Osler's Razor

The Razor's own hero of writing, Bob Darden, has received the first-ever Diversity Enhancement Award at Baylor. I'm proud of him, and proud of Baylor for recognizing what it has, but most of all I am awed by what Bob has accomplished.

In short, Bob has always loved gospel music-- mostly, African-American gospel music from the deep South. Not long ago, he realized that the legacy of this music was being lost as vinyl records decayed. He literally decided to save this important part of America's artistic and religious heritage. One guy. No money. Just determination.

He did it, too. He saved the music by doing what he does best-- he wrote about it. He wrote a book about the music first, and then wrote about the potential loss we faced. He raised the money to start the Black Gospel Restoration Project at Baylor, which now has saved (in digital format) thousands of recordings that otherwise might have been lost.

I love knowing people who have actually changed the world. I'm glad that Baylor sees it, too.