddle, BA ’60, never envisioned a career as one of Texas’ top trial lawyers. A journalism major, Riddle spent four years as an infielder with the Baylor baseball team and was named captain of the squad his senior year. He then spent nearly six years with the U.S. Marines, earning the Leatherneck Award as Platoon Honor Man after boot camp in San Diego. These experiences helped sharpen a quiet confidence that served him well as he changed careers and later served clients as a lawyer.
His law career developed from a suggestion by his wife. Don and Jenny met while both were working in Midland, Texas, in 1962, and they married a year later. Don began attending law school in Houston, with Jenny supporting them as secretary to the vice president of Shell Oil.
Don took a job with the well-known Brown, Kronzer, Abraham, Watkins and Steely firm in Houston, eventually becoming a partner. In 1974, he organized the firm of Riddle, Murphrey, O’Quinn and Cannon and continued to build a name for himself in the Houston legal community. In his five decades in the legal profession, he has won numerous high-profile cases and been honored with dozens of awards and recognitions, including being named one of the top 20 trial lawyers in America by Forbes magazine and a Super Lawyer of Texas by Texas Monthly.
As their lives blossomed, the Riddles never forgot Baylor. They showed their appreciation through gifts and an extended family legacy. Through their Riddle Foundation, the couple provided a major gift to fund the Stacy Riddle Forum, which houses meeting space for sororities. They also have supported numerous scholarships and other facilities, including the Sheila and Walter Umphrey Law Center, and founded The Ken Howard Music Scholarship to honor a childhood teacher of Don’s.
Jenny and Don’s daughter, Stacy Riddle Baumgartner, BA ’89, chose to follow in her father’s footsteps to his alma mater. Her choice was clearly meaningful for Don but was just as special to Jenny, who had long ago felt a part of the Baylor Family and was happy to have her daughter as a part of it—and to have her close by for regular trips to Waco. The oldest of their five grandchildren is a sophomore at Baylor this year, and Don and Jenny hope to influence others to attend as well.
