William Slater Banowsky DALLAS--William Slater Banowsky passed away Sunday, April 28, 2019. He was 83. FUNERAL: 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5, 2019, at the Preston Road Church of Christ, 6409 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas, 75205. Dr. Banowsky will be interred in the Banowsky Family Memorial Gardens at Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park in Colleyville, Texas, in a private ceremony immediately following the service. MEMORIALS: In lieu of flowers, please direct any donations to the Christ's Family Clinic, 6409 Preston Road Dallas, TX 75205, www.christsfamilyclinic.org. Born March 4, 1936, in Abilene, Texas, Banowsky and his three siblings were raised in Fort Worth, Texas, as members of the Church of Christ. Banowsky's grandfathers were both ministers in the Church. His father, a public school teacher and administrator for 31 years in Fort Worth, was an elder in the Church. Banowsky graduated from Carter-Riverside High School in Fort Worth in 1954. A natural athlete, Banowsky earned a baseball scholarship to David Lipscomb College in Nashville, Tenn., where he majored in history and minored in speech communications. At Lipscomb, he met and married his wife of 62 years, Gay Constance Barnes. At ease in church pulpits from a young age, Banowsky began his preaching career in 1958, ministering to a Church of Christ congregation in Weir, Ky., while completing his undergraduate work in Nashville. Banowsky graduated from Lipscomb in 1958 with a bachelor's degree in communications and history. He and Gay and their infant son, David, then moved to New Mexico, where Banowsky served as a minister at the Netherwood Park Church of Christ in Albuquerque, and earned his master's degree in communications from the University of New Mexico in 1959. In 1959 Banowsky and his family moved to Los Angeles, where he became Assistant Professor of Communications, Assistant to the President, and Dean of Students at Pepperdine College. During this time, Banowsky also served as a minister for the South Gate Church of Christ, and began pursuing a Ph.D. in communications from the University of Southern California. Completing his doctoral program at USC in 1963, Banowsky took a break from academia and accepted the position of minister at the Broadway Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas. He served there for five years, and also taught speech communications at Lubbock Christian College. Banowsky returned to Pepperdine in 1968 as Executive Vice President. In 1969, Banowsky became the Chancellor of Pepperdine College, with his primary focus on raising money to relocate the campus from inner city Los Angeles to Malibu. Banowsky exceeded all expectations in his fundraising efforts, and in 1970 Pepperdine broke ground on a new campus in Malibu. A year later, Banowsky was named Pepperdine's fourth president. The 34-year-old chief executive was firmly on the rise when in 1974 "Time" magazine named Banowsky one of America's 200 leaders of the future. Banowsky is largely credited with the vision and execution of the plan to transform a small inner city college to a thriving university overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Pepperdine's Malibu location is breathtaking, and widely considered one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. The story of his leadership at Pepperdine is well documented in his book, "The Malibu Miracle: A Memoir." In addition to his service in the ministry and in higher education, Banowsky became one of the most influential political leaders in California. In the early '70s he was named Republican National Committee Chairman for the State of California. He also hosted a weekly TV show "Now with Banowsky" on the Los Angeles NBC affiliate. Banowsky served Pepperdine as President for 10 years, leaving in 1978 to become President of the University of Oklahoma, where he served until 1985. During his tenure at OU, Banowsky was credited with numerous achievements. While the university enjoyed great success in athletics, he will be most remembered as the president that raised the academic profile of the university and funds to support academic excellence. He also will be remembered for his tremendous external influence, reaching out to communities in all counties throughout the State of Oklahoma. Following his tenure at OU, Banowsky moved back to Texas and was named President of Gaylord Broadcasting Company. During his Gaylord tenure, Banowsky also served as Vice Chairman of the Board of the Texas Rangers and the President of the Texas Superconducting Super Collider Authority from 1987 to 1988. In 1990, Banowsky accepted an executive leadership position with National Medical Enterprises (now Tenet Healthcare), and he and Gay moved back to Southern California. While there, he returned to the classroom. In 1995, he received a master's degree in clinical psychology from Pepperdine's Graduate School of Education and Psychology. On his 56th birthday Banowsky ran the Los Angeles Marathon with his son, William Jr. In 1995 he and Gay returned to Dallas, and from 1995 to 2000 Banowsky served as Counseling Minister for the Highland Oaks Church of Christ. Throughout his career, Banowsky served on a wide variety of advisory councils and boards at both the local and national level, including the Los Angeles and California Chambers of Commerce, and the Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Education. He also served on numerous boards of directors for both colleges and corporations, including Coca-Cola, Fidelity Life Insurance, and the Thrifty Corporation. Banowsky also received a number of honors, including honorary doctorates from Oklahoma Christian College (1972), Pepperdine University (1979), and Oral Roberts University (1981). Banowsky wrote and published four books: "The Mirror of a Movement"; "It's a Playboy World," which grew out of a 1967 televised debate between Banowsky and Anson Mount, then religion editor of Playboy" magazine; "The Now Generation," which was published in 1969; and his final book, "The Malibu Miracle: A Memoir," which was published in 2010. Banowsky led a truly amazing life. He touched countless lives and will be remembered as a prolific, charismatic leader and great friend. He was a deeply spiritual and enlightened man, whose generosity was never ending. He will be well remembered for the thousands he led to Christ and for his expanded view of Christ. He believed in an inclusive God. In addresses at SMU and Pepperdine in 2000 and 2001, Banowsky warned of spiritual divisions among the world's religions. "The problem is that every religion tends to see itself either as the one and only, or in some sense superior to others. Arrogance toward others always correlates with ignorance of them." He argued for inclusivity, always. He believed in a Christ that loved everyone equally. SURVIVORS: He was a loving husband and father and he often said his family was the most important thing in his life. Banowsky is survived by his wife, Gay; sons, David, Britton, William Jr., and Baxter; his beloved daughters-in-law; 15 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and his three siblings, Richard "Dick," Nancy, and Martha.