Remembering Dr. Corts

Anna and I found out that Dr. Corts passed away. He was the president of Samford University while Anna and I were students there. From our experience and all accounts by others, he was a brilliant leader and did some amazing things while at the school, particularly in fundraising.

Anna tells a great story about Dr. Corts: One of the school clubs had a video scavenger hunt where the largest prize would go to those that went to the Dr. Corts's home and had tea with him. Of course, the entry was likely intended as a joke, but Anna's group took the challenge head-on. When they arrived, Dr. Corts welcomed them in, explained that his wife was away, but that he would be willing to give it a go. He came up with lemonade and cookies as a great treat. Full points were awarded. I should also mention that all the participants had teased their hair out as part of the competition.

When I was a senior, I represented the school in a couple of competitions. One day I was invited to Dr. Corts's office because he wanted to wish me luck. Again, he was a gracious host, taking time out of a particularly busy day to get to know me and tell me that I had his full support. There was a rumor floating around that said Dr. Corts actually had a secret office where he did all sorts of important work. I thought that, since I was there, this meeting was a perfect place to find out the truth. When I started asking the hard questions, Dr. Corts revealed that he, indeed, had two offices. The one that everyone knew was the one with all of the windows, the perfectly placed books, and the clean desk. In all actuality, there was a panel in the room that would push out and lead to his working office. He asked if I wanted to see that office. "Most definitely, sir." It wasn't particularly cluttered, but it was funny to see his "paper garden."

Among all of his incredible accomplishments, I think one of Dr. Corts's best was his demonstration of kindness to some of the goofy students that came through SU.