Of all the members of the Wayland Baptist University Athletics Hall of Honor, Joe and Freda Provence, admittedly, are among the least athletic. At the same time, there's no doubt the Provences have been among the biggest FANS of Wayland athletes. From Joe being a founding member of the Racket Club and a longtime cheer team sponsor to Freda serving the university for a quarter-of-a-century in the president's office and accompanying athletics teams across the country, the Provences – throughout their 60-year marriage – have proven their loyalty to WBU Athletics knows no bounds.
Freda, who grew up in Paducah, Texas, loved playing softball as a child and in high school played the baritone saxophone. "We were poor and my parents couldn't buy me an instrument. The school had a baritone sax, so that's what I played. It was almost as tall as I was," Freda recalls. After graduating high school in 1956, she attended Texas Woman's University in Denton for 1½ years before Wayland was recommended to her by a friend, Wanda Sue Sandlin. "She told me she thought I would really like Wayland, so I transferred sight unseen in the spring of 1958."
(NOTE: Joe & Freda Provence will be inducted into the WBU Athletics Hall of Honor – along with Brad Bass, Todd Jeffress, Kim Kayler Clemmons and Dr. Sylvia Nadler – at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 6 inside the Pete & Nelda Laney Center. Admission is free. Live streaming at www.wbuathletics.com/watch.)
That was about the same time Joe arrived at Wayland. Like Freda, Joe also was musically inclined, having played drums at Arlington High School. His schooling was interrupted when his younger brother developed polio and was paralyzed from the neck down. Joe went home to help with him while also attending UT-Arlington. Joe returned to Wayland in the fall of 1960, and the Provences have been tied to Wayland ever since.
Freda lived in Fleming Hall, which also housed most of the Flying Queens, "so I got to be acquainted with them." Joe, meanwhile, formed a pep squad with some of hi buddies called the Racket Squad. "They wore red sweaters and went to basketball games with noise makers."
Joe earned his degree from Wayland in 1966, while Freda graduated in 1974. Joe embarked on a 44-year career with Wayland, first serving in the news services office and in student activities before joining alumni development in 1985. He also served as cheerleader sponsor from 1978-94. Joe retired in 2006 after 44 years on the Wayland staff. He later was named Emeritus Director of Alumni Services by the WBU Board of Trustees. Freda, meanwhile, retired in 2007 after 25 years of service, all spent as an administrative assistant in the president's office, and as Joe's volunteer helper with the cheerleaders. "I never had a paying position with the cheerleaders or with sports," Freda said. "If Joe was there I was usually right there with him."
She added, "We had some fantastic cheerleading squads during that time. We used to go to NCA cheer camp at SMU in the summer. They learned all those stunts; I think that's why my hair is so gray!" For several years Joe hosted an NCA cheer camp on the Wayland campus. "It was always well-attended and really good." The couple also served together for many years as sponsors of the Miss Wayland pageant, working with each year's winner to prepare for the annual Miss Texas Pageant.
As cheerleader sponsors, the Provences found themselves attending many WBU athletic events, both at home and on the road. Many of their fondest memories involve happenings at Flying Queen and Pioneer basketball games.
One of their fondest memories is attending NAIA national basketball tournaments, some years having to split their cheerleading squad when the men's basketball team played in Kansas City and the women's team about six hours away in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "Joe took half the cheerleaders and went to Cedar Rapids while I stayed with the other six in Kansas City.
"At one point the Pioneers were not playing but the Queens were, so all of the people in Kansas City went to Cedar Rapids to watch the Queens play. Our van broke down just outside of Amana, Iowa, which was an Amish community. We got to a garage and told the mechanic where we were going. He said, 'Then you take my van and go to your game. When you come back I will have your van fixed.' That kind of surprised us, but this guy had a really nice van. We got to the game just as they were introducing the players. We barely made it, but we made it."
The Provences remember the 1985 season when the Pioneers advanced to the championship game. "We were so disappointed they didn't win after we prayed they wouldn't get beat in the first round," Freda said. She recalls a headline in a Kansas City newspaper about young Pioneers coach Mark Adams. "The headline said, 'This Kid Can Coach.'"
That same year the WBU men's indoor track & field team won the NAIA national title under John Creer. "The track team won nationals, the Pioneers were second and the Queens were third. For a little school like Wayland that was pretty good!"
Freda also recalls the Flying Queens playing in Los Angeles against UCLA. "We rode the bus all night long from Wayland to L.A." She remembers helping the bus driver navigate crazy L.A. traffic and losing the diamond out of her engagement ring (she eventually found it). Joe also made a memorable marathon journey flying with the cheerleaders from Los Angeles to Philadelphia.
"We have some wonderful friends that were cheerleaders, too many to mention by name." They've also formed lifelong friendships with many WBU athletes, including basketball player Alexey Carvalho (1987-91) of Brazil. "We took Alexey out to eat after he got here and became friends. Now, when he comes back to town we usually go out to eat."
While they made lots of road trips, most of the Provences' time watching WBU student-athletes was done on-campus, including after they both retired from Wayland. "We've always gone to most of the games in the Hutch if we possibly could. Lately, health problems have kept us away, but we've always enjoyed following Wayland basketball. We've also enjoyed watching the women's volleyball team play, and we're always interested in the scores of the track and baseball teams. Neither of us enjoy watching professional sports. We've always just supported the Wayland sports."
Through the years the Provences have developed many friendships in the stands at the Hutch, including with the late Pablo Gonzales and his grandson Homie, Clorene and David McDonald, and Perry and Mac McDonald. "That's one of the treasures of going to the games," Freda said, adding, "Pablo was a double-amputee. We became such good friends that we were invited to his 50
th birthday party. Another birthday we gave him a gold vest that had Flying Queens written on it. He was buried in it. We're still friends with the family."
Induction into the WBU Athletics Hall of Honor is the latest in a long line of recognitions for the Provences. Previous honors include the Distinguished Alumni Award, the Spirit of Philanthropy Award, and the President's Award, the highest honor bestowed to benefactors who have given not only financially, but who have also supported the university's endeavors through service and advocacy. The Provences couldn't be more pleased with their induction into the Hall of Honor. "We're both just thrilled to death."
