Leaving a Great Legacy - The Mattie Allen Story

Fall 2017 - It isn't that surprising when someone who has fond memories of years spent attending a university - or who has children or other relatives with similar memories - chooses one day to give back to that university out of gratitude.

But the story behind one of the largest gifts ever made to Baylor University shows that even if such familiar ties are absent, there is something about Baylor's mission and legacy strong enough to inspire great affection and support.

A full life

Mattie Jones was born in 1887 in Hurst, Texas. The daughter of a farmer, Mattie eventually married J.C. Allen, an employee of the Otis Elevator Company.

The Allens moved to Dallas in the hard economic times of the early 1930s. Before J.C.'s death in 1937, the Allens paid $4,500 for a 147-acre farm about four miles south of Grapevine. Mattie continued to own the farm, operating it through a tenant farmer while she lived in Dallas and attended the First Baptist Church there.

Though the State of Texas took a small portion of her farm for highway use, Mattie's remaining 147.5 acres continued to grow in value over the decades. When construction began on nearby Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the farm's value skyrocketed.

The promise of instant riches couldn't budge Mattie. She turned down offers from investors interested in buying the strategically located farm. Mattie insisted she would never sell it during her lifetime.

When Mattie made her last will and testament in the 1950s, she provided special bequests to friends, relatives and First Baptist Church of Dallas. The residual portion of her estate was to be sold and the cash paid into a trust to create a permanent endowment at Baylor. The money, according to her will, was to be used for the purpose of "assisting worthy boys and girls in securing an education at Baylor University."

A powerful impact

Mattie Allen died at age 96 on August 30, 1983. When Baylor's portion of her estate arrived, it totaled almost $14 million - the largest single gift in Baylor's history up to that time. The money established The J.C. and Mattie L. Allen Trust, which to this day fulfills Mattie's dream. A plaque honoring her legacy stands outside the west entrance of Pat Neff Hall.

The sheer size of Mattie's gift makes this an important story, but what truly makes it noteworthy is that the widow who gave away a fortune had almost no ties to Baylor. Not only had she never attended Baylor, Mattie Allen had never set foot on campus, and not a single member of her family had attended the University.

Mattie's decision to leave a large portion of her estate to Baylor was undoubtedly influenced by George W. Truett, her pastor at First Baptist Church of Dallas and a distinguished Baylor graduate. In the years since her gift, generations of Baylor students have had the chance to afford their dream of a college education as a result of Mattie's generosity of heart.