Lohse to be honored as Distinguished Baylor Woman

Alice Starr will be special guest speaker

Central Texas Bayor Women will honor the Distinguished Baylor Woman from this area during a brunch 9:30 a.m.-noon Feb. 15 at The Venue by Inn on the Creek in Salado. 

Tickets are $35 and may be paid at the door.  Reservations must be made by Wednesday, Feb.12.  For reservations or more information, call Pam Dial Taylor at 760-8855.

Special guest speaker will be the First Lady of Baylor University, Alice Starr, wife of President Ken Starr.

The Distinguished Baylor Woman for 2014 is Paula Goode Lohse, born and raised in Central Texas, educated in Killeen public schools and was Drum Major and twirler at Killeen High School. She received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Baylor, attended the AIM Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria and is a graduate of the National Automobile Dealer Association’s Dealer Academy.  She is a Board Member for the Texas A&M Foundaation.

Currently Lohse is Dealer in Principal at Toyota of Killeen where she spearheaded the “Turkeys for the Troops” project which handed out 3,000 turkeys to active duty military families the week before Thanksgiving and serves on the Board Member for Vive Les Arts Theatre and the Metroplex Hospital Governing Board.  Recently appointed to the TAMUCT School of Business Advisory Board, she was also named a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of America.  She received the “Friend of Education” award from KISD and the Ted Connell Community Commitment award from Peaceable Kingdom.

She is a former Killeen Rodeo Queen and active member of the Rodeo Killeen Committee.    She has appeared in many musical productions at Vive Les Arts.  She serves as director of Children’s Music Program at First Baptist Church of Killeen, where she also sings in the choir.

Paula has three children:  Jennifer Angell, Lea Anne Erwin and John Lohse and three grandchildren:  Ren, Birdie and Charlie.

The brunch gathering will include a silent auction and a style show given by Susan Marie’s of Salado.  

A special treat will be the Baylor Religious Hour (BRH) Reunion Choir, led by Kurt Kaiser, famous Christian composer.  The BRH Reunion Choir will also be singing at the service at First Baptist Church in Salado at the morning service Feb. 16.  

Another addition this year will be a reunion of former Athenean Club members of Baylor.  This club later became Kappa Kappa Gamma National Sorority.  

Emcee will be Carol Mills, who was honored as Distinguished Baylor Woman of 2013.  She and her husband, Billy are the new co-presidents of the Central Texas Baylor alumni.

For twenty years the Central Texas Baylor Women have held a brunch honoring the Distinguished Baylor Woman selected from this area.  From Cameron over to Lampasas, Gatesville and Hamilton, down to Rockdale and Georgetown, the women who support Baylor University, whether graduates or fans, have met yearly also to raise money for the Central Texas Endowed Scholarship.