Introduction to Eula Mae and John Baugh
The Early Years Humble Beginnings
Born on May 29, 1918, in Anna, Illinois, Eula Mae Tharp Baugh, the oldest of six children, spent her early years moving around the country as her Baptist preacher father planted new church congregations. The family eventually settled in Houston, Texas.
John F. Baugh was born on February 29, 1916 in Waco, Texas. When he was twelve years old, John’s oldest brother and father both died. To help his mother, he began working at a local A&P grocery store. Due to the closure of the store where he worked (and most of the others in Waco) during the Depression, John moved to Houston to accept a job offer at one of the few A&P stores left open.
John and Eula Mae met in night school at the University of Houston. They married in 1936 and their only child, Barbara Nell (“Babs”) was born in 1942.
John became fascinated by the new, burgeoning frozen food industry. Working as a team, he and Eula Mae ventured into the industry, opening a small food services company called Zero Foods. Eula Mae did the bookkeeping and took phone orders while John made sales calls and deliveries.
1969 The Formation of Sysco Foods
The Baughs and eight other business-owner families met and became friends through involvement with the National Frozen Foods Association. In 1969, those nine family businesses took unprecedented action in merging their companies and simultaneously going public. The Systems and Services Company, Sysco, was born.
John was unanimously elected chairman of the board and CEO. Today, Sysco is the global leader in broadline food distribution, selling, marketing, and distributing its products around the world.
A perennial Fortune 100 company, Sysco currently serves over 90 countries and employs approximately 67,000 people.
This story as well as the story of the Baughs’ personal history and faith are told in the book From Waco to Wall Street: The Story of John Baugh, “The Sysco Kid”, written by their friend and longtime columnist for the Houston Post, Tom Kennedy.
Philanthropy A Practice of Giving – The Origin of the Baugh Foundation
Long before Zero Foods or Sysco, Eula Mae and John began giving. They made it a practice to give to those in need, even when they themselves had very little, and continued giving generously for the remainder of their lives. Faith and family were at the center of the Baughs’ priorities and they lived their lives reflecting their values of love, integrity, compassion, and faith.
Motivated by a deep-rooted love for and belief in the value of all people, the Baughs advocated for women in ministry, accountability and transparency in church governance, and academic freedom in beloved denominational related institutions.
Faith Traditions
1970's and 80's Sounding the Alarm
John and Eula Mae were devoted Americans who believed constitutional rights should be enjoyed equally by all. People of strong faith, they were especially distressed by the erosion of the First Amendment, which enshrines the separation of church and state. During the 1970’s and 80’s, they and other like-minded people began sounding the alarm about far-right religious demagogues they saw emerging in mainstream Baptist spaces who sought to weaponize the Bible for political gain, amass political power, and hack away at the wall of separation between church and state. They were distressed about the introduction of secular politics and political tactics in their denomination and other religious spaces.
1994Forming the Baugh Foundation
The Baughs saw the danger inherent in weaponizing religion for political purposes, and they recognized that the unchecked power and corruption they saw growing within their own denomination was contributing to and a part of a nationwide pattern. In keeping with their lifelong practice of giving, John and Eula Mae formally established the Baugh Foundation in 1994, in part to combat the worrying, corrosive trends they were watching and to attempt to prevent the harm they believed those efforts could do to the church and the country.
The first Board consisted of John and Eula Mae, their daughter and their two adult granddaughters. A dear friend with financial expertise also served on the first board in an advisory capacity. To date, the Foundation has awarded grants totaling over $176 million to more than 200 non-profit organizations whose work reflects the Baughs’ values.
2007Passing the Torch
In 2007, John and Eula Mae passed away within six months of each other, leaving the Foundation in the hands of their daughter, Babs Baugh.
A longtime philanthropist with a multitude of friends, Babs was known for her generosity, positive outlook, travel planning, adventures, and significant musical talent. Babs spread joy and laughter everywhere she went.
Into the FutureThe Work Continues
When Babs died in 2020, the responsibility for leading the Foundation was passed to her daughters, Jackie Baugh Moore and Julie Strathe Baugh.
Jackie and Julie continue to lead the Foundation today, along with Sterling Moore, Katie Moore, Jake Moore, and Breck Ortiz—the fourth generation of Baugh family Board members—and the Foundation’s Executive Director Callie Langton.
The Baugh Foundation’s Board annually sets priorities, adapting and adjusting them based on changing conditions and needs to ensure the Foundation’s work continues to reflect Eula Mae’s and John’s faith and values.
Generations of Care
Eula Mae & John began The Baugh Foundation to steward their deep values and love of Christ. Today, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren carry on that legacy.
Generations of Care
Eula Mae & John began The Baugh Foundation to steward their deep values and love of Christ. Today, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren carry on that legacy.
Baylor Line Foundation 2025 Hall of Fame Distinguished Alumni Award
The Green Room Podcast, Building a Lasting Legacy: An Interview with Jackie Baugh Moore
Want to learn more?
Our Funding Priorities
We welcome applications from progressive, faith-based organizations.
About the Baugh Foundation
We strive to form genuine and meaningful relationships with our grantees, celebrating their growth and achievements along the way.