Tireless civic worker Billye Proctor Shaw gives of herself and her time

Jan. 26--She might not have been born here, but Billye Proctor Shaw has adopted Abilene with such enthusiasm, it's hard to believe she's a Houston native.

She has served on local boards ranging from Cancer Services Network and Day Nursery of Abilene to Abilene Arts Alliance and Frontier Texas! Though she's in her 70s, she's still serving on and chairing boards and serving the community and the state.

"I keep trying to slow down," she said with a smile. "Obviously, I'm not doing that very well."

Proctor Shaw is being honored as the Grand Dame at the Abilene Philharmonic Gold Medallion Ball on Saturday. Her husband, L. Glynn Ray, is her escort, also known as the Noble Gold.

And yes, it's still Billye Proctor Shaw.

"I told Glynn I have enough names," she said with a laugh. "I didn't take his name."

Speaking of names, the unusual spelling of her first name goes back to her early school days. It was originally Billy, after her aunt.

"But they kept putting me with the boys," she said, which made the little girl very unhappy. So her mother added the "e" and her birth certificate was changed.

When Dana Endsley and Dian Stai first approached her about being the Grand Dame, she told them "No," more than once. But they inundated her with email and phone calls. It was a beautiful flower arrangement that broke down her defenses.

"They knew how much I love orchids," she said.

In 2004, Proctor Shaw was asked to be the honoree at The Grace Museum Fall Benefit. Again, she repeatedly turned down the requests, until her good friend Lynda Calcote told her, "They are going to keep asking. You're never going to look better than you do right now, so just do it." Proctor Shaw laughed at the memory.

Calcote couldn't pinpoint just exactly how long she's known Proctor Shaw, but said it's been "many years." She, Proctor Shaw, Dian Stai and the late Lois Peck called themselves the "Kitchen Cabinet."

They often sat in the kitchen, laughing and talking, Calcote said. They also took frequent trips together.

"There is such an amazing, wonderful, caring tender side of Billye that people just don't see," she said. "That's the side of Billye that makes you love her so much"

Calcote has been involved with a number of organizations, due largely to Proctor Shaw. It's a lot easier to say yes to her than no, she added.

"She doesn't just give of her money, as so many can't," Calcote said. "She gives of her time. She puts her footprints where her money is."

Calcote remembers when a group of friends used to walk for exercise.

"Billye has more energy than any human I've ever known in my life," Calcote said. "We'd walk the track at Red Bud (Park). Billye would always walk backward. She didn't want to miss a thing."

Stai also was one of the walkers. She's the one who nominated Proctor Shaw as the Philharmonic Grand Dame; a nomination that was approved unanimously by the members of the Abilene Philharmonic Guild, the group that organizes the ball.

"I've never seen such energy," she said about her longtime friend. "There's no one like Billye. She's a great woman and a great friend."

Sharon Riley first met Proctor Shaw in 1980, when Riley moved to Abilene. She said they have helped each other through some bad times, holding each other up when they were down.

"Neither of us stays in the dumps very long," Riley said.

Early Days

Proctor Shaw attended Rice University, which had no tuition for Houston residents. She started as a freshman when she was just 16.

"She's always been an achiever," said Riley, with a smile. "She always feels she has to reach for the stars and then she reaches them. She does things really well."

Proctor Shaw and C.A. Proctor, who was the quarterback for the Rice football team, married when they were sophomores at the university. Their first child, Chris, one of four, was born when they were juniors. Proctor Shaw continued attending school.

"Neither ever missed (being on) the dean's list," said daughter Chris Proctor Cleveland.

Even then, "from an early age she knew that hard work, academically and socially were required if she wanted to get where she wanted to be -- which was with us," Proctor Cleveland said.

At that time, Rice only offered degrees in architecture, engineering, math, language, history and English, Proctor Shaw's major. She had to go to the University of Houston to get her teaching certificate.

After graduation, C.A. Proctor worked for American General Insurance Co., which moved the Proctors around. Proctor Shaw taught school in Houston and Fort Worth. The family moved to Abilene in 1970 and settled here.

In 1971, Proctor Cleveland became a Tempoette, a group of high school girls who are usherettes at the Abilene Philharmonic concerts and who assist at other philharmonic events.

"Her connection to the Philharmonic goes back to then," Proctor Cleveland said.

Proctor Cleveland grew up watching her mother's involvement and commitment to the community. She said if her mother was a juggler, she'd hold the world record for the most objects in the air at once. That kind of participation requires vision and organizational skills, something at which her mother shines.

"She has an overwhelming, undeniable talent for finding a way to help others," Proctor Cleveland said. "And it's never the same way twice."

In preparation for the interview, she called her mother and asked what motivated her involvement.

"She gave me two reasons. She said, 'I don't know how not to do it' and she told me, 'To whom much is given, much is expected,'" Proctor Cleveland said. "She's not one of those dysfunctional people who help because it draws attention to themselves. She's just that damn selfless."

About the arts

But Proctor Shaw did more than serve on boards or chair them. She's also a shrewd businesswoman who has filled such roles as chairman for Big Tex Crude Oil Co. and her present position as president of BT Solutions.

Proctor Shaw is known to be a champion for the arts. She represented Abilene on the Texas Commission on the Arts and eventually became chairwoman. She is on the Abilene Arts Alliance board now.

She's not sure when her interest in the arts started. Her mother played piano by ear and Proctor Shaw took lessons for years.

"I think it was thrust upon me," Proctor Shaw said. "I've always loved music and I've always been a big ham."

While she was attending Rice, students from University of Houston recruited her to star in a production for the school's Frontier Festival.

"They must have been desperate," she said with a laugh.

She took lessons and started painting with Evelyn Niblo some time ago. Proctor Shaw's paintings hang throughout her lovely home.

"I would have to say I owe my appreciation and eye for art to Evelyn Niblo," she said.

Her good friend, Dian Stai has some of Proctor Shaw's paintings and even took art classes with her.

"She's so good," Stai said with a laugh. "I learned to appreciate art. I didn't learn to paint,"

Once she became interested in the arts in Abilene, she became a fierce champion. When she was chairwoman of the Texas Commission on the Arts, she traveled across the state speaking to community organizations about the importance of the arts, especially the economic impact and as a component of a well-rounded education.

Riley said that Proctor Shaw has the weight and support of the community behind her when she serves on a board.

"That makes the board stronger and more able to get things done," Riley said.

Proctor Shaw is as good a friend as she is a member of the community. She'll do anything for her friends, Stai said. Plus, she throws great parties and knows how to enjoy life.

"My life has been a lot more fun because of Billye," Riley said.

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