Give Light Impact—A Legendary Legacy

Bob and Joyce Packard represent the Baylor experience for many generations of alumni. From Bob’s more than 50 years of teaching Packard Physics, where it is estimated he taught more than a quarter of all Baylor alumni, to Joyce’s service in many capacities, culminating in her time as dean of women, the Packards shaped significantly the journeys of many a Baylor student.
The Baylor Family mourned their passing—Bob in 2019, and Joyce in 2023. Their legacy, however, lives on in the lives of current Baylor students through two scholarships that bear their name.
When the Packards retired from Baylor, many of their former students came together to establish The Robert G. and Joyce Hornaday Packard Endowed Scholars Fund. The fund provides scholarship support for deserving students throughout Baylor, with recipients becoming known as Packard Scholars. Prior to that, a scholarship was established in honor of Bob’s service as the longtime advisor to the Kappa Omega Tau service fraternity—the Dr. Robert G. Packard Kappa Omega Tau Scholarship.
As the Baylor Family joined together during the Give Light philanthropic campaign, the cost of education was a key focus. Specifically, the creation of new scholarships and support of existing scholarships ensured that many more current and future students would receive support on their journey toward a Baylor degree.
Both scholarships named in the Packards’ honor benefitted from that attention, and an estate gift from the Packards added meaningfully to the gifts their service inspired.
“Baylor students and their spiritual, emotional and academic growth and development have been our life,” Joyce said in 2023. “We hope they, in turn, will pass on what we have been doing for them, and I feel that they will, knowing Baylor students. This tradition of serving and giving to others will live on forever—the line never ceases.”
Among the many students who benefit from that generosity is rising senior David Jabour, an Accounting major in the Hankamer School of Business. A native of Austin, Jabour has immersed himself in Baylor academics and student life. An active member of Kappa Omega Tau, he also serves as a Student Ambassador for the business school. In that role, he shares with prospective students the joys and challenges of succeeding as a Baylor student, with the hope that they will someday join him at Hankamer.
After three years at Baylor, Jabour can share that Baylor has changed his focus in meaningful ways.
“The way I define success now looks very different from the way I would’ve defined success beforehand. In high school, there’s that sense as you head to college that you want to chase the most prestigious job or earn the most money. Now, I feel a desire to pursue a job where I can serve others and have an impact. If that means less money, that’s alright. Serving and impacting my community is really what motivates me.”
As he prepares for a future career, he has intentionally pursued and earned roles at organizations that embody that pursuit. Last summer, Jabour interned with Chick-fil-A in their Atlanta-based corporate headquarters, and this summer he will intern in the deals practice of a large financial services firm in Austin.
These opportunities have strengthened his vision to someday start an investment group that emphasizes people. Closer to home, a scholarship bearing the Packards’ name has supported his pursuit of a Baylor degree—Jabour is one of the 2023 recipients of the Dr. Robert G. Packard Kappa Omega Tau Scholarship.
“It’s an incredible honor to earn this scholarship, and I hope to find ways to continue to give back to others because so much has been given to me,” Jabour said. “I never had Dr. Packard as a teacher, but I know he had a passion for teaching and loved his students. It means a ton to know that people have been willing to give to a scholarship fund that is helping my pursuit of a Baylor education and make it more affordable. It’s a true blessing.
“As I prepare for graduation, I want to find ways to continue to pay that forward and do for others what they have done for me.”
The Baylor Family established 864 scholarships during Give Light and increased countless others. That generosity will have a lasting impact in support of future Bears as they meet the financial needs of deserving students and make a Baylor education more affordable for all the ages to come.