2025 Texas Baptists Legacy Awards honor Gary Cook and Charles R. Wade

On Sunday, June 1, Texas Baptists will present the 2025 Legacy Award, celebrating the heritage of Texas Baptists, to Gary Cook, higher education leader, and Charles R. Wade, a longtime pastor and leader in Texas Baptist life.

The Texas Baptists Legacy Award is presented annually at the Independence Baptist Church in Independence, Texas, in recognition of lifelong Christian service.

Gary Cook

Cook grew up with a desire to serve the Lord and felt a calling into full-time Christian ministry. To pursue this goal, he attended Baylor, where he completed his undergraduate degree, being elected permanent class president.

Cook completed his Master of Divinity at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. It was there that he met the love of his life, Sheila, an elementary school teacher.

They moved to Fort Worth, where Cook completed both a Doctor of Ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as an Master of Arts in Aging Studies from the University of North Texas, all while serving as senior adult minister at University Baptist Church in Fort Worth. Following graduation, Cook became pastor of First Baptist Church McGregor.

For the next ten years, Cook served in the Baylor administration. He also served on the Waco City Council and as mayor pro tem. During this time, the Cooks welcomed their two sons, David and Mark, both of whom would eventually follow their father’s footsteps into Christian higher education.

In 1988, Dallas Baptist University called him to serve as president. The young 37-year-old president began his first day at the helm of a university with rich potential but a long history of crippling financial struggles. During his first chapel service, Cook laid out his vision for what he hoped DBU would become—a university that would develop Christian servant leaders.

Over the course of his 28 years as president, DBU grew from 1,859 students in the fall of 1987 to 5,319 in the fall of 2015.  For the last nine years, he has served as university chancellor.

In addition to his work with DBU, Cook has served in a variety of ways with the BGCT and with the Baptist World Alliance. Also, he has served as chairman of the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities as well as chairman of the board for the Baylor University Medical Center.

Charles R. Wade 

Wade served Texas Baptists as its executive director from 2000-2008, seeking to help churches and leadership look more like Texas with its great resources, potential and diversity. His vision was to help our churches and institutions embrace the call to be “the presence of Jesus” in their communities. He encouraged Texas Baptists to cherish our unity and cooperation so we could do more together than we could do alone.

In the first 44 years of ministry, he pastored churches in Oklahoma, Germany and Texas, which was the joy of his life and the essence of his calling.  

Born on November 19, 1940, in Brownwood, Texas, to Howard Payne University student, J. W. and Nellie Jean Wade, Charles Russell would grow to be thankful for what Texas Baptists poured into the life of his pastor father. Raised in Oklahoma and a graduate of Oklahoma Baptist University, Charles was open to God’s future for him.

Wade married Rosemary Dobson from Frederick, OK, on Jan. 27, 1961. They have four children: Charles Mark (Pam), Roshelle Powell (Ian), Karee Kelly (Richard), Mary Robin Gaston (George IV), eleven grandchildren (four grandchildren-in-law) and two great-grandchildren.

Education: Woodward, OK, high school in 1958; Oklahoma Baptist University, BA 1962; Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, MDiv 1968, ThD 1975.

Pastored: May Baptist Church and Fairview Baptist Church in rural northwest OK, 1956-1958; church plant Northwest Baptist Church, Woodward, OK, 1958; Francis Baptist Church, OK, 1959-1960; Alex Southern Baptist Chapel, OK, 1960-1964; Trinity Baptist Church, Baumholder, Germany, 1964-1966; Central Baptist Church, Italy, Texas, 1966-1970; First Baptist Church, Enid, OK, 1970-1976; First Baptist Church, Arlington, Texas, 1976-2000; Executive Director for Texas Baptists, 2000-2008; Pastor Emeritus, FBC Arlington 2009 to present.

The Texas Baptists Legacy Awards will be presented during the Sunday morning worship service at Independence Baptist Church, with lunch to follow. To attend, please contact Becky Brown at becky.brown[at]texasbaptists.org or (214) 828-5301.