Daryl “Chief” Walton
With heavy hearts, we, Tia and Germaine Walton, regret to announce the passing of our dearly beloved father, Reverend Daryl G. Walton, who peacefully departed this life on the morning of July 9, 2026.
Our father was a man of unwavering faith, love, wisdom, and compassion whose life touched countless hearts through his ministry, his kindness, and his devotion to his family and community. While we grieve this tremendous loss, we also give thanks for the remarkable legacy he leaves behind.
Doug Geldert
Douglas (Doug) Vance Geldert passed away on May 11, 2026 in Denison, TX after a lengthy illness. A native Texan, Doug was born on January 2, 1952 to Vance and Mary Geldert and graduated from Lake Highlands High School in 1970. He attended the University of Texas at Austin and played four seasons on the Texas Longhorn football team, where he was a member of the Southwest Conference Championship teams and lettered in 1973. After college, Doug built diverse careers in a variety of fields, including civil engineering as a supervisor for TxDOT, apparel retail, and as a small business owner of Dude's resale shop in Sherman. Doug deeply loved his children and told everyone he encountered how proud he was of them. He was a Christian man, and later in life he became a member of the Friendship Class at the First Baptist Church in Sherman, Texas. He continued to enjoy watching football and golf while discussing game strategies with old friends. He is survived by his life partner, Reba Wilson of Sherman, TX; daughter Wendy; sons Gabriel (Christy) and Joshua (Natalee); grandchildren Ryleigh, Ella, Charlotte, Audrey, William, and Maggie; sister Mary Gunter; brother Donny (Julie) Geldert; nieces Vanessa Gunter and Natalie Vidrini; and nephews Hal Samples, Brandon Samples, and Nicholas Geldert. Doug spent the last year and a half of his life under the care of the staff at Beacon Hill in Denison and Heart to Heart Hospice in Sherman. The family is very grateful for the love and support the caregivers shared with Doug.
Published by The Herald Democrat from Jul. 21 to Jul. 23, 2026.
Dr. Mark Toulouse - Alumnus of the Year April 2018 from the University of Chicago Divinity School
“Upon recommendation from the Divinity School’s Alumni Council, the Board of Trustees of the Baptist Theological Union has named Mark G. Toulouse (PhD'84) the Divinity School Alumnus of the Year for 2018.
Photo of Dr. Mark Toulouse by Romi Levine
“Upon recommendation from the Divinity School’s Alumni Council, the Board of Trustees of the Baptist Theological Union has named Mark G. Toulouse (PhD'84) the Divinity School Alumnus of the Year for 2018.
Mark Toulouse is Principal of Emmanuel College and Professor of the History of Christianity at Emmanuel College and the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto. He joined the faculty of Emmanuel College, one of the three theological faculties associated with the Federated Universities in the University of Toronto, in 2009, after serving twenty-three years at Brite Divinity School of Texas Christian University as a historian of religion and culture. Eleven of those years were spent as Dean and Executive Vice-President. He began his work in theological education in 1984, when he joined the faculty of Phillips Theological Seminary in Enid, Oklahoma.
Phyllis D. Airhart (MA'81; PhD'85), Professor of the History of Christianity at Emmanuel College, University of Toronto, wrote in her nominating letter that "I can think of no other Divinity School alum more deserving of this award."
Dr. Toulouse is the author of numerous articles and books. His books include The Transformation of John Foster Dulles: From Prophet of Realism to Priest of Nationalism (1985); Joined in Discipleship: The Shaping of Contemporary Disciples Identity (1992 and 1997); Makers of Christian Theology in America (1997), Sources of Christian Theology in America (1999), Walter Scott: A Nineteenth-Century Evangelical (1999), and God in Public (2006). The Academy of Parish Clergy named God in Public one of the top ten books of the year. His most recent work (co-authored) is a religious analysis of North American popular culture, The Altars Where We Worship: The Religious Significance of Popular Culture (2016).”
His Alumni Lecture video at the University of Chicago Divinity School is here.
This is an incredible honor for Mark and his family. He has traveled a journey not covered by many in our class and served others along the way. We are so fortunate to have him back close in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and able to visit with him at the pop up lunches and in the future at the 2020 reunion.
Mark is on FB if you have not already found him there and if you want to reach him, use the contact form on this website and send us your contact info to pass on to him.