Baxter’s History

1964

Founded in Mexico.

Baxter Institute had its beginning in Mexico in 1964. It was named for Leta Baxter, a sister in California who was very evangelistic in her outreach to teens and to women who came to Hollywood desiring to enter the entertainment industry and fell by the wayside. The dream for the biblical institute was to equip and train Latin American students who had completed high school. Entrance requirements would be high; students would be required to maintain high moral standards, and to earn good grades. In addition, students would spend weekends in evangelistic efforts, giving practical experience to ground the classroom theory.

With these aspirations in mind, property was located in Mexico City to begin this four-year institute. The West End Church of Christ in Nashville was among the first to become involved in this work; the Garden Oaks Church in Houston was close behind.

Harris Goodwin (1964-1995), who served as the founder and first president of Baxter, and Dan Coker provided important leadership during the early days in Mexico.

1978

Moved to Honduras

Problems developed with the Mexican government, labor unions, and the postal service making it hard to bring in students from other Latin American countries. Baxter then began looking for a location where the government was more cooperative. Finally, a property was found in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and Baxter was moved to its present site in 1978.

In the 1980s Baxter students partnered with other Latin American missionaries and students from stateside Christian colleges. Together through Global Campaigns they evangelized in nine major cities throughout Latin America.

1979

CELO Course

The Extension Course for Leaders and Workers (CELO) is a program that began under the direction of Arnoldo Mejía and was written by all the professors at the Baxter Institute at that time.

1981-1989

Global Campaigns

The Global Campaigns were established by Jim Frazier and Dan C. Coker, and were an essential part of the development of Baxter Institute students during the 1980s. These campaigns were carried out in the capitals or major cities of countries throughout the Americas. Abilene Christian University, Harding University, and Oklahoma Christian University also took part in this process.

1982

Ladies of Baxter

The Baxter Ladies, which is a volunteer association of women interested in supporting all the needs of the institute’s students. The idea was born on July 18, 1982, at Kate Howard’s home in Nashville, Tennessee.

1984

Dental Clinic

In 1984, a dental clinic began operating in the Amicus house, as the building adjacent to the Institution’s offices was known at the time. It all started with an initiative by three dentists, Steve Speck from Nashville, Tennessee, and Tom Miller and Stan Smith from Houston, Texas. They encouraged other colleagues to travel to Tegucigalpa to provide dental services twice a year.

1986 – 1987

Single bedrooms.

The work was dedicated on October 16, 1987, in honor of Mr. Walter Fraizer, an American citizen who devoted much of his life to promoting the evangelism program of the Churches of Christ, with a particular emphasis on Latin America.

1989

Medical Clinic

On June 1, 1989, 17 people arrived at the Baxter Institute to work on the new “Casa Amicus” program. Most were from the United States and included two pediatricians, two general practitioners, two nurses, two laboratory technicians, a pharmacist, an engineer, and seven volunteers. Care was provided from June 2 to 7, benefiting 244 children and 166 adults, treated by doctors John Gore, David McCauley, and William Young from Tennessee, and Dr. Jorge Aguilera from Honduras.

1991

Dedication of the James Moody Adams Healthcare Complex

The healthcare complex consisted of a medical clinic and a dental clinic, a nutrition program, and three classrooms for educating beneficiaries. At that time, the medical clinic already had full-time staff providing care to low-income individuals.

1991

Edificio Administrativo Harris Lee Goodwin.

Architect Russel Logan, bishop of the Church of Christ in Woodlands, Texas, designed the plans for the new building in Honduras, which was executed by engineer Leonel Juárez, assisted by engineer Eduardo Sánchez. Materials such as natural quarry stone, glazed brick, cedar, mahogany, and other local precious woods were used.