By Samantha Adams
Staff Writer
David Dockery, president of the university, holds a gifted photo of students and faculty forming a “U” and a “60” in honor of his 60th birthday. Lanese Dockery, first lady of the university, holds cards written by students and faculty.
Words were the centerpiece of University President David Dockery’s 60th birthday celebrations, which began with a surprise presentation of gifts at the end of the Oct. 24 chapel service.
The university president appreciates words in many forms: Books, articles, personal emails, Scripture and “the Word made flesh,” referring to Jesus Christ, Board of Trustees Chairman Norman Hill told students, faculty and Dockery himself, who sat on the front row.
“(When God created Dockery), he embedded within this man a growing and consuming love for words,” Hill said. “Knowing that he loves words and is challenged by words, and knowing that he loves to give words … Mrs. Dockery thought the very best thing that we could give him are a few words.”
Lanese Dockery, wife of the president, also stood on stage, holding a bin full of note cards.
A month before David Dockery’s Oct. 28 birthday, Lanese Dockery asked Union faculty, staff and students, as well as family members and friends from his college and seminary days, to write birthday cards for her husband.
“I know that notes of appreciation and thoughtfulness that people have sent him have been a great encouragement to him through the years,” Lanese Dockery said in an interview a week before the surprise. “So much so that we have quite a few of them (at our home) — many plastic boxes full of notes that he won’t let go of.
“There’s a lot of pressure in any leadership position, and I think the Lord has used notes from friends to give him encouragement directly from the Lord to sustain him,” she said. “On days that things are really hard and the challenges come, sometimes reading notes reminds you that God has placed you where he has placed you and it gets you all excited again about the mission of Union.”
The card collection was not the only preparation for his birthday. A few days earlier, the Student Government Association had gathered faculty, staff and students on Union’s great lawn. Dressed in red shirts, the crowd stood in formations that created the shapes of a “U” and a “60” and were photographed by university photographer Morris Abernathy from atop the bell tower.
SGA President Kylie McDonald presented the framed photo to David Dockery, with the “60” nested inside the “U.”
“We wanted to give him a thoughtful gift because he has been so gracious to us,” McDonald said. “He’s done a lot for all students but also for us personally — for SGA. We wanted to do something that would be very memorable for him and would complement what Ms. Lanese coordinated.”
David Dockery thanked everyone in chapel.
“Sixty is a milestone,” he said. “To celebrate it with you is something I treasure and for which I’m very grateful.”
