Dallas, TX — June 7, 2025 — The WMU Foundation Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Evelyn Tully has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 Rosalie Hunt Devoted Patron Award. She was honored with this award during the WMU Foundation’s 30th Anniversary Dinner on the campus of Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday, June 7, 2025.
The Rosalie Hunt Devoted Patron Award is presented annually to individuals whose enduring commitment and generous support of the WMU Foundation have made an eternal impact on missions education and the advancement of the gospel.
Evelyn’s deep love for missions began in childhood—listening to her mother read from the missionary prayer calendar and tracing countries on a world map. That early spark became a lifelong calling. She served as GA and camp director in Illinois before becoming the first person to serve as the Acteens Consultant for national WMU, where she helped launch the inaugural National Acteens Conference in 1972 with the theme “Let God Happen.”
Her leadership extended far beyond U.S. borders. Evelyn coordinated a four-year missions partnership between Illinois WMU and Baptist women in Kazakhstan, including their first country-wide women’s gathering. In honor of her service, and at the time of her retirement, Illinois WMU leaders established the Evelyn Tully Endowment for International Women’s Conferences, which continues to support women’s gatherings for leadership training, spiritual growth, and global sisterhood across six continents.
“Evelyn Tully exemplifies the heart behind the Rosalie Hunt Devoted Patron Award,” said Peggy Darby, President of the WMU Foundation. “Her unwavering commitment to help raise funds for the Tully Endowment, and her personal generosity in giving to support the work of national WMU through the WMU Foundation reflects the legacy the WMU Foundation Board of Trustees seek to celebrate through this award.”
For more information about the WMU Foundation and the Rosalie Hunt Devoted Patron Award, visit wmufoundation.com.