Dub and his bowties. A classic pair. It is up in the ranks with peanut butter and jelly or a cheeseburger with a milkshake. Anyone who has even the slightest knowledge of who the president of Union is knows that Dr. Dub Oliver loves his bowties. It is a staple of his. A trademark, if you will. It is rare to catch him without one on (unless of course he is wearing his bulldog sweater). The man has style. No, not just style… class.
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I had the opportunity to sit down with Oliver and discuss with him why this neck accessory has such a prominent place in his everyday wardrobe. On the surface, I learned that our First Lady, Mrs. Susie Oliver, had bought Oliver his first bowtie at some point while they were still serving at East Texas Baptist University. He wore it to an event that the school was hosting, and everyone fell in love.
“I looked pretty good,” Oliver said, smirking. We both laughed.
As we continued to speak, I began to gather some deeper lessons that one could possibly absorb from a conversation with an incredibly wise man about bowties. This will be my attempt to share those things with you.
If at first you don’t succeed, tie again.
“I felt like my arms were going to fall off.”
Oliver’s first experience with tying his bowtie wasn’t a painless one. He recalled the story of standing in his bathroom the night before, stress sweating, watching a YouTube video of a random guy teaching him how to tie the tie for an hour.
“I had to take a break,” he said, reiterating that his arms were on fire during this whole process. His endeavor wasn’t an instant success. It was a process, and it was uncomfortable, but ultimately, he reached his goal.
“My shirt was soaked in sweat. I had to shake the blood back into my fingertips, but it was exhilarating. I got it!”
So, the process may be uncomfortable, whatever it is. School, work, relationships. You may be stressed out of your mind. You may even be sweating. However, we are refined by the fire (James 1:2-3). That is a promise. It will pay off!
Affirmation is nice, but don’t let it get to your head.
“It is always encouraging when people say, ‘You look nice,’ or ‘I like your haircut!’ I think that is because people have a deep desire to be accepted. However, we shouldn’t clamor for people’s affirmation or applause,” he cautioned.
A deep desire for every person is to be fully known and fully accepted. That is only ever fully satisfied in a relationship with Christ; however, our friends and those around us can give us little samples of that as well. It is important for us to remember that we shouldn’t seek our identity in what others think or say about us, and that we should accept compliments with graciousness and humility. Speaking truth Dr. Dub!
Variety is good. Tie new things.
Oliver has many different bowties, ranging from various materials, colors and designs. Cotton, cashmere, wooden and even feathered ties are available for wear at any time he chooses. He even has long ties that he will wear occasionally (However, most people think something is wrong when this happens.)
“Some people are like ‘absolutely no bowties’ and others are like ‘absolutely no long ties,’ but come on, we can live together in harmony,” Oliver chuckles. “This is not a reason to divide.”
I think this is a good philosophy for life in general. Step outside of your comfort zone sometimes! If that means that you wear a bowtie to a formal, talk to someone you wouldn’t normally talk to or even branch out to try a unique cuisine, do it! We can learn a lot about ourselves and others when we do new things that we aren’t used to.
Oliver is one of those people who our campus admires and respects, and I think we all strive to learn from his leadership and intentionality among students and his staff. I am thankful for Oliver’s willingness to always smile, shake my hand and remember my name even when he doesn’t have to. We are very blessed to have him as our president.
Keep rocking those bowties, Dr. Dub!
