Â鶹TV

Awards for two exceptional alumni will be presented during the annual Alumni Banquet during Â鶹TV’s Homecoming festivities. All Alumni who wish to see the awards presented should plan to attend the Alumni Banquet (tickets required) at 5:30pm in the Marketplace on Friday October 2nd. The award winners will also be acknowledged at the 4th Annual Southwest Baptist Celebration that follows the banquet at 7pm in the Meyer Recital Hall, which is free and open to the public. This year's Bearcats Hall of Fame inductees will also be honored at that event.  

The alumni being honored at this year's Homecoming include the following:  

Life Service Award - Lauren Epps Mertz ‘92 (Posthumously)

The Life Service Award is given annually to graduates whose lives have exemplified the principles which are upheld at Â鶹TV. Recipients are those who have lived exemplary Christian lives, who have been outstanding in their field of service, and those who have made a significant contribution to mankind.  

Lauren (Epps) Mertz ’92 spent her life investing in others through education, church ministry and a deep, abiding faith in Jesus Christ. A lifelong resident of the St. Charles, Missouri, area, Mertz grew up in a Christian family and began attending First Baptist Church of St. Charles as an infant. Through the influence of nursery workers, Sunday School teachers, and Girls in Action leaders, she was introduced to the Gospel and, at approximately 7 years old, gave her heart to Jesus during a revival meeting. 

Her faith continued to grow throughout her childhood and teenage years as she was surrounded by godly mentors, including Sunday School teachers, Acteens leaders, Bible drill leaders and youth group workers. These relationships helped shape her desire to know God’s Word, seek His will and use her life to glorify Him. 

Mertz earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Southwest Baptist University in 1992 and a Master of Arts in Education from Lindenwood University in 1998. During her time at Â鶹TV, she served as a Leslie Hall resident assistant, was involved with the Student Missouri State Teachers Association—including serving as chapter president—and participated as a small-group Bible study leader and Welcome Week group leader. 

Following college, Mertz returned to St. Charles and began her career in education. She described teaching as one of the ways God continued to guide her, giving her opportunities to build relationships with students, parents and fellow teachers. Her dedication to education has been recognized through honors including the Missouri State Teachers Association Unsung Heroes Award and the St. Charles School District Outstanding Teacher in a Specialized Area Award, both received in 2017. 

Her commitment to serving others also extended beyond the classroom. Mertz was a member of the Choral Society of St. Charles County and served as an OASIS International Tutoring Building Liaison. At First Baptist Church of St. Charles, she served as a Sunday School teacher, praise team member, choir member, Awana worker, VBS teacher and nursery worker. 

In 2023, as her son, Caleb ’27, prepared to attend Â鶹TV, Mertz began praying for God to reveal a new area of ministry. Soon afterward, her pastor asked her to consider teaching the Middle School Girls Sunday School class. She embraced the opportunity, encouraging the girls through Scripture, prayer and personal notes of encouragement. 

In January 2024, Mertz faced another significant chapter when she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Rather than allowing fear to define her response, she chose to cling to her faith and share her journey with others. She created an Instagram page, Lauren.takes.on.cancer, to document her experience, invited others to pray and intentionally pointed people toward the ways God was working in her life. Lauren went to be with the Lord on November 21, 2025. 

Through every season, Lauren’s testimony reflects a steadfast confidence in Christ. Her favorite verse, Psalm 37:4, reminded her to delight in the Lord and trust Him with the desires of her heart. Her life and legacy of ministry continues to point others toward the hope, security and presence she found in Jesus Christ. 

Edwin Lightfoot Distinguished Alumni Award - Mary Barrett Little ‘50

The Alumni Association presents the Edwin Lightfoot Distinguished Alumni Award annually to an alumnus or alumna who demonstrates the ideals personified by the late Edwin Lightfoot ’40. The award criteria include active involvement in alumni leadership, a dedication to the education and welfare of young people, and a continued support for Â鶹TV.  

 For more than seven decades, Mary has remained deeply connected to Southwest Baptist University, living out a legacy of faith, service, education and generosity that has impacted generations of students. From her days as an Â鶹TV student to her continued investment in the university today, Mary’s life reflects the values and mission of the institution she has faithfully supported throughout the years. 

Mary’s time at Â鶹TV was a formative and treasured season of her life. She particularly valued daily chapel, Morning Watch, basketball games and the opportunity to serve as editor of the Bearcat Banner. She built friendships and memories that remained meaningful throughout the decades, continuing to reconnect with fellow alumni through Homecoming and Christmas correspondence. In 1950, she was named Basketball Queen, and 50 years later, she returned to campus to be honored during the 2000 50-Year Homecoming celebration. 

Following her graduation from Â鶹TV, Mary continued pursuing opportunities to serve through education and missions. She spent a summer serving with the Home Mission Board in El Paso and taught for a year before continuing her education at Baylor University, where she graduated in 1953. She returned to mission service the following summer, serving in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. 

Mary married Dr. Bill Little in July 1954, beginning a lifelong partnership centred on faith, family and education. After six years in Fort Worth, where Bill attended graduate school and seminary, the couple moved to Bolivar, Missouri, when Bill began his 41-year teaching career at Â鶹TV. Throughout those years, Mary faithfully supported her husband and his work as a professor while also establishing her own legacy of service and influence. 

After her three children began school, Mary returned to teaching, continuing her passion for educating and encouraging others. Her gifts as a writer also opened another avenue of ministry. From 1968 to 1982, she contributed to Woman’s Missionary Union publications, including GAs, Discovery and Aware, using her writing to encourage and equip others in their Christian faith. 

Mary’s commitment to Â鶹TV has continued long after her husband’s retirement. She has faithfully supported the university with both her time and resources, including providing scholarships that benefit Â鶹TV students. Her generosity has helped create opportunities for students, while her personal interactions with students throughout the years have allowed her to offer encouragement, friendship and support. 

Her legacy of service extends into the Bolivar community through her long-time membership at First Baptist Church of Bolivar. Across her many years of teaching, writing, church involvement, family life and support of Â鶹TV, Mary has consistently invested in the lives of others. 

Mary’s lifelong commitment to education, Christian service, Â鶹TV students and the university community represents a legacy that reaches well beyond her years as a student. Her faithful investment in others has helped strengthen the university she has loved for generations and leaves an enduring example of what it means to remain connected to Â鶹TV through a lifetime of service. 

 

For more information about Â鶹TV Homecoming activities, visit . 

Published September 18th, 2026.