Ouachita Stories

Reflecting on the life and legacy of longtime Ouachita Baptist University staff member Mac Sisson, peers and former students consistently highlight the words “friend” and “mentor.”

Sisson, who served almost three decades as assistant director of public relations at Ouachita Baptist University, died March 8 at age 62 in Arkadelphia. In addition to his public relations role, he held the positions of OBU News Bureau director and sports information director. He also was active in directing a number of major campus events, including the annual Miss OBU Pageant, Tiger Tunes and Tiger Traks as well as working closely with the Miss Arkansas Pageant.

Describing Sisson’s influence and impact, Ouachita alumnus Rex Nelson noted, “He was a mentor. He was a friend. He was one of those salt-of-the-earth people who make me glad to live in Arkansas.”

Nelson, senior vice president of government relations and public outreach for The Communications Group in Little Rock, has served as the voice of OBU Tiger football for 30 years, working closely with Sisson for much of that time.

Reflecting in a blog post about Sisson, Nelson wrote, “Mac, a Crossett native, was a fixture for years at my alma mater, Ouachita Baptist University. He directed the news bureau, the sports information department, the photo lab and more. Mac was a man who seemingly wore 100 hats. But he did it all with a smile on his face and a genuine concern for the students.

“At some point during my days as a student, Mac became much more than a mentor. He became a close friend,” Nelson added. “Mac never had to wear his Christian values on his sleeve. That’s because he lived them.”

Chris Babb, a development officer and external director of alumni at Ouachita, also recalled his close work with Sisson both as a student and staff member.

Babb, who succeeded Sisson as Ouachita’s sports information director, wrote in a blog post that as his longtime friend and mentor, “Mac was a man who cared enough for his alma mater to go the extra mile and a man who cared enough about those he worked with to make them go the extra mile.

“Mac had a huge sphere of influence spanning three decades at Ouachita and many different areas including sports and pageants,” Babb noted. “Thanks, Mac, for everything. … You will be missed.”

Sisson, who served as OBU’s Student Senate president, was a 1969 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He also held a master’s degree from Ouachita in social studies education. He served on staff at Ouachita from 1973 to 1987 and 1989 to 2004, working in between as director of public relations at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sisson earned numerous awards for his work in both sports information and journalism. He served as president, vice president and secretary of the NAIA Sports Information Directors Association and was named the Ike Pearson Sports Information Director of the Year in 1978. He was also the founder and director of the Miss Arkansas Outstanding Teen Pageant and public relations director for the Miss Arkansas Pageant organization for many years. Sisson was a U. S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War and a deacon at First Baptist Church of Arkadelphia.

“On behalf of the Ouachita community, we give thanks for the devotion Mac had as a student, an employee and an advocate for Ouachita across his lifetime,” said Ouachita President Rex Horne. “We will always be appreciative of the service Mac and Donna have contributed to Ouachita over the years. The Sisson family is in our thoughts and prayers in these days and throughout the future.”

Dr. Bill Downs, retired chairman of Ouachita’s department of mass communications, noted, “I associate Mac with some of my earliest days at Ouachita. He came to help me in the News Bureau. Mac was the kind of person who never said no to working with me to tackle the various projects that came up.

“The thing that makes Mac most important to me was he was the kind of person I could go to no matter what was on my mind,” Downs said. “I also remember his wonderful sense of humor. I miss him terribly. It is a reminder of how fragile life is and that we need to make the most of every day and Mac did that.

“He was so popular with students,” Downs added. “The students loved to be around him, but they could go to him and confide in him and seek his counsel. He lived his life so well.”

According to Dr. Jeff Root, dean of Ouachita’s School of Humanities, “Mac Sisson showed students how to work hard, and that’s much more effective than simply telling them to work hard. I knew as a student that whatever he asked of me, he was doing even more himself. And he was doing it cheerfully. Those are two powerful lessons: work hard and enjoy your work.

“Years later, when I returned to Ouachita to work side by side with Mac, I found his legendary work ethic had not changed,” Root recalled. “Mac came to work at 6 every morning, read several newspapers and checked out the morning news on TV as he organized his day’s activities.

“I’m convinced the reason Mac could successfully coax hard work and long hours out of students and the reason his colleagues developed such loyalty to him was because we simply knew he loved us,” Root concluded. “Mac uplifted spirits with his humor. He encouraged those who missed the mark. He challenged those who were ready for the next step. He did all of these things with a zeal rarely seen. He expected us to do well, and we didn’t want to disappoint him.”

In addition to his Ouachita career, Sisson’s work with pageants included serving as state field director and director of press relations for the Miss Arkansas Pageant, executive director of the Miss Diamond Lakes Pageant and executive director and president of the Miss Teen Arkansas-America system.

“Mac was a part of the pageant family for many years and he will be dearly missed,” said Kelly Bales, president of the Miss Arkansas Pageant board.

“No matter who was wearing the crown, Mac was one of her biggest fans,” added Rick Pruitt, executive director of the Miss Arkansas Pageant.

Survivors include Sisson’s wife Donna Shults Sisson, who serves in Ouachita’s Office of Development; his daughter Stephanie Carol Sisson Green and her husband Jared of Rogers, Ark.; his mother Pauline McCone Sisson of Crossett; one sister, Peggy Sisson Snow of Prairie Grove, Ark.; and one grandson, Jackson Thomas Green. He was preceded in death by his son Alan and his father Zeph.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, March 11, at 1:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Arkadelphia with Dr. Lee McGlone and Rev. Steve Patterson officiating. Burial will be in Rest Haven Memorial Gardens near Arkadelphia. Pallbearers will be Chris Babb, Rex Nelson, Larry Pennington, Rick Pruitt, Jeff Root and Jim Veneman. Visitation will be Wednesday, March 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ruggles-Wilcox Funeral Home in Arkadelphia.

Memorial gifts may be made to Ouachita Baptist University, 410 Ouachita St., Arkadelphia, AR 71998.

By Trennis Henderson, OBU vice president for communications