Thomas Alton Pearson

Thomas Alton Pearson September 13, 1926 May 10, 2013 Thomas Alton Pearson, President Emeritus of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, passed away peacefully Friday, May 10, 2013, after a lengthy illness. A memorial service will be Tuesday, May 14, at 2:00 p.m., at the First Baptist Church of Waco, with the Reverend Curtis Holland officiating. Visitation will follow the service in the parlor of the church. Alton was born September 13, 1926, to James Thomas and Lois Bozarth Pearson in Port Arthur, Texas. He was graduated in 1944, from the Thomas Jefferson High School in Port Arthur and served as president of his senior class. Following graduation, he served two years in the United States Army in the Personnel Section of the Adjutant General Department and was discharged as Technician 3rd grade in December 1946. He entered Baylor University in the spring of 1947, and earned two degrees: the B.A. degree in 1950, and the M.A. in 1955. While at Baylor and for three years thereafter, he worked for Henson Printing and Office Supply Company as a city salesman. Also, while at Baylor, he met his future wife, Marie Louise Cagle, and they were married in 1952, in Waco. They have three sons, Thomas Cagle Pearson, James Alton Pearson and Joseph David Pearson. In 1953, Alton was employed as the first full-time Director of Personnel and Public Relations at Hillcrest Baptist Hospital in Waco, beginning a career in health care administration that spanned nearly forty years. In 1955, he was named Assistant Administrator; and after the period 1969-1971, when he served as Executive Director of Baptist Memorials Geriatric Center in San Angelo, Texas, he returned to Hillcrest and became Administrator of the hospital and later President of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center. He retired in 1992, at which time he was named President Emeritus. Alton was active in many professional organizations, including the following, in the following capacities: Member, American College of Healthcare Executives; Delegate, House of Delegates, American Hospital Association; Chairman, Board of Trustees, Texas Hospital Association, 1980-81; Chairman, Past Chairman's Roundtable, Texas Hospital Association, 1989-90; Vice Chairman, Development Council, Texas Hospital Association Education and Research Foundation; Preceptor, Trinity University Graduate Program in Health Care Administration; Charter Chairman of the Board, Voluntary Hospitals of America, Southwest, 1985; President, Baptist Hospital Association, 1984; Chairman, Texas Baptist Hospital Association, 1981-83; Member, Texas Association of Homes for the Aging; Member, Texas Health Care Association; and Member, Family Practice Residency Advisory Committee of the Coordinating Board of Texas College and University System. Alton was a former director of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and was a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator in Texas. In 1983, Alton was awarded the Earl M. Collier Award for Outstanding Hospital Administration, and he likewise appeared in Marquis' Who's Who in America, 1984-85. Alton also was active in civic affairs. In 1955, he served as the campaign director for the March of Dimes for McLennan County. He was on the Board of Directors for Waco's Lighthouse for the Blind, was past-president of the Waco Founder Lions Club, was past-chairman of the Board and director of the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce in 1985, as well as the past-president of the Governing Board of the Greater Waco United Way in 1979. Alton was also the original chairman of the Board for the Waco Public School Foundation, was past-president of the Baylor Alumni Association, served on the Board of Family Counseling and Children's Services, was a former director of the First National Bank of Waco and its successors, and a member of the Waco Rotary Club. In 1980, he was the recipient of the young lawyers' Liberty Bell Award, which recognizes outstanding community leadership. A long-time member of Waco's First Baptist Church, Alton served his church in many capacities: Deacon Board and its chairman in 1994; Sunday School director and teacher of both children and adults; choir member, baritone soloist, congregational song leader; and member of numerous church committees. He also was a charter member of Lake Shore Baptist Church, where he was one of the first four deacons ordained by that new church, as well as a Sunday School teacher, choir member and soloist, and leader of congregational singing. Alton was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Charles Walter Pearson. He is survived by Marie, his wife of 60 years; his sons and their wives, Tom and Cathy of China Spring, Texas, Jim and Kim of Crawford, Texas, and Joe and Dana of Abilene, Texas; and his grandchildren, Erin, Thomas, Katy, Bridger, David, Anne and Mark Pearson. He is also survived by a niece, Candice Bennett, of Chesapeake, Virginia. Those desiring may make memorials to the Alton and Marie Cagle Pearson Endowment Fund for continuing Medical Education, Department of Development, Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, 100 Hillcrest Medical Blvd., Waco, Texas 76712; to the Herbert H. Reynolds Endowment Fund, Baylor Alumni Association, 1212 University Parks Drive, Waco, Texas 76706; or to a charity of your choice. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.wilkirsonhatchbailey.com. Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey