ACU Today Fall-Winter 2020

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C OMING UP Wildcat Preview Days .......................... February 21, March 27, April 20, June 15 Sing Song ..................................................................................... February 21-22 President’s Circle Dinner .................................................................. February 22 Alumni Day Luncheon ....................................................................... February 23 Admitted Student Visit Days ........................................................ March 2, April 3 Southland Conference Basketball Tournament (Katy, Texas) .......... March 11-15 TEDxACU ................................................................................................ March 27 Day of Giving ............................................................................................. April 21 Class of 1970 Golden Anniversary Reunion........................................ April 22-24

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Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships (Elmer Gray Stadium, Abilene) .............................. May 15-17 Wildcat Week ................................................................................... August 18-22 Pregame Party / Football at Texas A&M (College Station) ............. September 5 114th Annual Summit ............................................................... September 20-23 Freshman Follies / Family Weekend ......................................... September 11-12 Homecoming .................................................................................. October 15-18 JMC Gutenberg Celebration .......................................................... October 15 Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and Lettermen’s Reunion ................. October 16

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An Emerging National University New rankings from higher ed experts validate years of strategy and intentional growth at ACU

acuedu • acusports JEREMY ENLOW

Victory Lap Offensive linemen Slayde Anderson (66), Robin Luna (70) and Nico Russolillo (53) celebrate a last-second 17-10 win over McNeese on Sept. 21 by splashing in one of several wading pools used for a luau promotion on the east concourse of Wildcat Stadium.

National Leader in Student Success

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Outlive Your Life Award: Dr. Don Finto

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From the PRESIDENT

ACU Today is published twice a year by the Office of University Marketing at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas.

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among the “best buys” and top universities. Since then, their comparative data has served to educate students and families about nuances in the college selection process.

Like our colleagues, we place high value on recognition from U.S. News and World Report in its annual “America’s Best Colleges” editions, knowing what we do about its methodology and the science behind the numbers.

Our cover story this issue (pages 4-27) dives into an important analysis of U.S. News’ new way of measuring institutions and their value. As you will read, it reflects not just what its editors think but what the presidents, chief academic officers and deans of admissions of the nation’s colleges and universities think about which institutions are excelling in what are described as vital ways to determine student success.

In short, ACU is judged the best in Texas and among the best in the nation at several of these important measures.

That’s great news for our current and future students, of course, and affirms what we have known for a long time about a higher education from Abilene Christian. It’s also a win-win for others.

The value of every graduate’s degree is elevated when their alma mater is recognized in this way, which can translate into career opportunities along with other personal and professional advantages in having ACU on one’s résumé or academic vita. The generosity of our benefactors is affirmed when they see their investment make an impact in the lives of deserving students.

And parents are pleased to know their choice of ACU helps ensure the success of their students.

These kudos from education experts, while welcome, are further proof that even more important objectives are being achieved: We are living up to our goals of providing a unique, Christ-centered experience and expanding our influence and educational reach.

As you will read in this issue, we have made strategic investments for decades in programs, people and facilities to help ensure an ACU education meets the needs of students as they prepare to make a real difference in the world through their careers and personal lives. We believe deeply in the value of experiential learning and make it a central focus of what we do.

Our endowment is critical in our ability to reduce the cost of education and make it affordable for every student and family, and your generosity in growing it is deeply appreciated. Our new Purple Line Society (see page 61) especially recognizes donors whose longtime giving is worth celebrating.

God is truly blessing Abilene Christian and making its name synonymous with the most respected colleges and universities in the world. You empower our mission. Thank you, and help us spread the word! 

DR. PHIL SCHUBERT (’91), President The mission of ACU is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.

PAUL WHITE

lthough ACU was founded in 1906, it was the mid-1980s when education experts first began to publish ranking guides and list ACU

Editor: Ron Hadfield (’79) Assistant Editor: Robin (Ward ’82) Saylor Sports Editor: Chris Macaluso Production Manager: Amber (Gilbert ’99) Bunton Contributing Writers This Issue: Dr. Cheryl Mann Bacon (’76), Sarah Carlson (’06), Dr. Jeremy Elliott, Lance Fleming (’92), Dr. Susan (Lester ’92) Lewis, Deana (Hamby ’93) Nall, David Ramsey (’81) Contributing Photographers This Issue: Sarah Adams (’20), Alaska Hospital Association, Julie Anderson, Meda Bow (’23), Steve Butman, Braden Collum, Brandi Jo (Magee ’06) Delony, Scott Delony (’06), Dr. Kyle Dickson (’92), Jeremy Enlow, Jeff Fitlow, Rendi (Young ’83) Hahn, M.C. Jennings, Hannah Johnson (’19), Kim Leeson, Mack Linebaugh, Steven Martine, Zach Massey, Army Sgt. James K. McCann, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, John Mitton, Tim Nelson, Clark Potts (’53), Gary Rhodes (’07), Jack Rich (’77), Ed Rode, Rubén Santiago (’80), Texas Tech Health Science Center, United Way of Abilene, Courtney Ware, Paul White (’68), Rick Yeatts Contributing Graphic Designers/Illustrators This Issue: Greg Golden (’87), Holly Harrell, Todd Mullins, Amy Willis (’19 MBA) Editorial Assistants: Vicki (Warner ’83) Britten, Emerald (Cardenas ’08) Cassidy, Sharon (McDaniel ’79) Fox, Rachel (Jinkerson ’11) Goodman, Rendi (Young ’83) Hahn

ADVISORY COMMITTEE Administration: Suzanne Allmon (’79), Kevin Campbell (’00), Dr. Gary D. McCaleb (’64), Dr. Robert Rhodes Advancement: Jim Orr, J.D. (’86), Billie Currey, J.D. (’70), Sarah Carlson (’06) Alumni Relations: Craig Fisher (’92), Jama (Fry ’97) Cadle, April Young (’16), Mandy (Becker ’13) Collum Marketing: Jason Groves (’00) Student Life: Dr. Scott McDowell Ex-officio: Dr. Phil Schubert (’91)

CORRESPONDENCE ACU Today: hadfieldr@acu.edu ACU Alumni Association: alumni@acu.edu Record Changes: ACU Box 29132, Abilene, Texas 79699-9132, 325-674-2620

ON THE WEB Abilene Christian University: acu.edu ACU Today Blog: acu.today Address changes and EXperiences: acu.edu/alumni ACU Advancement Office (Exceptional Fund, Gift Records): acu.edu/give ACU Alumni Website: acu.edu/alumni Find Us on Facebook: facebook.com/abilenechristian facebook.com/acusports facebook.com/welcometoACU Follow Us on Twitter: twitter.com/acuedu twitter.com/acusports twitter.com/acuadmissions Follow Us on Instagram: instagram.com/acuedu instagram.com/acualumni instagram.com/acuadmissions

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irginia Heacock never had the resources to attend college. But thanks to her generous heart, generations of students have the opportunity to attend ACU on her behalf and live out her dream of receiving a Christian education.

Heacock joined Humble Oil and Refining, which later became ExxonMobil, in East Texas in 1945 as a telephone operator. Just three days after being hired, she was promoted to payroll clerk. By her retirement in 1986, Heacock served as lead administrator for business systems projects and had saved up quite a nest egg, which she lovingly referred to as her “Christmas fund.”

Despite her successful career, Heacock always wished she had been able to continue her education, and it was her belief that Abilene Christian uniquely equipped young people to grow both professionally and spiritually during college’s formative years.

So in 1995, she established the Virginia F. Heacock Charitable Foundation to provide annual scholarships to deserving ACU students, and in 2011 she transitioned the foundation’s funds to create a pair of permanent endowed scholarships at the university.

Following her death in March 2013, Virginia’s scholarships were further funded through both a generous estate gift and instructions to her family and friends that “In lieu of flowers, please send memorial gifts to the ‘Virginia Heacock Charitable Endowment Foundation’ at Abilene Christian University.”

Today, 10-12 students a year, several of whom are pictured above, have the honor of carrying on Heacock’s legacy at ACU. They receive funds from her scholarship to help cover their education, but they also learn more about the generous woman who made their opportunity possible.

If you would be interested in establishing an endowed scholarship at ACU or making an impact through your estate plan, please contact our team at The ACU Foundation. Like Heacock, your lasting legacy can help make the dream of Christian higher education a reality.

Virginia Heacock didn’t attend ACU, but friends at her church encouraged her to invest in the university.

Hunter Welcome Center ACU Box 29200 Abilene, Texas 79699-9200

800-979-1906 • 325-674-2508 • theacufoundation.org • theacufoundation@acu.edu

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Monarch butterflies migrate through West Texas each fall to spend the winter in Mexico. Several butterfly gardens on campus feature their favorite flowers, each planted to look great as well as nourish them on their long journey. (Photograph by Scott Delony)

ON THE COVER

One of the landmarks of ACU’s campus is Jacob's Dream, the award-winning sculpture site by Jack Maxwell (’78), professor emeritus of art and design. (Photograph by Scott Delony)

ACU: An Emerging National University FilmFest at Fifteen Outlive Your Life: Dr. Don Finto 36 ACU 101

38 #ACU

40 The Bookcase 44 Hilltop View 48 Academic News

52 Campus News 56 Wildcat Sports 61 Your Gifts at Work 62 EXperiences 80 Second Glance

OUR PROMISE

ACU is a vibrant, innovative, Christ-centered community that engages students in authentic spiritual and intellectual growth, equipping them to make a real difference in the world.

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Sewell posed for a portrait in 1919, the year the U.S. celebrated Armistice Day at the end of World War I. INSET Sewell completed his draft registration card in longhand on Sept. 12, 1918, at the Taylor County Draft Board office.

Other details on the reverse side indicated his height was “medium,” his build was “slender” and his eyes were blue.

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HORI Z ONS

BELOW After the U.S. declared war on Germany in 1917, president Sewell made arrangements for a Student Army Training Corps to be formed at Abilene Christian’s North First Street campus. Forty-three men enlisted and were paid $30 a month to train for military service while taking required courses in English, French, German, mathematics, history and government.

Wartime presidency did not exempt Sewell from registering for U.S. Selective Service The late Jesse P. Sewell remains the only one of ACU’s 11 presidents to register for the U.S. Selective Service System draft while leading the university.

He was 42 years old in 1918 but qualified for the third of three World War I registrations of prospective soldiers for the military: those age 18-45.

In all, 24 million American men registered for “the war to end all wars,” which was fought from July 1914 to November 1918. Not all registrants served but they were a significant population: 23 percent of the nation’s residents at the time.

Fifty-eight men from Abilene Christian served in the U.S. military during World War I. One was an instructor and 57 were students.

Three of the latter died as soldiers, and they were represented by gold stars on the Service Flag displayed in the chapel on the North First Street campus.

The deceased were D.L. Petty, an editor of The Optimist, football team quarterback Noll Childers, and Jasper Miller.

On Armistice Day in 1919, the college recognized their service with a patriotic music event and Victory Luncheon emceed by Sewell, who was never called to active duty as ACU’s fourth president (1912-24).

Around the world, some 9 million soldiers and 7 million civilians died during WWI, while another 50-100 million perished in genocides and an influenza pandemic that followed.

STEVE BUTMAN

INSET Late in life, Sewell posed on the steps of Hardin Administration Building on ACU’s hilltop campus.

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NEW RANKINGS FROM HIGHER ED EXPERTS VALIDATE YEARS OF STRATEGY AND INTENTIONAL GROWTH AT ACU

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BY DR . C H E RY L M A N N BAC ON

he lights dimmed. The music swelled. The room glowed purple.

And the president led a pep rally – not for a starting lineup or to cheer a Southland Conference championship, though there have been quite a few. The party last September that packed the McCaleb Conference Center was planned to announce to ACU faculty and staff that the university had earned 10 U.S. News and World Report “Best Colleges” awards for 2020.

The annual announcement of U.S. News recognition garners attention among parents and high school students considering their college options, but also within the intensely competitive higher ed community. ACU’s bragging rights in the West region have been impressive for more than 20 years. But this year was special.

An overall ranking for 2020 of 12th in the West Region marked a jump from 21st in the 2019 edition. ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert (’91), whose doctoral dissertation examined the correlation between U.S. News rankings and institutional health, said a jump of nine spots is exceedingly rare, “almost unheard of.”

And for the first time this year, U.S. News recognized universities they considered “outstanding examples of academic programs that are believed to lead to student success.” In those

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A NATIONAL LEADER IN STUDENT SUCCESS ACU is the only Texas institution nationally ranked in five student success areas

4 # 9 # 11 # 35 # 42 #

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SERVICE LEARNING Required (or for-credit) volunteer work in the community is an instructional strategy in these programs. What’s learned in the field bolsters what happens in class, and vice versa.

#5 Duke • #8 Boston College • # 16 Vanderbilt

FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE Orientation can go only so far in making freshmen feel connected. Many schools now build into the curriculum first-year seminars or other academic programs that bring small groups of students together with faculty or staff on a regular basis.

#12 Brown • #14 Yale • # 19 Princeton

LEARNING COMMUNITIES In these communitites, students typically take two or more linked courses as a group and get to know one another and their professors well. Some learning communities are also residential.

#13 Rice • #17 Dartmouth • # 20 Stanford

STUDY ABROAD Programs at these schools involve substantial academic work abroad for credit – a year, a semester or an intensive experience equal to a course – and considerable interaction with local culture.

#35 (tie) Florida State, Michigan, Wake Forest • #38 Ohio State

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH / CREATIVE PROJECTS Independently or in small teams, and mentored by a faculty member, students do intensive and self-directed research or creative work that results in an original scholarly paper or product that can be formally presented on or off campus.

#42 (tie) North Carolina • #44 (tie) Michigan State, Texas A&M Category descriptions as defined by U.S. News 2020 “Best Colleges”

categories, ACU out-ranked every university in Texas – not just other regional universities in the state, but all of them.

We didn’t see that coming, but it wasn’t an accident.

The recognition was just another indicator that strategy and vision have paid off – through decades of selective program growth; accomplishing goals laid out in the university’s 21st-Century Vision for developing Christ-centered, global leaders; the transformation of campus with new and renovated facilities; the move to NCAA Division I in athletics; and an endowment that has garnered national attention.

Those accomplishments have converged at a moment when ACU is emerging as a national university – not only by being ranked among top universities in the U.S., but by being known nationally as a leader in a holistic educational experience focusing on student success.

In addition to the longstanding categories, such as Best Value, Most Innovative and others, U.S. News created eight new rankings for 2020 for programs and services it says lead to student success: Co-op/Internships, First-Year Experiences, Learning Communities, Senior Capstone, Service Learning, Study Abroad, Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects, and Writing in the Disciplines.

Then U.S. News invited college presidents, chief academic officers and deans of admissions from more than 1,500 schools to nominate up to 15 institutions with excellent examples of each program type.

Colleges and universities that received 10 or more nominations were recognized in rank order based on the number of ratings they received in each area.

Abilene Christian achieved Top 20 status in three of the eight high-impact categories, out-ranking all other Texas universities, and

ahead of some of the most prestigious institutions in the nation.

ACU provost Dr. Robert Rhodes has explained that becoming a national university is not a specific goal we set out to accomplish. Rather, as the university has pursued those things most important to its mission, the characteristics of a national university have emerged.

“As we think about growing our national influence, part of that is ranking and part is our Carnegie classification,” he said. “With our current number of doctoral students and a proposed fourth doctorate,

of these areas, doing a great job at what we consider most valuable will move us forward. Our litmus will be, ‘What are we called to do? Are we doing a great job with that? Are we stewarding what we’ve been given?’ ” Over the past decade, at least seven areas that have received intentional investments of time and resources did factor into the growth recognized through these rankings.

Other areas such as study abroad and undergraduate research were areas where 21st-Century Vision goals have been exceeded but that may be less well known to those whose nominations led to the new student success ranking.

GROWTH IN NEW UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

IN THE WEST REGION IN THE U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT 2020 RANKINGS, A MOVE UP OF NINE SPOTS FROM 2019 we anticipate a move to a national university as categorized by U.S. News and a doctoral university as categorized by Carnegie.”

A change in Carnegie classification will result in a change in the U.S. News category where the university will be ranked.

Once that transition takes place, Rhodes expects ACU to continue to rise in national rankings just as it has in regional ones. But while rankings are celebrated, they are not the goal, rather an indication that more important goals are being achieved.

“We need to avoid chasing rankings,” he said, “but for many

Multiple nationally accredited undergraduate programs have earned accolades for many years.

Several have helped drive enrollment trends: One in seven students enrolled for 2019-20 has declared a major in engineering or nursing or in the graduate program in occupational therapy.

“The quality of these programs and others drives students to ACU,” Rhodes said, “and validates their reason to come to Abilene, Texas, because what you get here is a unique quality program in a unique environment.”

In 2019, the first-time pass rate of ACU nursing grads on the National Council Licensure Examination was 96.08 percent, exceeding the national average of all first-time test takers at 89.11.

ACU has offered nursing degrees since 1979, collaboratively for many years, and as part of the School of Nursing since Fall 2013. In Fall 2019, 354 students had declared pre-nursing or nursing as a major.

The undergraduate engineering program also is growing rapidly. The

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program earned accreditation in 2017 from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering and engineering technology.

The first engineering graduates crossed the stage in 2016. In Fall 2019, 123 students had declared an engineering major. The program already has cracked the U.S. News Best Undergraduate Engineering rankings, coming in near the midpoint of 210 undergraduate programs nationwide.

to do something like this rather autonomously. It’s a rare combination that hardly any other private university of our size has the ability to do. So novel, so groundbreaking, but also in essence an exemplar of our capacity,” Rhodes said.

Indeed, the other universities partnering in the project through a U.S. Department of Energy grant include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, Colorado School of Mines, Georgia Institute of Technology and Illinois Institute of Technology.

NEXT LAB

NCAA DIVISION I ATHLETICS

Development of the engineering program was critical to the creation of the NEXT Lab, though NEXT truly is an interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together students and scholars in engineering, physics, chemistry, mathematics and computer science.

NEXT is an acronym for Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Lab, a program that experiments with using molten salts, rather than water, as a coolant for nuclear reactors. Inside the lab, students and faculty conduct experiments that could someday lead to global solutions to the world’s need for energy that is less expensive, water that is pure and abundant, and medical isotopes used to diagnose and treat cancer.

“It really is next-level,” Rhodes said of the lab, which is directed

by Dr. Rusty Towell (’90), a professor of physics with decades of experience leading ACU colleagues and undergrads in groundbreaking research at national physics labs such as Brookhaven and Fermi.

Drawing on the biblical parable of the talents, Rhodes says NEXT embodies the concept of being a “five-talent university.”

“Few institutions have faculty resources and partners

When Rosario Gibbs, project manager for the NEXT Lab, gave a presentation recently to a consortium of universities working on the project, she began by telling the story of ACU head basketball coach Joe Golding (’99) and his team’s 2019 NCAA Division I Southland Conference championship. Golding’s motto through that season was “trust the process,” and Gibbs said the principle is just as applicable in the cutting-edge research project.

In the same way the NEXT Lab is putting Abilene Christian on the map in terms of research, the transition to Division I athletics has further solidified ACU’s place on the map in terms of athletics, and beyond athletics in building a national brand with national name identification.

Schubert believes the men’s and women’s 2019 Southland Conference basketball titles, followed by trips to sports’ and television’s biggest stage at their respective NCAA Tournaments, were only the beginning.

He said the “unprecedented visibility and energy” created by the basketball success was a tremendous tool for getting the university’s mission to a national audience. “There’s almost nothing

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like it,” Schubert said. Meanwhile, the academic markers for studentathletes have improved as well. The Wildcats finished 2018-19 with a 3.17 GPA for the second consecutive year as 12 of their 17 teams produced GPAs above 3.15. Football also excelled last spring with a 3.01 term GPA. The provost agrees. “Success in athletics can help bring exposure to a university in amazing ways,” he said. “We saw that firsthand with March Madness and the visibility it brought to ACU. We were able to engage a wider audience and represent our values on a national scale. We were on every fan’s NCAA bracket. There’s just no other avenue for that kind of exposure.”

FULBRIGHT STUDENTS RECOGNITION An entirely different arena earned recognition for the university in February 2019 when ACU was named a high-producing Fulbright institution for the first time in school history – one of only three Texas universities to receive that designation from the U.S. Department of State. The others were The University of Texas at Austin and St. Edward’s University. Seven students and one faculty member have received Fulbright Scholarships over the past four years.

As dean of the Honors College and director of the Office of Major Scholarships, Dr. Jason Morris (’94 M.S.) has led the effort to increase the number of Fulbright applicants at ACU. Morris, who has twice received Fulbrights himself, has earned an appointment to the Fulbright National Screening Committee that reviews English Teaching Assistant grants to Eastern Europe.

Schubert believes the Fulbright success story highlights the quality and capability of the student body, and Rhodes agrees.

Sam Mulder (’19) works in the Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing (NEXT) Lab, located in the Engineering and Physics Laboratories at Bennett Gymnasium.

JEREMY ENLOW

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UNDERSTANDING THE WORLD OF COLLEGE RANKINGS AND CLASSIFICATIONS

In 2018, women's soccer was the first ACU program to qualify for a national tournament in the Wildcats’ NCAA Division I era.

BY DR. CHERYL MANN BACON

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TIM NELSON

ny parent who has or is planning to send a student to college has heard of the U.S. News and World Report “Best Colleges” rankings that make headlines every year and provide bragging rights to highly ranked colleges and universities.

For parents, alumni and university faculty and administrators, the “Best” accolades all feel very important. But understanding how they are determined and what they mean can be confusing.

National Universities. Regional Universities. National Liberal Arts Colleges.

Regional Colleges.

Then there are the ranking categories, things like Most Innovative, Service Learning, Best for Veterans, and dozens more. Who decides this? And what does it mean?

CARNEGIE CLASSIFICATIONS

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JEREMY ENLOW

To understand the U.S. News rankings you have to begin with the Carnegie classifications, and while the U.S. News rankings are widely known, Carnegie is part of a vocabulary largely internal to higher education.

Carnegie classification is not a quality ranking but a system of classification that sorts out the apples and oranges of higher education. The categories reflect a time-specific snapshot that includes programs, size, residential setting and more. But primarily, a university’s Carnegie classification is based on the number of master’s and doctoral degrees awarded and the dollar resources invested in research.

Classifications are updated periodically, and a school only moves to a new category in an update year. Updates traditionally happen every five years. But the 2018 updates took place only three years after those done in 2015, and no plan for the next round has been announced.

Carnegie classifications won’t tell you what schools are best. They just tell you what schools are similar in size and focus.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams qualified for the 2019 NCAA Tournament, playing Kentucky and Baylor, respectively, in the first round.

“Often quality indicators are pretty ethereal. Fulbright is a proxy for student quality that’s nationally recognized,” Rhodes said. “And the other universities students most often consider on their list with ACU – Baylor, Texas Tech and A&M – weren’t among those recognized.”

FACILITIES New construction or major renovation within the past decade has enhanced the physical campus with an investment exceeding $136 million.

Five facilities were completed as part of the $107 million Vision in Action (VIA) initiative and related projects: • Engineering and Physics Laboratories at Bennett Gymnasium (opened in 2015) • Halbert-Walling Research Center (opened in 2017) • Elmer Gray Stadium (opened in 2017 for soccer and track and field) • Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium (opened in 2017 for football) • Robert R. and Kay Onstead Science Center (opened in 2018) Seven new facilities were constructed/renovated before or since VIA but within the past decade: • Royce and Pam Money Recreation and Wellness Center (opened in 2011) • John T.L. Jones Jr. Tennis Center (opened in 2019) • Byron Nelson Clubhouse and golf short-game practice facility (opens in February 2020) • Teague Center renovation (completed in 2017) • Doug and Jayne Orr TV Studio and Mankin Control Room in the Don H. Morris Center (completed in 2017)

IN NEW CONSTRUCTION OR MAJOR RENOVATION TO THE ACU CAMPUS WITHIN THE LAST DECADE • Brown Library renovations (completed in stages 2017-19) Rhodes said completion of the VIA initiative established facilities that are more on par with the university’s academic programs, which was a critical step forward.

Schubert would go even further.

“I think these facilities promote a spirit of excellence and possibility, which is just awesome. Your surrounding creates culture,” Schubert said. “All of us are impacted by that, and our ability to demonstrate excellence is only enhanced by the quality of our campus facilities and resources.”

ACU ONLINE PROGRAMS Some of the fastest-growing programs at ACU are less dependent on facilities than traditional programs. But that doesn’t mean online programs don’t require resources to fund both capacity and expertise. Rhodes believes both are essential.

“Those universities that don’t develop that capacity will be at a

distinct disadvantage,” he said.

Schubert believes online education provides a significant opportunity for ACU to extend its reach and influence into a new segment of the higher education market. One way this will happen is through further integration of online and residential experiences.

“Right now, online and residential programs are related but distinct,” Rhodes said. “We are entering a future where they will be more integrated.”

Two doctoral programs, the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (D.N.P.), and nine master’s degrees are offered online through ACU Dallas, in addition to three undergraduate degrees designed to attract nontraditional adult students.

In Fall 2019, 547 were enrolled in the Ed.D. program and 100 in the D.N.P. Master’s degree programs have 509 students, and 45 are in undergrad online degrees. Together they were a major contributor to 2019’s record enrollment of 5,292.

In addition, enrollment in Abilene campus-based online courses has allowed students to make better use of the annual block tuition program by enrolling in summer courses while working at home or completing internships, or while studying abroad.

ENDOWMENT Resources, especially endowment, are essential to all these opportunities. If a Carnegie category puts the university on a national stage in terms of size and offerings, and a U.S. News ranking puts the university on a national stage in terms of quality rankings, and if a trip to March Madness puts the university on a national stage in terms of athletics and brand, well, ACU’s endowment may have arrived there first.

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The Halbert-Walling Research Center was a game changer for ACU’s science programs.

Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium brought football games back to campus for the first time in 50 years.

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Jack Rich and the resources we have.

That changes everything about our future. There are universities that can envision what needs to take place and there’s no way they can act on it,” Rhodes said. “The endowment allows us to act on good decisions. We have to be discerning, but the endowment gives capacity that so few institutions our size have.”

Rich uses more concrete terms: “Over the past 22 years, our combination of investments and investment policies have added $300 million in total spending and endowment growth in excess of a market-based portfolio.”

He makes it sound simple, but today’s endowment in excess of $460 million has over the past 22 years,

JEREMY ENLOW

“Move over Yale.” That was the lead of James B. Stewart’s story in The New York Times way back in 2013 that tried to explain how ACU’s endowment had outperformed Yale University and other Ivy League institutions.

At ACU, many would just answer, “Jack Rich.” But ask Rich (’76) and he quickly gives credit to generous donors and his board.

“I always give credit to my board – that they allowed us when we were a $50 million endowment to think like a billion-dollar endowment,” said Rich, chief investment officer of ACIMCO (Abilene Christian Investment Management Company).

Rhodes gives Rich a lot of credit.

“We are so uniquely blessed to have

Rankings and Classifications CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

Four-year universities generally fall into one of three broad Carnegie categories: Doctoral, Master’s or Baccalaureate. Within each of those are several sub-categories, 12 in all. Since 2011, ACU’s Carnegie classification has been “M1 – Master’s Colleges and Universities, larger programs,” or “Master’s Large.”

These institutions generally award at least 50 master’s degrees and fewer than 20 doctoral degrees during the update year.

The Doctoral Universities category includes R-1 (“very high research activity”), R-2 (“high research activity”)and D/ PU (“doctoral/professional university”) institutions, previously referred to as R-3.

The D/PU institutions awarded at least 20 research/scholarship doctoral degrees during the most recent update year and some institutions with fewer than 20 research/scholarship doctoral degrees but that awarded at least 30 professional practice doctoral degrees in at least two programs.

Since the most recent update in 2018, and based on the same data sources used for the Carnegie classifications, ACU now matches the criteria of an R-3 institution: In the 2019 calendar year Abilene Christian awarded 419 master’s degrees and 40 doctoral degrees. However, its designation can’t be changed until the next update in three to five years.

SO WHERE DO U.S. NEWS RANKINGS FIT IN? The Carnegie classifications’ primary purpose has always been to provide an objective means of identifying roughly comparable institutions for the purpose of research. So, for example, a local community college could not be fairly compared to a land grant institution such as Texas A&M or to an Ivy League university like Harvard or Yale.

U.S. News rankings are different in two important ways: First, they do rank institutions based on measures of quality.

And second, their purpose is to inform the higher education consumer – primarily parents of prospective college students.

U.S. News is straightforward about that: “U.S. News does it to help you make one of the most important decisions of your life.”

The publication rolls the 12 Carnegie categories into four: National Universities, (CONTINUED ON PAGE 14)

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Rankings and Classifications CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

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National Liberal Arts Colleges, Regional Universities and Regional Colleges.

Regional Universities and Regional Colleges also are divided into four regions of 12-15 states each, which helps regionalize things like cost, diversity of enrollments, and so on.

U.S. News has ranked ACU among 128 Regional Universities of the 15-state West region for more than two decades.

The West encompasses well over half the nation geographically and two of the most populous states – Texas and California.

The North and Midwest regions have the largest numbers of schools. In all, 605 Regional Universities are ranked in the four regions.

Regardless of location, U.S. News ranks schools among the 399 National Universities if their Carnegie Classification is Doctoral, and does not distinguish between R-1, R-2 and D/PU (R-3). Each offers a full range of undergraduate majors as well as master's and doctoral degrees, typically place strong emphasis on research, and often receive federal funds to support them.

Many factors are included in the six-category formula establishing a school’s overall rank:

In Fall 2019, nursing was one of the most popular majors for ACU undergraduates.

20%

Faculty resources

35%

Outcomes

20%

Expert opinon

10%

5%

Alumni Giving

10%

Student Financial Excellence Resources

ACU's rank, therefore, is a combination of several factors, with a surprising emphasis (20 percent) based on its reputation among colleagues. A smaller but nonetheless important emphasis is determined by the percentage of grateful alumni whose annual gifts benefit their alma mater.  JEREMY ENLOW

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ACU's undergraduate digital entertainment technology program is consistently ranked among the Top 50 in the nation for game design majors, according to The Princeton Review.

don’t have a significant endowment, we can’t make that claim. Look at our aspirational schools, like TCU, SMU, Baylor – their endowments are between $1.5 and $2 billion. For a lot of reasons we need between $1.5 and $2 billion to do all the things we’d like to do, especially to meet student financial need.”

That’s his goal.

And Schubert wants it to happen.

“The most important thing about endowment is it pushes us to think boldly where we would not without that kind of endowment and growth.”

IN THE ACU ENDOWMENT WHICH RANKS IN THE TOP 5 PERCENT OF ALL UNIVERSITY ENDOWMENT RETURNS OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS in Rich’s understated words, “grown beyond what is typical.”

Each year since 2006, ACU’s returns for 10-year periods consistently ranked in the top 5 percent of all university endowment returns.

“Any time your performance looks different than the average it means you’re doing something different,” he said. “Our returns are significantly better, and the only way that happens is because you look different in how you’ve invested. The flip side is that people who have done poorly did something different, too.”

So far, different is good. And has been since the summer of 1991 when new ACU president Dr. Royce Money (’64) made Rich his first major hire as chief financial officer and senior vice president. Rich set out for ACU’s endowment to perform like the best in higher education.

"We have achieved that goal," he said.

To be a national university, Rich sees endowment as essential. “If we

chubert also links aspiration to roots. “I believe the catalyst for everything that we have been able to accomplish emanates unmistakably from our commitment as a community to being Christ-centered and to the values of our spiritual walk,” said ACU’s 11th president.

“That creates a camaraderie – a picture for who our students can be, and an orientation toward excellence that I believe is the most significant factor that’s allowed us to be successful. And that makes it exciting to think about how we continue that trajectory and what may come next.”

Emerging as a national university requires many steps. Some are concrete. Some, as Rhodes has said, are ethereal: A Carnegie category.

A U.S. News ranking. National brand recognition and the joy of March Madness. Innovation and excellence honored by Fulbright Scholarships.

Resources for faculty to do worldchanging research through the NEXT Lab and others like it to come. Financial strength. And a commitment to student success worth celebrating. 

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CENTERED ON

STUDENT SUCCESS ACU’S INNOVATIVE NEW CENTER FOR CAREERS AND EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING AGGREGATES KEY SERVICES CENTRAL TO HOLISTIC EDUCATION

BY DR . SUSA N LEW IS

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ust steps from the GATA Fountain, the new Center for Careers and Experiential Learning (ACCEL) is hard to miss.

And that’s kind of the idea.

Decked out in a bright, inspiring galactic scene, the

ACCEL sits just inside the entrance to Brown Library along the route students take to collaborate in the AT&T Learning Studio, create in the Maker Lab or study at Starbucks.

It’s at the heart of campus.

“The location of the center promotes conversations about the different programs ACU offers because it is so

central to campus,” said Kennedy Guerra, junior global studies and Spanish major from Austin. “It’s great to have all of the experiential types of learning concentrated in one area because it allows students to find information about them easily and efficiently.”

ACU faculty and staff continue to be eager to engage in the lives of students, extending the educational experience within and well beyond a typical classroom. A faculty and staff group envisioned ACCEL as a way to cultivate the culture of multi-dimensional experiential learning at Abilene Christian.

Since the center’s opening in

Fall 2019, students have regularly stopped by its inviting suite of offices to seek answers from expert staff and faculty in one convenient place about study abroad, undergraduate research, internships, careers, missions, and global service.

“Centralizing these units creates a space for students to have ready access to discovering opportunities that will contribute to accomplishing their goals,” said Derran Reese (’00), director of experiential learning.

Glass-walled offices in the center open into a high-traffic, high-energy area furnished for collaboration.

Students and staff work at tables that double as whiteboards while JEREMY ENLOW

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commitment to innovate and enhance student opportunities to apply their learning and build more knowledge through reflection on well-designed experiences.

After just one semester, students are quickly growing accustomed to stopping by the venue to seek advice about how their ACU degree can be enhanced through experiential learning.

“Engaging real-world problems

Internships provide invaluable experience for all students, regardless of major.

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success as measured in eight categories of high-impact practices.

ACU is the only university in Texas that ranked in as many as five of the eight categories U.S News described as “key parts of the undergraduate academic experience.” The only other Texas universities to make the lists are Rice, Baylor and The University of Texas at Austin. Pepperdine is the only other Church of Christ-affiliated university mentioned.

“Abilene Christian continues to attract faculty, staff and students who seem drawn toward an education of the whole person through learning experiences that shape them and reveal more clearly their roles in God’s Kingdom,” said president Dr. Phil Schubert (’91).

As U.S. News rankings indicate, ACU has been excelling in experiential learning for years.

Generations of students have participated in the university’s faculty-led Study Abroad program, in missions and global service, in professional internships, and in faculty-mentored undergraduate research.

“The U.S. News rankings for student success provided the perfect entrée to the grand opening of our center,” Reese said.

On Homecoming Friday in October, ACCEL welcomed visitors for a reception and tour, including the opportunity to experience Virtual Reality (VR). In addition to commercial VR experiences, visitors could choose from ACU-specific VR options such as inoculating cattle at the Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ Rhoden Farm, pouring molten salt in the NEXT Lab and touring of all three of ACU’s Study Abroad hub sites: Montevideo, Uruguay; Oxford, England; and Leipzig, Germany.

The center is a result of thriving programs and an institutional

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brainstorming, sketching ideas and making plans. While they consider the next steps toward their intellectual and spiritual aims, students charge their devices using the electrical outlets embedded in the tables and Wildcat purple lounge chairs.

The programs represented in ACCEL – ACU Study Abroad, Halbert Center for Missions and Global Service, the Office of Undergraduate Research and the Career Center – are the focus of ACU’s strategic initiative to become nationally known for its commitment to superior, holistic learning achieved through a powerful blend of curricular and co-curricular experiences.

Experiential learning is designed to enhance students’ understanding through practical application, self-reflection and exposure to varying and opposing perspectives.

The ACU Strategic Plan calls for at least 50 percent of undergraduate students to participate in these areas of experiential learning prior to graduation: internships; cross-cultural and Study Abroad; mentored research and long-term projects; and co-curricular leadership activities.

Another ACCEL purpose is to provide a centralized location for the tracking of student success in experiential learning activities.

“We are seeing progress toward accomplishing strategic goals to involve the majority of our students and to become known as a national leader in experiential learning,” Reese said.

One measure of success is the U.S. News and World Report rankings released in Fall 2019. Voters were presidents, chief academic officers and deans of admissions of colleges and universities across the nation.

U.S. News used that input to rank universities nationwide that are known for their focus on student

Short- and long-term missions trips inform and influence students’ career and life choices.

and solutions is a hallmark of ACU’s academic identity. ACCEL is a tangible demonstration of the value our community places on holistic learning, practical application and self-reflection,” Schubert said. 

ACU’s Study Abroad program offers immersive cross-cultural living and learning experiences that enrich every student’s educational preparation.

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State-of-the-art facilities and equipment are necessary for transformative experiential learning at ACU. The Rob and Jayne Orr TV Studio and Mankin Control Room allow students to produce quality broadcasts for ESPN coverage of the Wildcats.

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AN ACU PROFESSOR’S INNOVATIVE POETRY CLASS AND COMMITMENT TO EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING OPENS NEW VISTAS FOR HIS STUDENTS

BY DR . JEREM Y ELLIOT T

Students hike into Seminole Canyon to study examples of native rock art ranging from 7,000 to 1,000 years old.

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ere’s something I’ve learned about teaching literature: What you read matters, but when and where you read it matters at least as much. Students who feel no connection to a text won’t read it well,

no matter how motivated by grades they are. My job as a teacher is to help my students find those points of contact with the text.

In May 2019, 13 students (with majors ranging from biology to literature to psychology), one graduate assistant, and I went looking for those places of contact. We tried to build connections in a handful of ways. I know that when I was a student, I had a tendency to read Elliott poetry too quickly. Just like too much rain on a too-steep hillside, nothing was retained. So we looked for ways to slow down our reading.

First, the students stitched their own journals for the class out of scrap leather donated by Amarillo bootmaker

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MADISON WHITLEY

and ACU alum Carson Leverett (’16) and heavyweight sketchbook paper.

Then, they transcribed every poem we studied into those journals.

We read poems written in Texas, about people and environments in Texas. To further those connections to the written word, we traveled to places that inspired the poems.

We read Carmen Tafolla’s This River Here, written about the San Antonio River, standing at its headwaters, and listened to a member of the Coahuiltecan tribe explain the meaning behind the White Shaman mural while we sat at its base.

We then asked the students to be poets as well. It’s one thing to read a poem, and it’s another thing entirely to realize the poem was created by a particular person in a particular place and time. By pushing them into that space, we tried to get them into the mind frame of reading poetry like a poet.

At the same time, we strove to connect our students to the places we were in. Most basically, we achieved this by camping throughout the duration of the class. For about half the students, this was a new experience. Nor was it a half-hearted entry – we camped for 10 nights in a handful of locations across Texas, each pertaining to the work of a particular poet we wanted to study.

The students did a great job with this – setting up camp and embracing the limited showering opportunities, and the questionable culinary opportunities a Coleman stove offers.

In doing this, they really had no choice but to more deeply understand the environments in which we were traveling, reading and writing.

They knew what the ground felt like when they slept at night, and they understood how the air feels different in the morning in the Chisos Basin than along the Guadalupe River.

We also encouraged them to represent the landscapes they saw

Hannah Johnson (’19) and senior English-teaching major Macy Goodenough stand at the mouth of Santa Elena Canyon, overlooking the Rio Grande, in Big Bend National Park. The class read Nick Norwood’s poem “For the Drowned” here.

By the time the students returned to campus, their handmade journals reflected poetry they studied, their own writings, and watercolor artwork they created along the way.

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NEAR THE RIO GRANDE

By Del Marie Rogers

An iron-blue line of hills – lightweight milk-blue and sand mountains on the other side.

Sand flows silently to the brush knotted at my feet.

I was born under a spell.

My skin holds a tight darkness.

When another human touches my side, I will wake up.

A star is buried underground somewhere close to this place, so that the whole earth shines.

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MISSION SAN JOSÉ

By Carmen Tafolla

The rocks are warm have had the hands upon them through the years with sun to bake in memories.

Gentle, even with ungentle missions, somehow life got through to Them, the priests amazed that rabbit tasted good, slowed their passion fervor one San Antonio sunny afternoon learned to lope a bit and breathe with warm brown human flesh touched the rocks in tenderness one time too many, ceased to call it mission as it grew to make itself home for all of us.

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Using watercolor to heighten focus was an essential component of the course.

Here, Hannah Johnson paints the Mission San José Church.

SARAH ADAMS

Students hiked from Chisos Basin to the Sam Nail Ranch in Big Bend National Park.

via watercolor. The intention here was much the same as camping – it’s very difficult to paint a scene if you’re not paying close attention to it.

Watercolor was a way for the students to heighten their own attention to the environments in which they were working.

Without a doubt, I have never received a more enthusiastic response to poetry than I did from this group of students. Providing these points of contact – putting them in the actual places of the poems, teaching them to think like poets, and building connections to the places we ventured – provided experiential learning about poetry in ways a traditional classroom could never offer.

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Dr. Jeremy Elliott, associate professor of language and literature, joined the ACU faculty in 2010. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Harding University, and a master’s and a doctorate from Florida State University, as did his wife, assistant professor of history Dr. Kelly Elliott. He was recently awarded a Humanities Innovation grant by the Modern Language Association for this course, and is using it to research ways to expand and improve it in the future.

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Q&A WITH ACU BOARD CHAIR

APRIL ANTHONY

BY RON H A DFIELD

I

n February 2018, April (Bullock ’86) Anthony became the 15th person and first woman to chair ACU’s Board of Trustees.

A native of Houston and resident of Dallas, she is an award-winning business leader whose home health care ventures are noted for being great places to work and serve others.

What have you learned in your business career that best prepared you for being board chair of your alma mater?

In my world of health care we serve multiple constituents. We have to make sure patients, families, physicians and facility partners are all highly satisfied with every care encounter. Similarly, ACU serves multiple constituents including students, families, faculty, accrediting bodies and alumni. I think my ability to take a holistic view of success that meets the needs of an array of constituents has helped prepare me for my role as chair and helped me lead our shared governance approach to ensure we are always mindful of the impact of our decisions on each constituent group.

What has surprised you the most about this leadership role?

How much I enjoy it! Entering this process, I was willing to serve and felt I could be helpful to the university and the effectiveness of our board, but I wasn’t necessarily thinking it would be something I would thoroughly enjoy.

But after a year and a half in the role, I can truly say it has been a pleasure to work with president Schubert, the faculty and other key members of the Senior Leadership Team to help advance our most important mission of educating students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.

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What do you believe are ACU’s greatest strengths, and why?

Our greatest strength is that we are academically excellent while being intentionally Christian. There are a number of universities where you can receive a great education and others where you can build your faith, but Abilene Christian has a unique ability to deliver both to the students we serve. This ability stems from the depth of our integration of faith and learning and the amazing professors who give of themselves every day to make a difference in the lives of their students. ACU is truly a distinctive environment.

How do the developments of recent years – the Vision in Action initiative, Division I athletics and March Madness experience, Fulbright Student recognition, growth in academic programs and online degrees, the national stages on which the university is competing – make you feel about ACU’s future, and why?

It makes me feel proud and enthusiastic! There are so many good things happening here. I truly believe this is the most exciting time in our history. We have good things happening in the classroom, on the field of play, in student research, in graduate education, and in the quality of our campus infrastructure. ACU may have been the best-kept secret in the past, but that will not be the case for much longer.

Why is experiential learning so important in higher education and what makes it valuable to students preparing for a career?

In today’s world, experiential learning is so impactful.

Today’s students learn differently. They need to see, feel, touch and truly experience things to fully engage in the learning process. I am proud of the way ACU has embraced

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these evolving educational models and committed to exposing its students to things they could never learn from a textbook, a lecture or even a research paper. As the parent of two recent ACU students, I can see clearly the impact of things like internships, studying abroad and service learning opportunities. As a result, we must continue to evolve and innovate our educational model to be the best we can be for each student we serve.

What can alumni and other supporters of ACU expect to see along the university’s journey to become a national university?

As we grow in size and ranking as a national university, we will continue to see exceptional quality in our core offerings and expansion into more market-driven degree programs, including several new allied health degrees.

We also will see expansion in research opportunities and continued growth in our online graduate degree programs.

Tomorrow’s ACU will be so much more than the ACU of yesterday.

What do you want others to know about ACU that might surprise them?

That ACU is small but mighty. We compete with leading institutions on all levels, whether in March Madness or in leading nuclear research projects with institutions such as Texas A&M, Texas and Georgia Tech. ACU is one of the leading producers of Fulbright Scholars, and is ranked ahead of major national universities including Duke, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Yale in student experience.

If you think you know Abilene Christian, you might want to check the facts. I believe you will be surprised.

Why is ACU’s role important in the increasingly post-Christian culture of today’s world?

Christianity is under attack from so many different realms and now more than ever, this university must produce graduates who can defend the faith and live out godly principles in the workplace while excelling in their chosen professions. ACU has the opportunity to be a light to a world that is growing increasingly darker. We must take that role very seriously and prepare our students for the challenges they will encounter in the modern age. 

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AT F I F T E E N

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Bianca Barrientos celebrates on stage with friends and judges after FilmFest 2019.

al ACU’s annu stival sed fe student-focu the help of thrives with mentors dedicated A R L S O N GARY RHODES

H C

BY SARA

ometown friends and film buffs John Puckett (’18) and Forrest Lorenzen (’18) came to ACU together in Spring 2014, and made their first film, Tim, for the student film competition FilmFest in Spring 2015.

“It was just complete garbage,” Puckett recalled, laughing. But that was a good thing.

Brent McCorkle, a director and screenwriter based outside of Nashville and one of the judges for the competition that year, can’t forget Tim, either. But what he remembers most is what he saw in Puckett and Lorenzen.

“We spent most of our time as judges that year talking to them. We saw this raw talent,” McCorkle said. “They humbly received notes and ingested everything we said.

The next year they came back and won the whole thing.”

The duo’s sophomore-year entry in 2016, Ultra Super Secret Spy, won Best Picture and People’s Choice. Their junior-year entry in 2017, Intergalactic Tales of the Delusional Mind, won the same top honors, as well as Best Director and Best Writer for the duo, and six other awards.

By their senior year, they’d have an offer from McCorkle of a place to stay (on his farm outside Nashville) after graduation and connections for jobs in the industry, with the help of fellow judge and longtime FilmFest supporter Randy Brewer (’93), director and founder of Revolution Pictures. They eagerly accepted and are now busy working as editors and videographers.

“The judges took what was a bad experience and a bad film, and turned it into an amazing experience,” Puckett said. “We learned more on that awful film than our better ones. Our whole career so far is because of FilmFest and

because we made a terrible film. We owe everything to that.”

FilmFest celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2019, and perhaps the best way to start a retrospective on the event is not to dwell so much on how long it has been around, but on how ahead of the curve it was when it launched.

The year 2004 was still part of the dawn of the digital revolution – Facebook debuted, YouTube was right around the corner, and the iPhone was three years away – and ACU was innovating right alongside the brands and creators that still shape our media landscape.

What began as a bold idea to try and encourage students to learn video and digital media has bloomed into the kind of event, with its access to technology and the way it pairs undergraduates with film industry professionals as mentors, that attracts students to ACU. In its first 15 years, more than 1,500 students were involved in some way in FilmFest, with more than 168 films produced.

And as Puckett and Lorenzen demonstrate, it has launched more than a few careers in the process.

“It’s a huge opportunity,” Puckett said. “If you’re at ACU and you’re thinking about doing film and you’re not doing FilmFest, you’re wasting your time. It’s one of the best resources that ACU offers.”

As students enter ACU as digital natives, having never known a world without smartphones and online video content, the university has well-established resources in place to walk alongside

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them as they create their own content and develop their gifts, no matter their major or where their careers will take them.

“Regardless of their major, we have students coming to this campus who are going to be storytellers when they leave here in one way or the other,” said Dr. Kyle Dickson (’92), professor of language and literature, and director of the AT&T Learning Studio, which now oversees the event.

“FilmFest provides access to media tools and professionals to inspire and stretch what they’re capable of technically.”

“Looking at these students, some are extremely talented and have a passion to immediately leave school and start their careers,” said McCorkle, an award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker and musician, who directed the film Unconditional (2012) and edited Woodlawn (2015) and I Can Only Imagine (2018). “I’m a huge believer in looking at them as potential collaborators, people 30

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you would want on your team.

“Some of the films I’ve seen are on par with those from other schools that actually have film programs,” he said. “That’s what blows me away about ACU.”

THE BIG IDEA

Humbling and mind-boggling are the terms that come to mind for Doug Darby (’88) as he considers FilmFest’s success.

His idea for a student film festival began percolating in 2004 when he, then an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication and a media specialist in the Adams Center for Teaching and Learning, attended a media consortium on how universities could incorporate video and visual media on campuses. Many had read the writing on the wall that video was the medium of the future, yet most attendees like Darby also agreed their schools’ infrastructure couldn’t support students creating

films, at least not outside of a film program.

ACU doesn’t have a film major (although now, unlike in 2004, it has a film minor and digital entertainment technology major), but Darby wasn’t deterred. Bouncing ideas around with his then-student employee Matt Maxwell (’07), now a filmmaker, they decided to in effect turn things over to students.

“It was a big idea, to have students come together and use this medium to express themselves, create and learn,” said Darby, now an assistant professor of information systems and technology at Lubbock Christian University. “FilmFest was an inspiration that came out of this new technology and the love and desire students had to dive into something that was meaningful to them.”

Darby and Maxwell began making pitches to companies for sponsorships, as well as to alumni for support. Brewer, a Grammy Award-nominated music video producer (Carrie Underwood’s

SCOTT DELONY

Randy Brewer meets with students to discuss film ideas and production plans for upcoming film projects.

GARY RHODES

GARY RHODES

The FilmFest awards gala takes place each spring at the Historic Paramount Theatre in downtown Abilene.

Randy Brewer and sophomore Braden Garner pose backstage after the premiere of films he worked on in FilmFest 2019.

Jesus Take the Wheel), was quick to sign on as a judge and cheerleader for the event.

Brewer may have graduated a few decades before the festival began, but his time as a student in the JMC department no less prepared him for his own career. From working on a video component of the Prickly Pear yearbook to filming football games and creating other content for departments, Brewer was able to graduate with a demo reel under his belt. He was recognized as ACU’s Young Alumnus of the Year in 2010 and received JMC’s Gutenberg Award for distinguished professional achievement in 2014.

“I really appreciate what the university did for me, providing a small-school environment where you can actually get your hands on things and create content,” he said. “This is a way to give back and help more kids have that opportunity.”

Apple became a FilmFest sponsor, and students were required to use the same type of filming equipment and

iMovie software for their films on provided iMacs. A student committee was formed to help sell tickets, advertise and run the event, and the Historic Paramount Theatre in downtown Abilene was booked for the big show. Seventeen films were slated to premiere.

“Some didn’t think we’d have 100 people to show up,” Darby said.

The Paramount, however, was full, and primarily with students.

“That’s one of the things I’ve always been impressed with,” Brewer said. “Being an alum, I always love that spirit of ACU students. There’s a different culture of working together and collaborating.”

FilmFest was soon moved under the helm of Tom Craig (’89) and the Office of Student Productions, alongside productions like Freshman Follies and Sing Song that foster student creativity and leadership outside of classrooms and labs. More recently, the AT&T Learning Studio has expanded student access to hands-on experiences and workshops

with industry professionals.

The diversity of students involved has expanded, as well.

“I never thought I would have the opportunity to create a film when I came here to study as an English major,” said Takuma Tsuneki, a junior from Mito, Japan, who won Best Sound Designer in 2019 for the film Fever, which he directed, edited and produced.

Students can now use any equipment and software they choose, and thanks to ACU being an Adobe Creative Campus, all have access to Adobe’s professional-level software such as Premiere Pro. Casting calls supported by the Department of Theatre give acting students access to roles that will help their careers and give filmmakers access to quality talent. And the interaction students have with judges and other professionals has increased, with Brewer, McCorkle and others making it a point to give feedback including workshops on everything from script

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“I feel like almost every year without fail, I’ve se en the bar get raised …

Iron sharpens iron.”

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DR. KYLE DICKSON

Award-winning filmmaker Brent McCorkle has worked with students the last six years, including editing critiques with teams each spring.

COURTNEY WARE

– BRENT McCORKLE

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writing to sound to camera work to editing.

“FilmFest is the most tangible experience to what your career is actually going to look like,” said Savannah Ochran (’18), an ACU Theatre graduate who starred in several films during her time at ACU and won Best Actress in 2016 and 2017. “To have that experience already in college is really valuable.”

Beyond narrative films, the variety of works created has included documentaries, music videos, stop-motion animation and 3D computer animation. The talent and quality level has only improved over time as more resources have been made available and students enter college more technologically savvy.

“I feel like almost every year without fail, I’ve seen the bar get raised,” said McCorkle, whom Brewer brought on as a judge starting in 2013. “The kids will see what the other students who won one year did and think, ‘Whoa, I need to study lighting,’ or ‘I need to be better at sound.’ Iron sharpens iron.”

Rankin Dean, senior theatre acting major from Abilene, won Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Writer for his first film, Jars, in 2018, and Best Director in 2019 for Sacred

Space. In the fall, he sent a full-length feature of his to Brewer for review.

“My goodness, I haven’t even done that!” Brewer said. “I’ve done a documentary, some short form, but I’ve never done a full-length feature film. Here is a student who has been inspired through FilmFest and decided this is something they really want to do.

“To just make a film and to put yourself out there, it’s a big thing,” he said. “It’s brave, it’s courageous. I’ve been very surprised many times at what I’ve seen students accomplish.”

THE RIGHT MENTORS

Puckett and Lorenzen’s awards-sweeper, Intergalactic Tales of the Delusional Mind, is pretty meta once you know their full FilmFest history.

Clever and thoughtful, Mind can be seen as a nod to the learning process its creators, well, learned the hard way; in a very A Christmas Carol meets Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind sort of way, its protagonist is shown how his ego has kept him from success in work and relationships. He’s able to start the process of turning his life around.

“Our freshman year, we came in thinking we were rock stars,” Puckett said. “We learned we need to focus and think in terms of the audience as opposed to our own experience.”

Ask the professionals, and they say that’s a lesson far better learned at 18 than at 22 while trying to make it in Los Angeles. Brewer and

McCorkle have been there, and their desire to shepherd young filmmakers is at the heart of their FilmFest involvement.

“It’s very hard when you don’t have a mentor, when you’re just learning mostly by making mistakes,” McCorkle said. “I thought it would be great to plug in with a group of kids that were very passionate but also provide some mentoring and help them avoid the obstacles and mistakes I made by going to the school of hard knocks.

I’m a walking encyclopedia of the dos and don’ts of filmmaking. Having a mentor can really help you.”

Brewer agrees. “When I moved to L.A. after school, I felt alone,” he said.

“I didn’t have anyone I could talk to.

I always try to look back at myself and remember that it never feels good to be a creative and be alone.

“I love seeing the development of the talent, and I love encouraging them to do better,” he said. “I always wanted that when I was younger.

More people need mentors. They need people to believe in them and encourage them along their journey.”

Faith is a motivating factor, as well. “We need more folks who love Jesus making movies, and we need them doing it in an excellent way,” Brewer said.

Maxwell was skeptical about an L.A. move after graduation in 2007, thinking he’d never make it. He clicked with FilmFest as a student because of his love of all things Apple and film, but his dreams didn’t extend too far.

“Every kid has the dream of being a Spielberg, when the reality of that is unlikely,” he said with a laugh.

Things changed when he was tasked with escorting a visiting FilmFest judge around town. Monica Jimenez-Grillo, then an instructor

at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, recommended he apply for a program internship at the center. (ACU has long offered internships at the center through the Best Semester program; Puckett and Lorenzen participated as have dozens of aspiring ACU actors and filmmakers.)

He did, after first taking on an internship with Brewer, and soon was living in L.A. with wife, Katie (Riggs ’10), working in various production roles on ABC’s reality competition Wipeout and then as a lead office assistant for the Kennedy/Marshall Company.

He’s in Midland, Texas, now, co-running Maxwell Filmworks with Katie, and in 2019 premiered his first full-length feature film, a documentary titled Finding Home in Boomtown, along the festival circuit and at ACU Summit.

“I can credit FilmFest for our L.A. adventure,” said Maxwell, who now has an MFA in film from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

“My life took a right turn. I have Monica and FilmFest to credit for that change in my life and career.”

“When I was a student, I made every excuse left and right” against moving to a place like L.A., Maxwell said. “You’ve just got to go. You have to endure it, and give it time, because opportunities will come your way – they just don’t happen overnight.

And I met so many great connections at my local church in L.A. that truly fed me in the industry. To this day, I keep up with them.”

Now that the case has long been made for the importance of teaching video skills, much less investing in a program like FilmFest, the focus is on fostering the talent of students each year and watching for what’s next on the technological horizon.

Along the way, students from all academic majors are developing leadership, project management, budgeting, technology and team communication skills from their FilmFest experience they take into their respective fields.

“When you think about the future, that’s why I’m excited that ACU invested in this years ago,” Brewer said. “I’ve had other universities come to me and say, ‘Tell us everything that ACU is doing at FilmFest because we want to have one.’ There’s this pearl that has kind of been polished and now it’s at this place where it can have even more value.

“I keep saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be awesome if we have the next [Steven] Spielberg here?’ ” he said.

“We have amazing talent. I think that could happen.”

Crazier things have happened, such as a successful short film festival, run by and for students, at a private university in West Texas without a film program. Maxwell is just as mind-boggled by its legacy as Brewer.

“It’s so fulfilling to know something you were involved with back in the day is vital to the university,” Maxwell said.

“It’s now a staple of student life, and I’m very proud of that.” 

Learn more at acu.edu/filmfest

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Don Finto

BY DE A NA NA LL

on Finto (’50) was 11 years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed in 1941. Living on his family’s farm outside Lamesa, Texas, Finto, like many Americans, wrestled with anxiety about the U.S. being invaded by Japan or Germany.

But one thought rose above his fears: What if people in those countries want to know about God? Years later, that thought would take Finto and his late wife, Martha, to post-World War II Germany to serve as missionaries for eight years. It would also drive him to take the Word of God to others he encountered throughout his life: young members of Nashville’s hippie culture in the 1970s, artists and executives in Nashville’s music scene in the 1980s, and most recently, the leaders of Israel and people of all nations.

It all started with a simple question: “What if they want to know God?” Basically, Finto has always believed in loving others radically, a concept defining his nearly eight decades of ministry. A key turning point in his faith journey came as a young man during a study of Romans 5.

“I realized we are righteous because of Christ’s righteousness, not because of our own,” ED RODE

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Finto said. “Christ has given us his righteousness. That was enormous.

That was the biggest message I had ever heard.”

This revelation caused inner tension that intensified as Finto taught German and Bible at Lipscomb University, where he had also become chair of the foreign language department. Something was tugging at his heart – and refusing to let go. He was becoming more aware of the Holy Spirit in a way he hadn’t been before.

This was the early ’70s, and the Jesus Movement was sweeping across the nation, creating widespread spiritual renewal – especially in the younger generation.

He felt drawn to these vibrant young people who were part of the hippie culture in Nashville.

“The church as a whole didn’t accept them because they looked different,” Finto said.

As Finto was beginning to experience faith in a new way, and as he kept encountering young people who wanted to know God, that tension within Finto grew. Around this time, Belmont Church of Christ, a small congregation in Nashville, hired him as its senior minister. He believed the Jesus Movement and Nashville could come together in an amazing way at Belmont. He wanted to know more and experience more about the fullness of the Holy Spirit, and he wanted others to understand it, too. But Finto was still on faculty at Lipscomb, and he felt as though he was living in two worlds.

“I would teach morning classes at Lipscomb, go out and baptize people, and then come back and teach afternoon classes at Lipscomb,” Finto said.

So he left the university and threw himself into full-time ministry at Belmont and on the streets of Nashville. And he equipped others to do what he was doing, such as

Michael Blanton (’73), then an ACU student Finto had met on a visit back to campus. When Blanton graduated, he moved to Nashville to be part of Belmont – at Finto’s urging.

“The Jesus Movement was all across the nation, and Don was the spark plug for Nashville,” said Blanton, who went on to forge a decades-long career in the contemporary Christian music business as an award-winning producer and manager who is now a member of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Blanton, who coined the name “Papa Don,” remembers Finto as someone who never stopped working to bring the Word of God to whomever would listen. One weekend, Finto said to Blanton, “Grab a box of paperback Bibles and go hand them out.” They went to Broadway, one of the rougher areas of Nashville.

“Don helped me get over the discomfort of doing things like that,” Blanton said.

Along with Brown Bannister (’75), Blanton became a youth leader at Belmont, which had grown from a small church to more than 2,000 members with multiple services each Sunday. Across the street from its main building, Belmont Church opened Koinonia Coffeehouse as a gathering place for young people the church attracted.

Koinonia featured concerts every weekend, including one young girl in the youth group – an elder’s daughter – who showed musical talent. Her name was Amy Grant, and Blanton would go on to produce some of Grant’s best-known albums.

Other Christian and Contemporary Christian music artists such as Michael W. Smith and Chris Christian (’73) also became part of Belmont and Koinonia. Blanton joked with Finto, “You’re going to be the minister to the stars.”

Turns out he was right.

Through the years at Belmont and all the gatherings at Koinonia, Finto’s passion for loving others never wavered.

“It was Don’s welcoming, loving heart,” Blanton said.

“It was amazing.”

In 1996, Finto retired from Belmont and shifted gears into another passion of his: the importance of God’s covenant with Israel. He started Caleb Company, which equips “the church to participate in God’s biblical plan for Israel and its relationship to world revival,” according to the ministry’s mission statement. He leads trips to Israel several times a year.

“When I left Belmont, my primary role was to invest in the next generations,” said Finto, now 89. “I challenge people not to retire, but to ‘refire.’ ” Nearing his 90th year, Finto reflects on the “what if …” question that led him to touch so many people’s lives through the servant leadership Jesus modeled.

“I genuinely believe we are always to have that heart and to raise others up,” Finto said. “I want my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to be mightier than I ever was.”

For those future generations, he strives to leave this legacy: “Radical passion for the Lord and fullness of the Holy Spirit.” 

ACU’s Dale and Rita Brown Outlive Your Life Award takes its name from Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference, the 2011 book by minister and best-selling Christian author Max Lucado (’77). The award is designed to recognize all types of servant leadership, including civic and community contributions, meeting spiritual or physical needs, producing changes with generational impact, helping redirect the course of people’s lives, and inspiring others to make an eternal difference. Recipients may be alumni or friends of the university.

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ACU101

SACRED SPACES

From multi-ton sculptures to secluded benches nestled in gardens, ACU’s Abilene campus is home to many Sacred Spaces – intentionally designed contemplative spots where students, faculty, staff and visitors seek solitude and connection with God. These are the places where you can often find those in need of quiet, whether they’re doing schoolwork, or reading the Bible, or praying, or even sipping a cup of coffee on a cool morning. Some have been around for decades, and all are sought-after destinations for those in search of a place to reflect on the beauty of God’s creation, the importance of God’s teachings, and the redemptive grace we find through his love for us.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE BUTMAN, SCOTT DELONY, JEREMY ENLOW AND PAUL WHITE

1

1 Daily Chapel services are as old as the university itself

(almost 114 years), and since 1968, the majority have been conducted in Moody Coliseum. Thousands gather there most weekdays at 11 a.m., a crucial part of the ACU experience in which we take a break from our busy schedules and come together to worship.

Other venues play host to Chapel as well, such as Cullen Auditorium, and smaller groups meet for devotionals in classroom spaces across campus.

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3

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Attached to the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building, Chapel on the Hill is more than a location for Chapel services or lectures (or a sought-after wedding destination).

This 350-seat auditorium – featuring pews, east and west windows of 280 shades of faceted glass, and huge Leuders limestone blocks – beckons those looking for a serene location to sit in reflection. The blocks are evocative of the western wall of the Temple in Jerusalem, which is used as a prayer site, and can be found in many of the Sacred Spaces on campus.

The Garvin and Judy Beauchamp Amphitheatre and Tower of Light are an iconic spot, and for several decades has been where freshmen and transfer students are welcomed to the university during Wildcat Week’s Candlelight Devo. When not being used for an event, the stone steps often are populated by students studying, reading or relaxing with friends. Professors also are known to conduct class there, weather permitting. The Scripture inscribed on the base of the 150-foot-tall tower is John 8:12: “I am the light of the world.

He who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

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3

4 The Labyrinth, part of the Rich Welcome Plaza

5 Encircling campus is 2-mile-long Lunsford Foundation Trail, a popular spot for walkers, joggers and runners of all stripes. Many of the trailheads and other waypoints bear intentional messages in scriptures such as Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” – and several are designed as places to rest and reflect. The Ascension sculpture of an ascending Jesus as depicted in Luke 24:50-51, and its trailhead near Sewell Auditorium are surrounded by beautiful landscaping.

RENDI HAHN

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in front of the Hunter Welcome Center, takes its design from the medieval labyrinth in the Cathedral Notre-Dame of Chartres, France. The walk to the center rosette is more than 230 yards long and is unicursal – like the Christian life and our spiritual walk, it has twists and turns, but only one path. The Scripture inscribed at its center, Jeremiah 6:16, reads: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

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Both the 6 Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building and Mabee Business Building are each home to The Quiet Place, a series of rooms specifically designed for meditation and prayer. Generations of students have sought solace in these spaces, many leaving messages of comfort, conviction, determination and even trepidation in journals or carved in the wood of desks. Visitors soon realize they are not alone in seeking connection with God and traversing the ups and downs of life. The Quiet Place in the Biblical Studies Building features I Exalt Thee, a Russ Faxon bronze sculpture depicting a young man with his arms raised in prayer.

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7 Created by Jack Maxwell (’78), professor emeritus of art and

design, the Jacob’s Dream sculpture site has become one of the most popular spots on campus since its dedication in September 2006. The massive piece depicts a narrative from the Book of Genesis, in which Jacob dreams of a ladder reaching to Heaven, with angels ascending and descending. It is part of a meditative park and contains a baptismal pool, which is often used by members of the ACU community and beyond. Its large stones are etched with scriptures and other holy words, and when a visitor stands in the right spot, the shape of a cross can be seen.

Generations of generosity Some of ACU’s most iconic Sacred Spaces exist thanks to the generosity and faithfulness of the Lunsford family.

The late Richard Weldon (’55) and Dema (Atkins ’57) Lunsford spearheaded the creation of The Quiet Place locations inside ACU’s Mabee Business Building (opened in 1986) and the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building (1989). A plaque in one of the campus spaces says the “rationale behind having an established setting such as The Quiet Place is that on a busy university campus all persons – students and faculty alike – need a place for meditation and renewal.”

Richard “Fuzzy” Lunsford was an ACU trustee from 1978-98, received a Distinguished Alumni Citation in 1972 and served on the search committee to name the university’s 10th president in 1990.

One of their sons, Holt Lunsford (’85), chose the Lunsford Foundation Trail as a way to honor his parents and provide a gift to the Centennial Campaign in 2006.

“I wanted to do this in honor of my parents, who have had a tremendous impact on my faith and my education and who have been involved with ACU ever since we went to school there.

And all of this is done to God’s glory,” he said. “Any time you work to enhance God’s creation, it gives him glory. As we improve our bodies and minds and spirits, he is pleased. As a family, we want God to receive the glory and the student body to receive the benefits.”  – SARAH CARLSON

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#ACU

We love our followers on social media. Here are just a few of the posts by and about Wildcats.

Beth Wade August 21

Thank you for sharing the Candlelight Devotional. I watched and listened with tears in my eyes knowing that my five children were touched by God’s hand while attending ACU, and two of my grandchildren are in this group!

What a blessing! Thank you, Abilene Christian University, for sharing this! The singing was absolutely beautiful!

Cody Thompson August 31

colio19

Gardner Hall

Loved seeing the Abilene Christian University flag flying at the College GameDay location in Sundance Square this morning. Looking forward to seeing all the Wildcat fans at the ACU vs. UNT Pregame Party and Game later today. Go Wildcats! #Scratchem #BeatUNT

Spending a few days with one of my best friends in one of my favorite places #iloveabilene #abilenechristianuniversity MAY 23

Karen Crockett October 20

Tori Watson Johnson March 23

Someone is ready to watch #ACUWBB take on @BaylorWBB! She has been up cheering, “ACU!” since 8:30 this morning #ACUWildcats

ACU Homecoming did not disappoint! Pictures just barely touch the good memories of this weekend! I walked away wishing for longer visits and more pictures. Sweet times with family, seeing young friends and so many long-time friends, listening to hearts, rejoicing in good news with others, singing in chapel with Jeffery Lynn Nelson, and witnessing honor being given to servants like Paul Faulkner. How fun it was to walk from the Campus Center to the Anthony Field for the game! The campus looked amazing and I know so much work was poured into the weekend. So much appreciation Abilene Christian University

momma bunny October 1

@ACUedu I bought this dress for my niece in 2000 (I was freshman) and now my daughter wears it. #proudmom #acuwildcats #interiordesignmajor

Julie Goodenough September 11

@ACUsports Student Athlete Chapel today How many other DI Athletic Depts meet as a dept once a month to talk about their faith in Jesus?!? Yep that’s what I thought! #acudifference

Hailey Rotenberry October 20

September 26

Love that we have a place on Abilene Christian University campus now that honors our grandfather and the amazing impact he and my grandmother had on the university.

Such a special weekend with a special family.

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Camp Able of Buffalo Gap

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So grateful to have the student nurses from Abilene Christian University assisting us Fridays for our group riding sessions for students from Merkel and Jim Ned schools.

momma bunny October 1

When you’re working on your EdD and traveling … you use your hotspot and write your paper in the car. #lifelonglearner #acu

Puppy Love

What do ACU police chief Jimmy Ellison and a winsome black Schnauzer have in common? Lots, it turns out, based on Fritter the K9’s following on campus and through social media. See page 49 for the backstory.

Gardner_hall

Abilene Christian University Thanks for visiting us today @k9_fritter! YOU ARE P WFECTION! We love & appreciate you.

Thanks for keeping us safe APRIL 9

k9_fritter

ACU Police Department Good thing I wasn’t arrested when I stole chief’s heart

Cyndy Davy Feasel September 19

AUGUST 1

College week in MISD … twinning with my student who says she’s going to get her Masters Degree like ME … and her Grandma and her Daddy got from Abilene Christian University #goals #collegeweek

Em

September 19 Hearing people have full length conversations in Hebrew #acudifference

k9_fritter k9_fritter

Abilene Christian University Surround yourself with people who see your value and remind you of it … and those who bring you donuts

KTAB News

If this police thing doesn’t work out, I can always become a reporter. #bossbabe AUGUST 26

OCTOBER 24

autumn_elaine Gardner Hall

Too bad I can only post 10 pictures about move in, cause I’m pretty sure we took at least a hundred!! #acu23 #collegemoveinday #youthinkimjokingbutimnot AUGUST 21

hello_hatley

Hatley Whitfield Friends + Fritter = great Friday night OCTOBER 18

k9_fritter

Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium Every dog needs a sidekick … mine just happens to be called Chief #pawandorder SEPTEMBER 30

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TheBOOKCASE A Life of Alexander Campbell

Writing for Engagement

By Dr. Douglas A. Foster ISBN 978-0802876331 • 304 pages eerdmans.com

RESPONSIVE PRACTICE FOR SOCIAL ACTION

The first critical biography of the co-founder of the Stone-Campbell Movement. Foster, ACU professor emeritus of church history, assesses principal parts of Campbell’s life and thought to discover his significance for American Christianity and the worldwide movement that emerged from his work.

Models for new responsive practices to engagement, examining how they can facilitate writing for social action through taking positions, building relationships and crossing boundaries.

Jesus, King of Strangers

Yes

WHAT THE BIBLE REALLY SAYS ABOUT IMMIGRATION

A STORY OF SAYING YES AND LIVING THE LIFE THAT FOLLOWS

By Dr. Mark Hamilton (’90 M.Div.) ISBN 978-0802876621 • 184 pages eerdmans.com

By Courtney (Flow ’09) Koctar ISBN 978-1791605797 • 246 pages amazon.com

How we treat strangers (foreigners, immigrants, migrants) is a promi­nent political, economic and religious issue. Drawing on his personal experiences and expertise as a biblical scholar, Hamilton argues that Scripture describes God’s people as strangers who are called to show grace and hospitality to others.

Saying yes is risky and scary. It’s also super brave.

It means showing up, doing the hard thing even when unsure if it will work out, telling the truth, and inviting pain and brokenness into your story.

Comfort When the Shadow Falls

WHITE SUPREMACY AND THE STORIES THAT GIVE US MEANING

ENCOURAGING THE DYING AND THOSE AFFECTED BY GRIEF

By Dr. Eddie Sharp (’73) with Dr. Cheryl Mann Bacon (’76) ISBN 978-1791605797 • 144 pages leafwoodpublishers.com This reflective, compassionate and holistic look at how Christ calls us to minister in the shadow of death offers seasoned, practical advice on how to serve the dying, come alongside grieving families, lead in funeral service for expected or sudden losses, and minister to the grieving unchurched in our communities.

Resisting Babel ALLEGIANCE TO GOD AND THE PROBLEM OF GOVERNMENT

Edited by Dr. John Mark Hicks Contributing writers Jon Camp (’93 M.A., M.Div.) and Dr. Richard T. Hughes (’67 M.A.) ISBN 978-1684264502 • 160 pages acupressbooks.com If the kingdom of God demands exclusive allegiance, how do followers of Jesus engage with a world shaped by political power? In this volume, the editor assembles some of the leading voices on the late David Lipscomb, a Tennessee farmer and church leader whose views fostered deep and significant religious reform in the U.S. and led to missionary zeal across the globe.

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Edited by Megan Faver Hartline (’10), Mary P. Sheridan, Megan J. Bardolph and Drew Holladay ISBN 978-1498565561 • 314 pages rowman.com

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Myths America Lives By

By Dr. Richard Hughes (’67) ISBN 978-1944515478 • 280 pages press.uillinois.edu Six myths lie at the heart of the American experience.

Four remind us of our noblest ideals, challenging us to realize our promise while galvanizing the sense of hope and unity we need. Misused, they allow for illusions of innocence that fly in the face of white supremacy, the myth at the heart of all others.

Psalm 23 in the Classroom

By Wayne McCamey (’65) ISBN 978-1498546997 • 200 pages christianfaithpublishing.com Psalm 23 in the Classroom shares moments of kindness and difficulties that arise when working with students, teachers and parents. A shepherd and a teacher must have similar management skills for success to be achieved.

Western Art, Western History COLLECTED ESSAYS

Dr. Ron Tyler (’64) ISBN 978-0806-61808 • 312 pages oupress.com Tyler – retired director of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art – brings together eight of his most notable essays about key artists, both famous and obscure, whose provocative pictures document the people and places of the 19th-century American West.

Illustrated with more than 150 historic images.

Selections of books published by Abilene Christian University or those written, edited, compiled or contributed by ACU alumni, faculty, staff and students.

The Art of Texas

Stories of Design and Narratives of Faith

250 YEARS

FROM NEANDERTHALS TO THE POSTMODERN AGE EXPECTATIONS OF GOD

Edited by Dr. Ron Tyler (’64) ISBN 978-0875657035 • 456 pages amazon.com Written by noted scholars, art historians and curators, this book is the first attempt to analyze and characterize Texas art on a grand scale.

Tyler is retired director of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.

Proficiency Predictors in Sequential Bilinguals THE PROFICIENCY PUZZLE

By Lynette (Blackburn ’86) Austin ISBN 978-1108641395 • 96 pages cambridge.org An overview of research considering variables deemed to impact bilingual language acquisition, highlighting research outcomes from a variety of disciplines. Austin is associate professor and co-chair of communication sciences and disorders at ACU.

A Grandmother’s Prayer MOMENTS IN A MUSIC LIFE

By Chris Christian (’73) ISBN 978-1948794343 • 248 pages truepotentialmedia.com This autobiography is the story of the early days of Contemporary Christian Music and the many people who have intersected the life of an award-winning artist and producer.c

Little Birder A FIELD GUIDE TO BIRDS OF THE ALPHABET

By Jessalyn Claire (Massingill ’11) Beasley ISBN 978-0578400365 • 60 pages jessalynclaire.com This award-winning children’s book introduces 26 birds, one for each of letter of the alphabet, with bold illustrations, playful descriptions and layers of opportunities for kids to observe, learn and question.

More Than Words Can Say

By Victor Hunter (’64) and Lanny Hunter, M.D. (’58) ISBN 978-1532662270 • 236 pages wipfandstock.com The authors – a preacher-theologian and medical doctor – address humankind’s search for identity and meaning through the stories of science and religion.

Jerusalem is Calling PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND

By Robbie Freeman Shugart (’82) ISBN 978-1947279544 • 189 pages RobbieFreemanShugart.com Shugart takes readers through her own pilgrimage to places where the Bible’s life-changing narrative took place.

After the Fall THE REMARKABLE COMEBACK OF RICHARD NIXON

By Kasey Pipes (’95) ISBN 978-1621572848 • 320 pages regnery.com In this evocative biography of Richard Nixon, presidential historian and former White House speechwriter Kasey Pipes explores Nixon’s post-White House life, beginning with his days in virtual exile to his unlikely redemption through later-life works.

Built to Help Each Other MENTORING IN THE LIFE OF RICHARD CARUSO, AN UNCOMMON MAN

By John Crosby (’58) ISBN 978-1635766424 • 240 pages radiusbookgroup.com Crosby shares his friend’s life with humor and personal memories of how they created the Uncommon Individual Foundation and implemented their innovative mentoring philosophy in more than 200 organizations around the world.

Live Stock Operations HISTORY, EQUIPMENT, FACILITIES AND MODELING

By Karen (Gaskin ’93) Witemeyer ISBN 978-0764232190 • 368 pages bethanyhouse.com

By J. Stephen Sandifer (’70) 256 pages sfrhms.org

Abigail Kemp needs a man’s name on her bakery’s deed. A marriage of convenience seems the best solution … if it involves a man she can control. Not the stoic lumberman who oozes confidence without saying a word. Control Zacharias Hamilton? She can’t even control her pulse when around him.

For more than a century, cattle, birds, fish and myriad of other animals rode by rail. Here is the story of the Santa Fe Railroad and its live stock operations, with more than 400 photographs and illustrations.

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Selections of books published by Abilene Christian University or those written, edited, compiled or contributed by ACU alumni, faculty, staff and students.

How Happiness Happens

The Smart Stepfamily Guide to Financial Planning

By Ron L. Deal (’93 M.M.F.T.), Greg S. Pettys and David O. Edwards ISBN 978-0764233357 • 224 pages bethanyhouse.com Debts, bills and child support payments from previous relationships often influence the finances of a blended family. Learn how money management and financial planning can be an asset to new relationships.

FINDING LASTING JOY IN A WORLD OF COMPARISON, DISAPPOINTMENT, AND UNMET EXPECTATIONS

By Max Lucado (’77) ISBN 978-0718096137 • 208 pages thomasnelson.com

Wind Ensemble spring tour includes showcase performance at TMEA convention in San Antonio In a world searching for happiness, best-selling author Lucado provides a personal plan for a life filled with lasting and fulfilling joy, supported by Jesus’ teaching and modern research.

Devoted to Christ

Trains, Jesus, and Murder

MISSIOLOGICAL REFLECTIONS IN HONOR OF SHERWOOD G. LINGENFELTER

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JOHNNY CASH

Dr. Richard Beck (’89) ISBN 978-1506433769 • 150 pages fortresspress.com

Edited by Dr. Chris Flanders (’89) ISBN 978-1532611834 • 192 pages wipfandstock.com

Beck, ACU professor and chair of psychology, explores the theology of legendary recording artist Johnny Cash by investigating a dozen of his songs. In reflecting on his lyrics, and the passion with which he sang them, we gain a deeper understanding of the enduring faith of the Man in Black.

A festschrift of original missiological contributions from colleagues and former doctoral students of Lingenfelter, highlighting his research interests and pointing to his profound influence on the contemporary missiological landscape.

Building Love Together in Blended Families

By Dr. Gary Chapman and Ron L. Deal (’93 M.M.F.T.) ISBN 978-0802419057 • 224 pages 5lovelanguages.com Blended families encounter unique challenges many do not anticipate. New relationships can disrupt familial roles and trigger pain from past loss. Discover how blended families can build relationships honoring the past while looking to the future.

Ethics in Context ESSAYS IN HONOR OF WENDELL LEE WILLIS

Edited by Dr. James Thompson (’64) and Dr. Richard Wright ISBN 978-1532660795 • 264 pages wipfandstock.com A festschrift of appreciation for Dr. Wendell Willis (’67 M.A.), ACU professor emeritus of Bible, missions and ministry, and his research interests in the various contexts of early Christianity, particularly in the apostle Paul, New Testament ethics, and ecclesiology.

Short and Sweet A DIFFERENT BEAT

Compiled and Edited by Susan Cheeves King (’74) ISBN 978-984567857 • 140 pages grace-publishing.com One-of-a-kind people make an impact because they’re true originals. Discover the stories of 41 unique people who have left an indelible mark on the world as they stay true to themselves and dance to their own beat.

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STAYING THE COURSE

Fifteen Leaders Survey Their Past and Envision The Future of Churches of Christ

Edited by Thomas H. Olbricht Gayle M. Crowe

Staying the Course FIFTEEN LEADERS SURVEY THEIR PAST AND ENVISION THE FUTURE OF CHURCHES OF CHRIST

Edited by Dr. Thomas Olbricht and Dr. Gayle Crowe (’63) ISBN 978-0827221888 • 181 pages sulisinternational.com Essays by 15 respected senior leaders in the Churches of Christ provide witness to the shaping work of God around them, and perhaps also give hope to readers for seeing God’s work in their own lives.

Wildcat Football THREE CHEERS FOR THE PURPLE AND WHITE

By Lance Fleming (’92) ISBN 978-0891124313 • 256 pages acupressbooks.com Fleming explores the history of football at ACU through the eyes and experiences of writers who have covered the Wildcats since they began playing intercollegiately in 1919. Learn about games played, championships won, coaches who taught more than the sport, friendships forged, and the people who provided the program with resources to attain greatness.

SHOW YOUR

TRUE

COLO RS Shop f on l i n or y o u r Wi e McG or in-sto ldcat ge lo t h l a in Care in t he r mpu Cent s er

acu.bncollege.com

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HilltopVIEW

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Fritter the K9 earns smiles, spreads good will for ACUPD SCOTT DELONY

A miniature Schnauzer dubbed Fritter the K-9 has taken on the role of official ambassador for the ACU Police Department, sporting her own ballistic vest, miniature cruiser and social media accounts.

Fritter’s reign as top dog at ACUPD started as an April Fool’s joke between interior design professor Kelly (Kercheval ’09) Mann and apple-fritter-loving police chief Jimmy Ellison.

Mann had half-seriously suggested that Ellison create a canine division within ACUPD, an idea he quickly vetoed for cost and liability

A new outdoor contemplative space with a sitting area overlooking Faubus Fountain Lake honors the ministry of Dr. Paul Faulkner (’52) and his wife, the late Gladys (Shoemaker ’52).

The Faulkner Meditation Garden was dedicated Oct. 19, 2019, in a ceremony attended by family and friends. The Faulkners’ granddaughter, Hailey (Clinton ’12) Rotenberry, spoke on behalf of the family, and Faulkner gave an impromptu speech.

“I had no idea this was going to happen,” the retired professor said.

“This many people coming out who know and like me a little bit makes me feel awfully good.”

In Faulkner’s 39 years at ACU, he founded the Department of

KELLY MANN

Marriage and Family Therapy, helped coordinate the Ministers Support Network and partnered with former ACU roommate Dr. Carl Brecheen (’52) to present the Marriage Enrichment Seminar, a ministry that has reached more than 90,000 couples in 33 states and seven countries.

Debbie (Faulkner ’76) Clinton, who helped plan the garden along with her husband, Randy (’77), said her family could not think of a more meaningful way to honor her father and his legacy than “a tangible place to experience the presence of God in prayer and meditation while overlooking the beauty of his nature.”

The location is adjacent to the Lunsford Foundation Trail, just east of Hunter Welcome Center.

“Dad still walks tall with his God with his Bible in his hand, always looking for a way to teach and counsel and pray for someone,” Clinton said. “We hope the garden will bring people closer to God as they seek him first above all else.”

Faulkner Meditation Garden dedicated in honor of longtime ministry couple

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BY T HE NUMBE RS

SCOTT DELONY

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Number of warm white C7 bulbs illuminating the holiday tree structure towering over GATA Fountain for Christmas 2019. Built by local company Super Lights, the 29-foot-tall tree was 18 feet in diameter at its base. The tree was built atop the fountain, anchored by several one-ton water totes that each hold 275 gallons of water for support. Super Light’s Jeremy Voss (’98), Jordan Dickison (’13) and Robert Blasingame (’02) formed the primary construction team. The structure in the Campus Mall was the star Nov. 19 of ACU’s Litmas tree-lighting event, a fun evening for the community that featured live music, hot chocolate, a vintage camper photo booth, and plenty of Christmas spirit, sponsored by the Student Government Association.

Ko Jo Kai centenarian Eloise Reynolds Carruthers (’37) joins Gayla (Gieger ’65) Pope (left) and driver Karen (Osborn ’66) Sharp in waving to the 2019 Homecoming Parade crowd on Oct. 19.

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BRANDI JO DELONY

reasons. But Mann wasn’t ready to give up on the idea.

“I am a very sarcastic person, as is the chief, so when he said that, I saw it as a challenge,” Mann said.

She asked a friend if she could borrow her miniature schnauzer.

She set to work and made the dog a K-9 vest, then began staging photos at the police station at times Ellison was away. She created a private social media account for Fritter with plans to make it public April 1, 2019.

That morning, Mann arrived at the police station with the dog and a box of apple fritters. Ellison walked in and began laughing, she said.

Fritter became an immediate hit with students and employees alike, and requests for appearances around campus came pouring in.

“I’ve always recognized there’s a lot of potential out there with social media, particularly with the age of our constituency,” Ellison said, “so I thought we’ll just run with this.”

Fritter 1.0 has now been replaced with a new Schnauzer puppy owned by Mann. The sassy canine has appeared at sports events, in classrooms, and even drove her tiny cruiser in the Homecoming parade.

“Everybody’s getting a kick out of it, and we’re getting positive exposure and getting people plugged into the police department,” Ellison said.

“It’s a win-win.”

Ko Jo Kai, GATA celebrate 100th anniversaries at ACU

A

bilene Christian’s two oldest women’s social clubs, Ko Jo Kai and GATA, are celebrating their 100th anniversaries this school year.

ACU’s first social club was Hi A Club, a women’s group chartered Nov. 17, 1919. GATA was chartered two months later on Jan. 16, 1920. Hi A changed its name to Ko Jo Kai later that year. Both clubs not only have survived but have flourished over the last century.

Ko Jo Kai currently has 165 active members and GATA has 142.

Kojies began their anniversary celebration at Homecoming with a breakfast that attracted more than 550 current and former members, said sponsor M.C. (Hayes ’91) Jennings. The oldest living Kojie, Eloise Reynolds Carruthers (’37), age 102, was honored at the breakfast and rode in a car in the parade. That evening, Kojies held a 100th birthday party on campus.

“It’s very humbling to think that we’ve all played a part in helping continue this incredible legacy of Christian sisters over the last century,” Jennings said. “Thousands of women have been shaped by the friendships and bonds they made through Ko Jo Kai.” A special effort is being made this year to increase funds for the Ko Jo Kai Endowed Scholarship, Jennings said. Five Kojie seniors were awarded $1,000 scholarships in 2019.

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Number of consecutive PGA tournaments among 18 won overall in 1945 by the late Abilene Christian trustee Byron Nelson, namesake of the new Byron Nelson Clubhouse on campus. The facility will serve as the home of ACU’s intercollegiate golf program.

See story on page 57.

Uniform number of former MLB pitcher Bill Gilbreth (’69), the first ACU baseball player to have his number retired.

The ceremony will take place at the annual First Pitch Dinner on Feb. 8, prior to the 2020 season. Gilbreth was the head coach when ACU won its first Lone Star Conference championship in the sport in 1992.

Organizers would like to increase the number and amount of scholarships available.

“The greatest legacy we can leave is to help our own members through scholarships, hoping they in turn will go on to help future college students,” she said.

The anniversary celebration for GATA will kick off Jan. 16, 2020, with a 100th birthday party for all students, said senior sponsor Betsey (Bolin ’85) Craig. The party will take place at the GATA Fountain, weather permitting, and will feature red velvet cupcakes.

An expanded version of GATA’s regular Sing Song breakfast is being planned for Feb. 22. Alumni and families of members will be invited.

Instead of the usual Homecoming breakfast, a formal Grand Ol’ GATA Gala with spouses and dates will take place the evening of Oct. 17. Among other special activities that night, Craig hopes to have all living past presidents attend, she said.

Also throughout the year, members and alumni will be raising money for a new GATA Fountain, which will be part of planned renovation of the Campus Mall area.

“You only turn 100 once, and we want to take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate all year,” Craig said. 

Bill Gilbreth (left) and former MLB teammate Nolan Ryan (right) were instrumental in bringing baseball back to ACU in 1990.

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CAMPUS VOICES

Dr. Bruce Marshall, the Lehman Professor of Christian Doctrine at SMU, provided a guest lecture about the late Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth on Oct. 16, 2019, sponsored by the ACU Graduate School of Theology. Barth is a prominent 20th-century author known for his landmark 1919 book, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, and a later four-volume series, Church Dogmatics.

Author and practitioner Austin Channing Brown presented in Chapel and in a public forum Sept. 9-10, 2019.

Brown helps schools, nonprofits and religious organizations practice genuine inclusion. Her writing has appeared in Christianity Today, Relevant, Sojourners and The Christian Century.

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Charles Stenholm, former U.S. congressman for West Texas from 1979-2005, presented a lecture, “Washington Ain’t What It Used to Be,” Oct. 10, 2019, in the Halbert-Walling Lecture Hall, sponsored by ACU’s Jack Pope Fellows. Stenholm’s predecessor in Congress was Omar Burleson (’25), who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947-78.

SCOTT DELONY

Jenavene Bazacas

Kasey Pipes also authored a biography of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ike’s Final Battle: The Road to Little Rock and the Challenge of Equality.

Dr. Scott Acton’s uncle, Dr. Loren Acton, was a physicist and NASA astronaut.

Speakers during the annual Startup Week, sponsored Nov. 18-22, 2019, by ACU’s Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy, included Trisha Betz, owner, Flower Boss; Randy Brewer (’93), Founder and executive producer, Revolution Pictures, LLC; Jerry Browder (’76), president, Signet Health Corporation; Emily (Pybus ’14) Cooke, owner, Good Things Bakery; Asia Eidson (’14), owner, Photo by Joy; Autumn Heseman, owner, SCOTT DELONY

Seth Bazacas

Kasey Pipes (’95), author of After the Fall: The Remarkable Comeback of Richard Nixon, presented Sept. 23 at a luncheon sponsored

by ACU’s Center for Building Community. Pipes was an advisor to President George W. Bush and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is co-founder of the issues management firm Corley Pipes, partner at the public affairs firm High Water Strategies, and the Norris Fellow at the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College.

Prayed Over Pieces; Mark Hewitt (’97), pastor, founder and executive director, Love & Care Ministries; Chad Hutchins (’08), co-founder and CTO, Fanatical Labs; Will Lunsford (’89), vice president, Moriah Group, LLC; Susan Peters, national director, Unbound ministry; Cayce Powell (’95), president, Thompson and Associates; Ashley Pyle, owner, Sabrina Cedars wedding venue; Meguell and Brittany Suell, owners, EZer Snacks; Jordan Swim (’07), chef, Vestals Catering Co.; Austin Underwood, owner, Austin’s Underdawgs; and Keith White, president, Datroo Technologies.

STEVE BUTMAN

Seth (’09) and Jenavene (Hester ’09) Bazacas performed Two People in Love, a cabaret-style show for ACU Theatre’s annual “Lights Up” fundraiser Sept. 14, 2019, at the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature in downtown Abilene.

Chapel speakers in Fall 2019 included David Eubank, a former U.S. Army Special Forces and Ranger officer, and founder of the Free Burma Rangers, a humanitarian service and missions movement for oppressed ethnic minorities of all races and religions in the Burma, Kurdistan and Sudan war zones, Oct. 30; and Brian Brenberg, executive vice president and chair of business and finance at The King’s College, Nov. 18.

Beth Silvers and Sarah Stewart Holland recorded one of their Pantsuit Politics podcasts from ACU. They were on campus Nov. 6-7, 2019, to also speak in Chapel, meet with classes and host a faculty workshop. The two are co-authors of I Think You're Wrong, But I'm Listening.

JEREMY ENLOW

Dr. Scott Acton (’84), one of the designers of the James Webb Space Telescope – the eventual replacement for the Hubble Telescope – presented a lecture Oct. 17, 2019, in Walling Lecture Hall. Acton is a scientist for Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. who earned a B.S. in physics from ACU and serves on the Board of Visitors for physics and engineering.

Henderson’s leap into Wildcat Stadium a memorable one

W

ith apologies to Clark Kent: It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s an ACU Bible professor?

High-flying Larry Henderson (’73), who teaches undergraduate Bible classes and directs the WorldWide Witness program – along with two fellow skydivers – delivered the game ball Sept. 7, 2019, as ACU took on Arizona Christian in Wildcat Stadium.

Henderson, who was a missionary in Thailand for 25 years before returning to his alma mater to teach, has been skydiving for 44 years and been part of the professional exhibition Blue Skies Parachute Team for five years.

The jump onto Anthony Field was number 6,722 for him.

“There have been so many special jumps,” he said. “About 15 world records, several medals at the U.S. National Skydiving Championships, movies, exotic locations and

SCOTT DELONY

The annual Carmichael-Walling Lectures, presented Nov. 14, 2019, by ACU’s Center for the Study of Ancient Religious Texts, featured Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. She lectured twice: “Understanding Jesus Means Understanding Judaism: a Workshop” and “Hearing the Parables Through Jewish Ears: Sheep, Coins, Prodigals and Samaritans.” Levine is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies and Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Her books include The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus; The New Testament, Methods and Meanings; and Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi. She has a Ph.D. from Duke University and five honorary doctorates.

demonstration jumps like the world’s largest annual air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.”

But he said the event prior to ACU’s home-opener football game might count as his most personally satisfying and stressful.

“I had never jumped into a stadium full of people I knew,” he said. “But since these were my people watching with high expectations, the pressure was certainly felt.”

He, along with Tom Schroder and Garth Harley, exited the airplane into a 15-second freefall, trailing purple smoke and reaching a speed of 120 mph, before deploying their parachutes at about 3,000 feet above the stadium and landing softly at midfield, with Schroder carrying the game ball.

Henderson said he knew the crowd was cheering, “but I was too focused on landing in the right place for it to register. After touchdown, oh, yes, I heard the crowd!” 

JEREMY ENLOW

Denalyn (Preston ’79) Lucado and her daughter, Andrea Lucado (’08), were guest speakers at Women for ACU’s 50th anniversary luncheon at Homecoming.

To the cheers of the crowd in Wildcat Stadium, Larry Henderson lands safely on Anthony Field prior to the ACU home opener on Sept. 7, 2019.

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AcademicNEWS

BY ROBIN SAYLOR

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Australian students gain access to ACU D.Min. through cooperative degree program with Stirling

has new residential StudyStudy AbroadAbroad finds new residential hub home in Oxford

T

he purchase of a new Study Abroad residence in Oxford, England, marks another exciting milestone in the university’s 21st-Century Vision goal of preparing students to think globally by offering valuable cross-cultural experiences.

The recently renovated Victorian house, located at 163 Woodstock Rd. in Central North Oxford, will serve as housing for 26 students. It features eight bedrooms, six bathrooms, two kitchens, five reception rooms, a studio, outside deck and backyard, and covers a 6,457-square-foot area.

ACU plans to renovate the bathrooms to accommodate a large group of students, and has received permission from Oxford’s City Council to build an extension onto the rear-left wing of the house on the ground floor to create a small flat to house ACU faculty.

A grand opening event is being planned for July 14, 2020.

Stephen Shewmaker (’91), executive director of ACU Study Abroad, said the purchase of

the property is another significant piece in realizing ACU’s strategic objective to have 50 percent of undergraduate students study abroad.

“My hope would be that ACU students will be studying abroad in Oxford for the next 100 years,” he said. “Whether you’ve worked in Study Abroad like I have, you’re a faculty member who has led a trip, or you’re a student who has studied there, we all have a more permanent connection to Oxford by making this purchase.”

The current Oxford Study Abroad program began in the mid-1990s. ACU began leasing the current two houses used to house students in 1999, and the search for a permanent property began in 2002.

The Oxford Study Abroad Program will remain in the currently leased houses until the end of this summer, Shewmaker said.

Then beginning in Fall 2020, students will be housed at the new property.

The latest “Best Colleges” rankings by U.S. News and World Report placed ACU’s Study Abroad program in the Top 50 in the nation. 

ACU has expanded its Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program through a partnership with Stirling Theological College and University of Divinity in Melbourne, Australia.

The partnership will enable Australian students access to ACU’s D.Min. Under the agreement, much of the coursework component will be completed in Australia through Stirling, and students will have the opportunity to study with both U.S. and Australian faculty.

The University of Divinity is the leading degree-granting theological institution in Australia, and it is the only specialized university in Australia that offers an array of master’s and research doctoral degrees in theology. As one of the 11 colleges comprising UD, Stirling serves as a national seminary for Churches of Christ in Australia.

Through the partnership, students enrolled at Stirling can complete the D.Min. degree with only two trips to Abilene, plus an optional third trip for graduation ceremonies. The remaining classes will be offered online or at Stirling’s campus.

Already, five Australian students have enrolled in the program, said Dr. Carson Reed (’95 D.Min.), associate professor of practical theology, Frazer Chair for Church Enrichment, and executive director of the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry at ACU. “We are truly excited about it,” Reed said. “I traveled for two weeks in Australia last July speaking at two ministerial and academic conferences. The interest in this partnership is growing.” 

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E X PE RIE N T I A L L E A RNING

Que, Baldridge earn top CCCU award for team research

Drs. Tim Kennedy, Tim Head and Kim Pamplin

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SCOTT DELONY

Drs. Tim Head, Kim Pamplin (’91) and Tim Kennedy have received a $762,246 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a novel mechanical filtration system through their work in the NEXT Lab. The project includes the collection of filter media and regeneration performance data for a novel sintered nickel-based filter prototype. The filtration system will add significant value to the work being done by NEXT (Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing).

Abilene Christian students and faculty from several academic departments are working together to research the use of molten salt, rather than water, as a coolant for reactors.

This research will advance the NEXT Lab’s mission, which is to provide solutions to the world’s need for safer and less expensive energy, pure and abundant water, and medical isotopes used to diagnose and treat cancer by advancing the technology of molten salt reactors while educating the next generation of leaders in nuclear science and engineering.

Head is professor of engineering and physics and principal investigator for the grant, Pamplin is professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Kennedy is assistant professor and executive director of ACU’s engineering program. Partnering with ACU in this research is Dr. Kevin Robb from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

This grant brings the funding total for NEXT Lab research to date to more than $5.2 million.

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SCOTT DELONY

Three professors earn DOE grant for NEXT Lab research

ward-winning research conducted by an ACU student and faculty member made national headlines in 2019 and has led to discussions on how to combat food insecurity among college students.

Shannon Que (’19), social work graduate student from Burleson, Texas, and Dr. Stephen Baldridge, B.S.S.W. program director and assistant dean of the College of Education and Human Services, were one of three student-faculty pairs from Council for Christian Colleges and Universities schools awarded the

colleges. Approximately one-quarter of students at four-year colleges are food-insecure, Que found, with research showing low-income students, students of color, students with dependents, and firstgeneration students having an increased risk of experiencing food insecurity.

Their final report examines these types of racial and socioeconomic disparities and highlights the detrimental short- and long-term impacts on students. It also makes recommendations on how to better use Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) among students, as well

Shannon Que and Dr. Stephen Baldridge

Hatfield Prize through the Center for Public Justice. Named for the late Sen. Mark O. Hatfield from Oregon, the research prize is designed to foster and advance Christian scholarship on today’s most complex social challenges. The other pairs hail from Baylor and Eastern universities.

The topic of food insecurity – a social and economic condition that measures a lack of access to food – isn’t obscure, but it was difficult to find research as it relates specifically to college campuses, Que said.

“Hunger is always an important issue, especially for social work,” said Baldridge, who served as Que’s mentor and faculty advisor. “Often times, we don’t think about it being ‘close to home,’ though. In this case, right here on campus. It is always important to understand the issues our students are facing. That is why this work is so critical.”

In addition to culling national data, Que conducted local research in the Abilene community, detailing programs available to the city’s four-year and community

as how communities, governments and higher education institutions can respond to this crisis.

“The largest issue is a lack of awareness,” Que said. “Generally, people who were aware of the issue were ready to act. I was encouraged by the level of solidarity I felt through my interviews and casual conversations with individuals about the topic. At the same time, I also discovered how much work needs to be done.”

Que is continuing the research through her master’s thesis, this time focusing on food insecurity among ACU students and what can be done to help those in need.

“The next generation of leaders is on college campuses, and as a society, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that food insecurity is not a barrier to college completion,” the conclusion of her research paper states. “When students succeed and are holistically supported, our communities will flourish.”  – SARAH CARLSON

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ACADEMIC DIGEST

Straughn named dean of School of Nursing

The Dutch Lady, an ancient play rediscovered by Dr. Joe Stephenson, associate professor of language and literature, was performed Oct. 20, 2019,

by Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre at the historic Gray Inn in London, England.

Six ACU colleagues attended (from left): sophomore Amber Anderson, Dr. Shelly (Weed ’99) Sanders, Stephenson, Dr. Mikee Delony, Parker Gordon (’14) and Dr. Kyle Dickson (’93). The play is more than 300 years old and had never been published since its arrival in 1873 in the archives of the Boston Public Library.

Churches of Christ, Disciples of Christ and Christian Churches. The award to ACU is one of 18 Sustaining Cultural Heritage Grants in the U.S., and the only one granted to a Texas institution.

The Griggs Center for Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy received the Rising Star Award for Excellence in Student Engagement in Entrepreneurship through the Deshpande

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SCOTT DELONY

Study Abroad program in Summer 2019 and recently launched the School of Nursing’s NextGen NCLEX Task Force.

“I am so thankful for the wonderful students who come through the nursing program at ACU,” Straughn said. “I also am humbled to be able to lead the excellent faculty in the School of Nursing. With highquality students, excellent faculty, and a university with an eye towards innovation and excellence, the future is very bright for all of our programs in the school.” 

M.C. JENNINGS

Fall-Winter 2020

M.C. JENNINGS

D

Dr. Odies Wright (’72) is 2019-20 president of the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Wright is associate professor of kinesiology and nutrition.

Wright

ACU’s Omega Gamma Chapter of Sigma Delta Pi received the Octavio Paz Award – granted to only six national chapters of the National Collegiate Hispanic Honor Society – because it maintained Honor Chapter status each year from 2016-19.

Dr. Martha (Thomas ’70) Smallwood, Donald Longley (’15), Kayla Canady and Kimberly Glaser co-authored a peer-reviewed paper, “The Most-Common Nutrition Diagnoses in the Homebound and Chronically Ill,” for a special edition of The Spectrum, the newsletter of the Healthy Aging Practice Group of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Smallwood is assistant professor of kinesiology and nutrition. Longley, Canady and Glaser are dietetic interns from the 2017 class at CitySquare in Dallas.

Straughn began teaching at ACU in 2012.

r. Marcia (Rives ’93) Straughn has been appointed dean of ACU’s School of Nursing.

Straughn earned a Master of Science degree and Ph.D. in nursing science from the College of Nursing at Texas Woman’s University. She also holds National League for Nursing’s certification as a nurse educator.

She is a 2018 Leadership for Academic Nursing Programs Fellow and is active in the professional nursing and academic communities.

She designed many of the courses in ACU’s B.S.N. program, which was launched in 2012. In addition to her early work with the design and launch of the program, she created and led ACU’s inaugural nursing

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ACU Press and Brown Library will partner with the Disciples of Christ Historical Society to digitize and distribute freely accessible eBooks of 30 outstanding works of scholarship, thanks to a $103,000 grant from the Humanities Open Book program. ACU is one of only seven universities to receive the grant, which is led

by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NEH also awarded a $40,000 grant to ACU Special Collections and Archives as part of its Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections Program. The grant will enable optimized preservation of ACU’s holdings of more than 30,000 rare books and nearly 500 manuscript collections related to the American Restoration Movement, as well as records pertaining to

Symposium Awards. This award recognizes an institution that encourages student leadership and engagement and supports the development of entrepreneurial awareness, skills and practice. Others universities recognized included West Virginia, Houston, North Alabama, Kent State and Rochester.

DR. SHELLY SANDERS

Dr. George Daniels, associate professor at the University of Alabama, presented the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication’s annual Colloquium in Race and Media, a JMC class on Sept. 20-22, 2019. He convened a panel of local newsmakers who also are black men: Peyton Ricks, senior Daniels Wildcat basketball player; Tryce Prince (’19), executive assistant, ACU Carl Spain Center on Race Studies and Spiritual Action; Floyd Miller, owner, West Texas Tribune; and Anthony Williams, mayor of Abilene and ACU advancement officer.

Dr. Dennis Marquardt was named ACU’s 2019 Teacher of the Year and is the new director of the Lytle Center for Faith and Leadership. In addition, a paper he co-authored won the 2019 International HRM Scholarly Research Award from the HR Division of the Academy of Management, given to the author(s) of Marquardt the most significant article in international HRM published in recognized journals and research annuals. Marquardt is an assistant professor of management.

Associate professor of accounting Bill Fowler is one of two professors to win 2019 Outstanding Accounting Educator Awards from the Texas Society of CPAs. The annual award recognizes Texans who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and who have distinguished themselves through active service to the Fowler accounting profession.

JEFF FITLOW

ACU online certificate and degree programs CURRENT PROGRAMS

Drs. Mel Hailey and Ted Poe

An investiture ceremony Aug. 29, 2019, in Houston, Texas, celebrated the creation of a $1 million chair at the university. Dr. Mel Hailey (’70), professor of political science, was recognized as holder of the inaugural Judge Ted Poe Endowed Chair of Political Science and Criminal Justice at ACU. Poe (’70), now retired, served seven terms in the U.S. House of Representatives after a standout career in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and more than 20 years as a judge of Houston’s 221st Criminal District Court.

Lynn Anderson collection added to Brown Library

SHAWN BEST

Dr. Lynn Anderson (’90 D.Min.), preaching minister at Abilene’s Highland Church of Christ from 1971-90, has donated his personal papers to ACU’s Brown Library.

“The Lynn Anderson Papers reflect the life’s work of one of the most impactful proclaimers among Churches of Christ in the late 20th century,” said Mac Ice, director of special collections and archives for Brown Library and assistant professor of library science.

“Lynn’s work in wrestling with the text of Scripture and applying it to the life of the church touched not only Highland in Abilene and the

Preston Road congregation in Dallas, but his work influenced countless contemporaries and Timothys. His papers are full of the evidence of his work with the Bible and its core message of God’s gracious initiative.”

The collection consists of papers, photographs, cassette tapes and digital materials created or utilized by Anderson over the course of his career (1964-2019) as a church planter, minister, lecturer and mentor among Churches of Christ.

Anderson Anderson preached at Preston Road from 1990-96 and later devoted his full time to leadership development and coaching through Hope Network Ministries. As an adjunct professor, he taught cross cultural communication, Bible and ministry courses at ACU.

• Certificate in Business Analytics – Online • Certificate in Conflict Management and Resolution – Online with residency • Certificate in Conflict Management and Resolution for Church Leaders – Online with residency • Certificate in Conflict Management and Resolution for Educators – Online • Certificate in Healthcare Collaboration and Conflict Management – Online with residency • Certificate in Medical Family Therapy – Online • Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Administration – Online • Bachelor of Science in Integrated Studies – Online • Bachelor of Science in Psychology – Online • Master of Arts in Christian Ministry – Online with residencies • Master of Arts in Conflict Management and Reconciliation – Online with residency • Master of Arts in Global Service – Online with residencies • Master of Business Administration – Online • Master of Divinity – Online with residencies • Master of Education in Higher Education – Online with residency • Master of Education in Instructional Leadership – Online (Cohort only) • Master of Healthcare Administration – Online • Master of Marriage and Family Therapy – Online • Master of Science in Management – Online • Master of Science in Organizational Development – Online • Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership – Online • Doctor of Nursing Practice – Online • B.S.N. to D.N.P. – Online Learn more about ACU’s online programs at acu.edu/grad

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CampusNEWS

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Restaurants anchor Phase I of Allen Ridge development; ribbon-cutting set for April Hamm joined the ACU faculty in 2008.

SCOTT DELONY

Hamm named university’s first chief diversity officer

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r. Stephanie (Toombs ’90) Hamm, have better ideas of what should associate professor in the School take priority.” of Social Work, assumed the role In coming years, “we want to focus of ACU’s first chief diversity officer on hiring diverse faculty, readying our in August 2019. campus for a Hispanic-Serving Institution The newly created (HSI) designation, and position stemmed from implementing more inclusive a Diversity Task Force pedagogy,” she said. recommendation to ACU’s HSIs are defined as Senior Leadership Team that colleges, universities or an Office of Diversity, Equity systems/districts where and Inclusion be created. total Hispanic enrollment Leadership agreed, and constitutes a minimum Hamm, who led the task of 25 percent of the total force for three years, was enrollment. the logical choice to head it, Hamm graduated from said president ACU in 1990 with a Bachelor Dr. Phil Schubert (’91). of Science in Social Work As chief diversity degree. She went on to earn officer, Hamm is tasked with her master’s in social work making sure an increasingly at West Virginia University – DR. STEPHANIE HAMM diverse student body is and a Ph.D. at The University able to find support and of Texas at Arlington. She acceptance from the university’s faculty served in social work for a number of years and leadership. before returning to ACU to teach in 2008.

“We need to be able to examine Hamm likens a Christian campus that our culture here, our environment, our embraces diversity to “a spiritual act of traditions, to make sure they are inclusive submission and worship, where we do not of everyone,” Hamm said. “We want to just accept and tolerate difference, but make sure our students graduate from welcome, praise and celebrate it.

ACU with a complete and fulfilling college “A refrain at this year’s Council for experience, having felt like they belong Christian Colleges and Universities here, that this is their place, that they Diversity Conference was that ‘This is not are supposed to be here, and that every a good idea, it’s a God idea!’ And I agree individual is needed here.” completely,” she said. “A Christ-centered Hamm’s goals for this year are to have university must be involved in racial conversations on campus, speak to groups, healing and reconciliation, and must be listen to groups and engage resources of an inclusive place for all members of the helpful information, she said. “We hope campus community.” to bring an engaging speaker to campus,” she said. “As we listen and learn, we will

“We want to make sure our students graduate from ACU with a complete and fulfilling college experience, having felt like they belong here, that this is their place, that they are supposed to be here, and that every individual is needed here.”

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When ACU’s Allen Ridge lifestyle village opens in late Spring 2020, the Hill will have a community gathering place unique to the Abilene area, said Kelly Young (’85), vice president for Abilene Christian Investment Management Company, which has partnered with Transition Development of Dallas to create the 95-acre master-planned development.

Groundbreaking took place June 28, and the development already is 85 percent pre-leased with five restaurants and three other businesses ready to move in once construction is complete, Young said.

The first phase of construction will accommodate about 29,000 square feet of retail space, including five buildings nestled around an existing pond at the corner of Ambler Avenue and Judge Ely Boulevard, adjacent to campus. Eventually, Allen Ridge will have a trail system encircling the pond and winding through 35 acres below the ridge east of the project.

The first retailers to secure a lease include Twisted Root Burgers, Blue Jean Cafe, The Biscuit Bar, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, Phoenix Pho, Bahama Bucks, Abilene Nail Bar, and Hotworx Yoga and Pilates.

Future phases may include a hotel and multi-family housing.

“Our goal is to construct something unique in Abilene, a destination where people can spend time, relax and build community,” Young said. “We want this to be a welcoming place for students, the residents of Abilene and for folks just passing through.”

Tony Chron (’76), the principal of Transition Development, said as

Allen Ridge construction continues at the intersection of Judge Ely Boulevard and Ambler Avenue, northeast of Wildcat Statadium.

INNOVAT I V E A C U

ACU a Texas pacesetter as Adobe Creative Campus

A SCOTT DELONY

JEREMY ENLOW

a master-planned project, visitors will notice a design intent that pulls the development together and takes advantage of natural resources, such as the pond around which the restaurants are strategically located.

Each building is designed to include a large outdoor patio and a series of outdoor rooms with a firepit, seating areas along the pond, spaces that can be turned into a stage for outdoor concerts and performances, central lawns, and areas reserved for children to play. The surroundings will be enhanced with sculptures and murals, and will provide the perfect venue for festivals and other activities.

“Our tagline, ‘Eat, Stay, Relax’ is a perfect summary of the experience at Allen Ridge,” Chron said.

The project, located on a site that previously served as home of ACU’s historic Allen Farm, holds special meaning for Chron.

“I rode horses on that property when I was in school,” he said.

“ACU is where I started, and this project will be one of my last before I retire. So in many ways I began my journey into the business world here and will end it here.”

exciting to see what they can do when bilene Christian University is the given access to advanced, pro-level first university in Texas to be software.” recognized as an Adobe Creative Thanks to the Creative Campus Campus based on its commitment designation, the Learning Studio and the to digital literacy in higher education, Innovation Foundry, the library’s teamwork and providing thought leadership with and technology hub, have spearheaded computer software giant Adobe. a digital pedagogy grant With this designation, program funded by Adobe.

ACU is recognized along with universities such as Penn “This software Ten students, one faculty and staff members became State, North Carolina, Clemson has changed what two Adobe Certified Associates and Miami for creative use of students are able through demonstrating mastery digital tools in higher education of its products, and ACU was curriculum and for “actively to achieve.” awarded a grant to fund 18 advancing digital literacy skills – DR. KYLE DICKSON Adobe Faculty Fellows through throughout their curricula, Spring 2021. across disciplines, to give Gutierrez devotes a large amount students an edge in a competitive modern of his time to promoting and training on workplace,” according to Adobe.

Adobe products across campus. In his daily “With creativity being an increasingly sought-after skill across all industries, students with creative skills become more desirable candidates for employment,” said Amos Gutierrez (’19), a learning technology specialist in the Innovation Foundry, ACU’s Adobe Ambassador and an Adobe Campus Leader. “The incorporation of creative assignments that use digital tools into the curriculum encourages students to develop their creative skills and effectively communicate their research and stories.”

A key reason for ACU earning the designation is its offering, through partnership with Adobe, free access to Adobe Creative Cloud for all students, faculty and staff. The Cloud is a collection of more than 20 desktop and mobile apps and services including Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and Premiere Pro for photography, design, video, web and more. This access has been critical for the success of co-curricular and extracurricular projects and activities, including work at the university, he routinely leads the student film festival FilmFest, which workshops on topics such as creating ads Adobe has recently sponsored. (See pages in Illustrator and working with images 28-33.) in Photoshop, and makes the tutorials “This software has changed what available afterward online. students are able to achieve,” said Dr. Gutierrez said Brown Library will host Kyle Dickson (’92), professor of language an Adobe Creative Jam in Spring 2020 and literature, and director of the AT&T as a way to continue to showcase its Learning Studio in Brown Library. “The annual Creative U event, in partnership Learning Studio was founded to support with Adobe, the Innovation Foundry, the students and faculty learning in an era Learning Studio and the Maker Lab.  of online media and video. We work year-round with students creating their – SARAH CARLSON first media project, and it has been

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The Lewis Swing is located outside the World Famous Bean, between the Hardwood Cafe and west entrance of McGlothlin Campus Center.

SCOTT DELONY

Lewis family donates swing in memory of Kris Hines and his inspiring faith story A white bench swing near the Campus Center was donated by ACU trustee Guy “Mojo” Lewis, DDS (’80), and his wife, Holly (Hollingsworth ’80), to honor the legacy of their late son-in-law.

Kris Hines married Lauryn (Lewis ’08) Hines Smith in 2014.

Less than 18 months later, he was diagnosed with cancer, and he died Oct. 15, 2017. Lauryn has since remarried.

She said ACU is a special place to her family, and a swing

is part of the couple’s love story.

Kris was a graduate of Harding University, where white swings are a common feature across campus.

When the two were dating, Lauryn was an admissions counselor at ACU and visited the Harding campus twice, sitting in a swing with Kris during both visits. Kris later proposed to her beside a white swing at her family’s house in Colorado.

“It’s hard to put into words what Kris’ swing means to our family,” Lauryn’s father said. “Kris may not have been an ACU alum, but when he married into our ACU family, he completely changed our lives and the lives of countless people connected to the greater ACU family by the awe-inspiring way he chose to live out his faith through adversity,

with Lauryn alongside him.

“Our purpose in building the swing was to remind people of that great testimony and that they, too, have a choice of what story their life tells: one that crumbles under hardship or one that chooses joy and glorifies God,” he said.

The family worked with architects and Corey Ruff, ACU associate vice president of operations, to design a swing with arches reflecting architectural elements of the Abilene Christian campus.

“Seeing the swing for the first time was a very emotional experience for all of us,” Lewis said. “The photos and texts of so many students, alumni, faculty, staff and visitors enjoying this beautiful spot on campus brings us a lot of joy.”

analysis of three years of fundraising data submitted to CASE’s AMAtlas Voluntary Support of Education Survey.

“This is an exciting honor and a true testament to the generosity of ACU alumni and other friends who support our mission, as well as the dedicated work of Advancement team members,” said Jim Orr, J.D. (’86), vice president for advancement. “I am grateful for all who give back to the university in so many ways.”

The Advancement Office previously won a CASE Overall Improvement award in 1999, and Overall Performance honors in 2004, 2006 and 2015.

Carl Spain Center’s 2020 Racial Unity Leadership Summit to be held in Alabama

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C A MP U S DIGE S T Advancement Office wins two national CASE awards for educational fundraising ACU’s Advancement Office received two Educational Fundraising Awards for 2019 from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), among honors presented each year to exceptional programs at colleges and universities.

The awards were for Overall Improvement and for Overall Performance, based on the judges’

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The Carl Spain Center on Race Studies and Spiritual Action will conduct its 2020 Racial Unity Leadership Summit on May 13-16 in Birmingham, Alabama.

The host for the academic-style conference is Homewood Church of Christ. The Carl Spain Center conducts its summit each spring.

The 2019 event was in Dallas, Texas.

Registration and more info online at carlspaincenter.org/events

Members of the radio cast of It's a Wonderful Life perform the play live on stage at the Historic Paramount Theatre in Abilene.

KACU-FM broadcasts local performance of Christmas classic

Upcoming events sponsored by ACU’s Siburt Institute

Abilene Community Theatre’s Mike Stephens was a guest at the meeting and volunteered to cast and direct the play, and also perform the sound effects.

The script called for 18 sound effects, several repeated a few times over the course of the hour-long script. “Our goal was to do as many as we could live on the stage,” Stephens said.

“With the exception of two effects – crickets and a period phone ring – all of our effects were performed on stage, from thunder and footsteps in the snow, to doors and clinking plates.”

Though McDonald has played many other leading roles,

• Equipping for Ministry: Dallas/Fort Worth Lunch, Jan. 27 • Equipping for Ministry: Austin Lunch, March 24 • Equipping for Ministry: San Antonio Breakfast, March 25 • Ministers Support Network Sabbatical Retreat, April 2-5 • 114th Annual Summit, Sept. 20-23 Registration and more info online at acu.edu/siburt-institute

including Belle in the 2019 Homecoming Musical, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, this was her first live radio experience.

“I’m a musical theatre performer, so we usually have big sets, amazing costumes and weeks of rehearsals to perfect dances and memorize lines,” McDonald said. With no dance to learn or lines to memorize, the preparation was much easier.

“We would walk up with our scripts in our binders and play off each other and read through the play up at the mic in front of the audience,” she said.

“We were just having fun reading and performing this classic story, and the audience loved it as well.” 

Dr. Carson Reed (’95 D.Min.) is vice president for church relations and executive director of the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry.

GARY RHODES

The Siburt Institute continues ACU’s long tradition of equipping and serving churches and Christian leaders, including an array of programs that create networking spaces for ministry transitions, consulting and learning.

Note these upcoming events in 2020: • Equipping for Ministry: Houston Breakfast, Jan. 27 • Contemplative Ministers’ Initiative Retreat, Abilene, Feb. 10-13

MEDA BOW

Nearly 300 people gathered at the historic Paramount Theatre in downtown Abilene on Dec. 4, 2019, to watch as KACU-FM, the university’s National Public Radio station, presented its first full-length live radio play.

A cast of nearly a dozen voice actors, including Danny Sims (’85) and Abilene mayor Anthony Williams, transported the audience to Bedford Falls, the fictional home of the 1946 classic Christmas tale, It’s a Wonderful Life.

The leading roles of George Bailey and Mary Hatch Bailey were played by George Levesque, executive director of the Paramount Theatre, and Lauren McDonald, junior theatre major and on-air host for KACU. The narrator was Zane Goggans (’13), KACU director of operations.

The idea originated during a brainstorming session with KACU’s Community Advisory Board to come up with a fundraising event, said Nathan Gibbs (’00), KACU general manager and an associate professor of journalism and mass communication.

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Wildcat SPORTS

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Chambers was named third-team All-America for 2019.

JEREMY ENLOW

Sam Denmark

Chambers found success as the man in the middle of Wildcats’ defense When Jeremiah Chambers was a young boy, he was tagged with a nickname that would stick with him until today. “My cheeks were so fat that everyone called me ‘Juice,’ ” he said.

His nickname might have brought him some embarrassment as a child, but his play as a Wildcat linebacker the last four seasons was far from it.

Chambers finished his career in 2019 as the 10th-leading tackler in ACU history with 293 stops, 223 56

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of those in his final two seasons.

Chambers ranks second in ACU’s Division I history in total tackles behind ACU’s all-time leader, Sam Denmark (’18), the man Chambers replaced at middle linebacker. Chambers registered 70 tackles in his first two seasons while playing outside linebacker.

Head coach Adam Dorrel moved Chambers inside, a decision he has never regretted.

“The way he plays the game, it’s hard not to take notice of him,” Dorrel said. “He’s all over the field making tackles, getting in the quarterback’s face, and reading the opposing offense so well that he’s burying guys behind the line of scrimmage.

It was an honor to coach him here these last three years.”

Chambers played his freshman season as an outside linebacker at 210 pounds, and then played at 220 as a sophomore. He was 220 pounds in 2018 when he moved to the middle but packed on an extra 10 pounds prior to his senior season and played at 230 in 2019. The extra weight didn’t slow him: he put together a fantastic season that earned first-team All-Southland Conference and third-team NCAA Division I FCS All-America recognition.

“My focus this year was to do the best I could at all times to help give our team the best chance to win,” Chambers said. “Whether that meant watching extra film or getting extra reps in practice, I was going to do it.”

His 2019 numbers: 110 tackles (65 solo), 20.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and three fumble recoveries.

Clint Brown, his defensive coordinator in 2019, complimented Chambers for his smooth transition to a new defensive strategy and his leadership role on the team.

“Juice was just a pleasure to coach,” said Brown. “You knew as a coach and teammate you were going to get his best every day.

I really appreciated him buying into a new scheme and the dedication he showed to learn and understand it.

He was our leader and he’ll be tough to replace.”

Chambers now has his sights firmly set on the next level, saying that he’s talked to some agents about representation and the next steps required to play professionally.

“That’s always been a dream of mine,” said Chambers, who will graduate from ACU in May with a degree in kinesiology. “I’ve always told people I wanted to play in the NFL, and after the last couple of seasons I think I’ve put myself in position to be able to do that.” 

The Byron Nelson Clubhouse faces west on Judge Ely Boulevard, just south of Ambler Avenue.

Powell Fitness Center receives equipment upgrade SCOTT DELONY

Byron Nelson Clubhouse, like its namesake, sets a standard

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SCOTT DELONY

The Powell Fitness Center, which serves as the weight and strength training venue for Wildcat student-athletes, underwent a dramatic makeover in Summer 2019 that gives ACU one of the best facilities of its kind in the Southland Conference.

As part of a $600,000 makeover funded by private gifts, the wall in the middle of the facility was removed to make the 8,000-square-foot facility one large room.

There is new equipment throughout, including 22 racks (increased from 12) and a 30-yard turf area for sprints and warmups.

Altogether, it provides student-athletes on 17 Wildcat teams a state-of-the-art facility in which to train, and gives coaches an impressive venue to show to recruits.

Powell is adjacent to Wildcat Stadium.

It opened in 1993 and its namesake is former football and basketball star Dr. Lee Powell (’33) and his wife, Dorris (Scott ’31).

“Anytime we can get recruits into that facility, it’s an immediate attraction for them,” said men’s basketball coach Joe Golding (’99). “It’s also already having a great impact on current student-athletes. We want them to perform at the highest level possible, and when you have a first-class facility, it gives them a chance to fulfill their potential.”

For Luke Lancaster – in his first full season as the director of strength and conditioning – the upgraded facility gives the four strength coaches on his staff the opportunity to be more productive each day.

“There’s no wasted time in this facility,” Lancaster said. “We can accommodate up to four full teams at one time and all of them can get their work done. The technology in this building is amazing; it tells us physiologically how much the student-athlete can handle on a certain day. It’s a first-class facility and one we’re very proud to call ours.”

yron Nelson never attended college, yet graciously served as a trustee and ambassador of one he grew to love: ACU. In 1984 he became the namesake of an endowment for ACU’s intercollegiate golf program, one that is about to turn another huge corner in its development because of Nelson’s name and influence.

The Byron Nelson Clubhouse is nearing completion on the east side of Judge Ely Boulevard, overlooking a high-quality short-game practice facility.

One of the greatest professional golfers in history, the late Nelson won 64 tournaments, 52 on the PGA Tour, including The Masters (twice), PGA Championship (twice) and U.S Open. He is best known for winning 18 tournaments in 1945, including 11 straight, widely considered a record that will never be broken. His scoring average per round that year (68.33) has only been bettered by Tiger Woods’ 68.17 in 2000.

The AT&T Byron Nelson Tournament began in 1968 and has been a mainstay on the PGA Tour each spring. And for 35 years, ACU’s Byron Nelson Golf Tournament in Dallas has benefitted the Wildcat golf program.

The Nelson endowment for Wildcat golf was established in 1984 when he was honored at an ACU fundraising gala in Dallas.

The late Vince Jarrett coached ACU into a small-college golf powerhouse, winning the 1993 NCAA Division II national title behind freshman Jeev Milkha Singh (’96). Singh later played on the PGA Tour and won the 2006 Asian Tour Order of

Merit, and in 2007 became the first Indian golfer to play in The Masters.

The Nelson clubhouse will be dedicated in February 2020. It’s the second of a three-phase development that will give Abilene Christian one of the finest collegiate golf facilities in the nation and the best on-campus one in Texas.

The first phase, an adjacent short-game practice facility named Nelson’s “The Jim” and designed picturesque by golf course architect swing and former PGA star D.A. continues to Weibring, was dedicated be emulated at Homecoming in by golfers everywhere.

2018. Its namesakes are former ACU trustee Jim Anthony and Jim Oliver, the fathers of Mark Anthony (’83) and Eric Oliver (’81).

The 5,700-squarefoot clubhouse features a great room, coaches’ offices, a team study and conference room, locker rooms, a room with state-of-the-art swing technology equipment, indoor hitting bays, and an outdoor patio. Phase III involves construction of a full driving range.

“Since the beginning of Byron’s involvement with the golf program, he would call the team ‘My Boys,’” said Jon Bradley (’72), a former Wildcat golfer and inductee to the ACU Sports Hall of Fame.

“That term of endearment shows his strong personal feelings for the team and its members. Byron would be truly amazed and so proud that ‘His Boys’ could improve their golf games at this facility,” Bradley said.

“With Byron’s humility, he would thank ACU and the donors for making the growth of the golf program possible, but his internal feelings would be that of a very proud father.”

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Teams, individuals excel in Fall 2019 postseason play SCOTT DELONY

placed sixth (21:36.6) for the third consecutive fall to make the league’s second team.

Two weeks later at the NCAA South Central Regionals, Gerlach and Kipkosgei became the first Wildcats to attain cross country All-Region status since 2017 after each finished among the top 20 at the University of Arkansas’ Agri Park.

Kipkosgei placed 10th of 160 runners in the 10K with a time of 30:28.8 in becoming the program’s first All-Region honoree since Amos Sang (’12) won the 2010 title (30:42.96) in Warrensburg, Missouri, while Gerlach placed 19th in her 6K race with a mark of 21:37.2.

“My race strategy was pretty good,” said Gerlach of her regionals performance. “I definitely went out slower than I was expecting for a big race such as this, but I held on and my pace was relatively consistent.

At the end, it was a confidence boost to sprint those last 50 meters and go all out since it was my last race of the fall.”

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SCOTT DELONY

Wildcat cross country was the surprise star of the Fall 2019 postseason as its men’s and women’s teams combined for their best overall Southland Conference championship showing since rejoining the league in 2013.

The Wildcat men’s team, which had never finished higher than seventh over the previous six championships, placed third with 126 points led by the first team All-Southland sophomore duo of Kevin Kipkosgei and Denis Lagat.

The ACU men shaved 124 points Gerlach off last season’s total, while the women (99) trimmed 86 points in moving from eighth to fourth. This year marked the first time the women finished under 100 points since their championship seasons of 2015 (43) and 2017 (44).

As she has all season, junior Briahna Gerlach led the Wildcats to the finish line with her fourthplace 6K time of 21:07 to earn her first All-Southland first team honors.

Senior Carnley Graham, meanwhile,

Denis Lagat (left) and Kevin Kipkosgei

Cross country was the first ACU sport to play host to a Southland Conference Championship in 2017, and now its colleagues within track and field are gearing up to host the league’s outdoor meet May 15-17, 2020, at Elmer Gray Stadium.

This will be the first conference track and field meet hosted by the Wildcats since 2008.

“Our desire as a coaching staff is to be excellent for Christ in the hosting of this championship,” said fourth-year head coach Lance Bingham, “and that includes the whole package, from facilities to hospitality to organization and officials. We want to take the best of what we’ve seen from other places and put Bingham it all together, and show the Southland what we’re all about in a positive way.”

ACU football and volleyball teams missed their respective postseason tournaments, while the women’s soccer team, which won last year’s Southland title, was ousted in the first round by sixth-seeded McNeese, 2-1. Freshman Caylen Wright scored the Wildcats’ lone goal off an assist

by Christina Arteaga in the 59th minute. 

SP OR T S DIGE S T Wildcats in professional leagues Taylor Gabriel (’14) is playing in his sixth NFL season and second for the Chicago Bears as a wide receiver.

Luis Trevino (’19) of the Tampa Bay Rays was the fourth-leading hitter and best-hitting catcher with the Hudson Valley Renegades in the New York-Penn League (Class A short-season).

Kendall Bosse (’19) played for Svedala Volley, a pro volleyball team in Sweden, and Ijeoma (Morunu ’12) Alstrup is in her sixth year of coaching in Europe, currently with Holte Volley in Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Those playing professional basketball in Europe include Jaren Lewis (’19) with Wiha Panthers Schwenningen of the Germany Pro A League, averaging 9.6 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game; Jaylen Franklin (’19) with Tskhum-Abkhazeti in Georgia’s Superleague, averaging 14 ppg as his team’s second leading scorer; Tevin Foster (’19) with KK Sloboda Uzice in Serbia’s KLS League, averaging 10.9 ppg and 3.7 apg; Dejan Sencanski (’10) with the Chartres Basket Masculins in France’s NM1 League, averaging 10.3 ppg; and Jovan Crnic (’17) with Andrezieux in France’s NM1 League, averaging 4.8 ppg and 2 apg.

Goodenough inducted to BCAHOF Women’s basketball head coach Julie Goodenough was one of 11 new inductees May 6, 2019, to the Big Country Athletic Hall of Fame. Among others were three-time MLB World Series champion pitcher John Lackey.

Entering this year, she has a combined record of 423-284 in 25 seasons as head coach at four universities: Hardin-Simmons, Oklahoma State, Charleston Southern and ACU. Goodenough was 82-35 at HSU from 1993-2002 before taking the head coaching job at OSU, where she was the head coach from 2002-05.

SP OR T S ROUNDUP

Jones gives Wildcats fourth consecutive soccer Freshman of the Year in league

SCOTT DELONY

In Fall 2019 the Wildcat soccer program accomplished something never before achieved by any Power Five university, let alone another Southland Conference institution, when it claimed its fourth consecutive league Freshman of the Year honoree.

Last year ACU tied Southeastern Louisiana’s (1998-2000) conference record with its third consecutive FOTY award when Alyssia Anuat was selected as the league’s top rookie. The Wildcats then set a new standard in November 2019 when Natalie Jones received the distinction. She is part of a select Jones group of first-year Wildcats that also includes Andrea Carpenter (2010 Lone Star Conference), Shay Johnson (2016) and Christina Arteaga (2017).

All five of the program’s Freshmen of the Year were recruited by head coach Casey Wilson (’99), who has been with the team since its 2007 inception.

“With every recruiting class, you hope to have at least two to three who can make an impact right away,” said Wilson, “and going into this season we had a good feeling about Natalie and Caylen Wright (17 points).

It’s nice to see Natalie continue our string of success, and for Alyssia to get that award as a defender – you don’t typically see that happen.”

Arteaga (30 points), Jones (21) and Johnson (14) were three of the team’s four leading point scorers in 2019, while Anuat helped anchor a back line that allowed just 1.38 goals per game. Their efforts propelled ACU to a third-place Southland mark of 8-2-1 and overall record of 12-5-2. 

Texas A&M game moved to Sept. 5 The 2020 football game with Texas A&M University has been moved to the season opener – Sept. 5 – the first time the Wildcats will have played consecutive non-conference games with teams from the SEC. Abilene Christian squared off with Mississippi State in its final game of 2019. ACU will close its 2020 season with Southern Utah on Nov. 21 at home.

New video scoreboard added to Moody

• Year two of the Rick McCarty era as head coach begins Feb. 14, 2020, with a four-game home stand against Utah Valley University. The Wildcats will play 30 home games at Crutcher Scott Field in addition to notable road games at Baylor, UC Santa Barbara, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech and Texas-Arlington. The Horned Frogs visit Abilene on March 31, while a visit from the Red Raiders is slated for April 28.

• McCarty’s coaching staff will include second-year Wildcat assistants Craig Parry and Blaze Lambert. Daniel Martony, formerly of Oral Roberts, was brought on as a new assistant coach, while Danny David Linahan was hired as the team’s director of player development.

Matthew Nerz and Scott Barnum, who were part of last year’s roster, also will assist McCarty and his coaches.

Men’s Basketball • ACU was picked to finish third in the Southland Conference, earning 220 points in the league’s preseason poll.

• Senior guard Payten Ricks was named first-team preseason All-Southland. Ricks was the Wildcats’ third leading scorer a year ago, averaging 11.6 points per game while shooting 42.1 percent from the field.

• The Wildcats traveled Aug. 5-12, 2019, to Saint Thomas, where they scored an 81-44 win over the British Virgin Islands national team, followed by a 111-56 triumph over the University of the Virgin Islands.

Women’s Basketball • The Wildcats were picked by league voters to defend their Southland title, scoring 14 first-place votes and 273 points.

• ACU placed three student-athletes on preseason All-Southland teams, including first-team honorees Dominique Golightly and Breanna Wright. Senior Lexie Ducat was a second-team selection.

• The Wildcats began their year with one vote in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll and in late December were ranked 12th nationally in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll.

Football • CoSIDA Academic All-America honors went to first-team linebacker Jack Gibbens and second-team wide receiver Josh Fink. Gibbens is a first-time honoree, while Fink was a first-team awardee for 2018. Fink is the first Wildcat football player to receive this honor in consecutive years since defensive lineman Bill Clayton (’90) repeated in 1987-89.

• Five members of the team received All-Southland postseason recognition. Senior running back Tracy James and senior linebacker Jeremiah Chambers

scoreboard high atop Dee Nutt Court.

ACE Sports is the manufacturer of the structure, which is 26.5 feet wide and 13.5 feet tall overall, with screens measuring 16 feet by 9 feet on four sides. The new system adds to the Gameday experience and can display in-game graphics, real-time video and sponsorship ads on all LED boards in the venue. New software and scoring equipment allow for real-time stats to be integrated on the video boards as well as the ESPN broadcasts generated by ACU’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication. Primary sponsors are Arrow Ford, United Supermarkets, First Financial Bank and Sub T-16.

BRADEN COLLUM

Fans attending home basketball events in Moody Coliseum this season can’t miss its newest feature: a large center-hung video

Baseball

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Christina Arteaga

GARY RHODES

Tennis

Tracy James

JEREMY ENLOW

were named to the first team, senior cornerback Adonis Davis was selected to the second team, and third-team honors went to defensive linemen Cole Burgess and Kameron Hill.

• James finished the regular season ranked among the FCS’ top 10 with 20 total touchdowns and averaging 10 points per game.

• Sophomore wide receiver Kobe Clark set the school’s single-season receptions record with 87, breaking the 40-year-old record of Ronnie Vinson (’72) and his 82 catches in 1969.

• Four student-athletes were recognized for academic excellence with spots on the CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 first team: junior quarterback Luke Anthony, senior wide receiver Josh Fink, junior linebacker Jack Gibbens and junior offensive lineman Kade Parmelly.

• The Wildcats completed their 2019 season with a 5-7 record and tied for sixth place in the Southland with a 4-5 mark.

Golf • The Wildcats competed in five fall-season events, starting with the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin, and concluding with the Hoakalei Country Club Invitational in Ewa Beach, Hawaii.

• ACU was the runner-up at the Sam Houston State-hosted Bentwater Intercollegiate and finished third a week later at New Mexico State’s Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate.

• Junior Alex Clouse tied for fifth place at the Bentwater Yacht and Country Club (216) for the team’s highest individual showing of the season. Sophomore Francisco Osio carded two rounds in the 60s and posted three straight top-20 showings. Freshman Zane Heusel led the Wildcats in Hawaii with a 14th-place finish out of 113 competitors.

• ACU’s spring season starts the week of Feb. 17, 2020, with a trip to Matthews, Louisiana, for the Nicholls-hosted LaTour Collegiate Challenge.

Softball • First-year head coach Abigail Farler shored up her coaching staff during the offseason, adding assistants Jessica Twaddle (formerly of Western Kentucky University and Murray State) and Caty Reeves (formerly of Ole Miss).

USA National Team member Jamie Wiggins (formerly of Fresno State) will serve the program as a volunteer assistant.

• The 2020 season begins the weekend of Feb. 7 and will include trips to Texas A&M, Baylor, North Texas and Oklahoma. The Wildcats will play their first home games March 20, when they start a three-game series vs. Sam Houston State. ACU also plays the USA Olympic team April 22 in Dallas.

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ACU TODAY

Track and Field • The 2020 indoor track and field season commences the weekend of Jan. 17 with the Texas A&M-hosted Ted Nelson Invitational.

From there the Wildcats will make consecutive trips to Texas Tech and visit Pittsburg State (Kansas) before competing March 1-2 at the Southland Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.

• Outdoor season begins at home March 19 with the annual Wes Kittley Invitational.

The Wildcats again are at home April 22 for the Oliver Jackson Twilight Open and May 15-17 for the Southland Outdoor Championships.

MEDA BOW

Volleyball

Marybeth Sandercox

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• John Walker (’89) was named ACU’s director of tennis in early August. The longtime assistant coach is being assisted in his first season by former notable Wildcat letterwinners Juan Nunez (’09), Josh Sheehy (’19), Autumn Bellow (’19) and Dr. Dickie Hill (’67), professor emeritus of kinesiology and nutrition.

• Senior Jonathan Sheehy defeated Stanford University sophomore Sangeet Sridhar, 7-5, 6-2, to win the ITA Summer Circuit National Summer Championship at TCU. He later teamed with Texas Tech senior Parker Wynn to take home the doubles top prize, as the pairing beat Tennessee’s Adam Walton and Andrew Rogers in the doubles final, 8-5.

• Sheehy’s singles championship earned him an entry into the main draw of the ITA All-American Championships. At the Tulsa-hosted event, he scored a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (3) victory over No. 27 Kyle Seelig of Ohio State, and picked up a doubles 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 victory with classmate Jackson Fine over LSU’s Tomas Descarrega and Boris Kozlov.

• Senior Sarah Adams and sophomore Allison Stewart reached the doubles semifinals of the Midland Racquet Club Invitational, where they were edged by the Texas Tech duo of Olivia Peet and Nell Miller, 9-7.

• Adams was the furthest-advancing Wildcat at the ITA Texas Regionals hosted by Texas A&M as she reached the Round of 16 in the consolation bracket.

• Senior Marybeth Sandercox was voted third-team All-Southland. The right-side hitter had a standout season for the Wildcats as she tallied the third-most kills for the team with 198. She also hit .278, including six-straight matches hitting .429 or better. She finished her career with 703 total kills, good for fifth all-time in ACU’s NCAA Division I history. 

YOUR GIFTS AT WORK

SCOTT DELONY

FROM LEFT: Jim Orr, J.D. (’86), and former board chair Dr. Ray McGlothlin Jr. (’49)

Jean Rich receives her Purple Line Society pin at the 2019 President’s Circle Dinner.

SCOTT DELONY

SCOTT DELONY

Purple Line Society recognizes longtime generosity

FROM LEFT: Craig Fisher (’92), Jimmy Tittle (’49) and Kristi (Halfacre ’85) Thaxton

Recent scholarship endowments created • Nelson Coates Endowed Scholarship for Entertainment Design • Richard H. Hadel Memorial Endowed Scholarship • Charles E. Michaels and Cynthia Shaff-Hadel Endowed Scholarship • Don and LaVerne Jackson Endowed Scholarship • William B. and Mary Jo Decker Endowed Scholarship • Lance Bleakney Memorial Endowed Scholarship • Brent and Starlyn Barrow Endowed Scholarship To create your own endowed scholarship or contribute to an existing one, see acu.edu/giveonline or call 800-674-2600.

As members of the President’s Circle celebrated its golden anniversary at the giving society’s annual dinner in February 2019, a special group was also recognized for hitting the big 5-0 – as donors.

Approximately 100 men and women were honored as the first inductees to the Purple Line Society for having donated consistently to ACU for at least 50 years. That means they’ve been giving to Abilene Christian at least since the year Neil Armstrong walked on the surface of the moon.

“These amazing stewards are part of a long purple line of men and women who have stood by this university for half a century, and we are so grateful for them,” said Jim Orr, J.D. (’86), vice president for advancement. “They have trusted us with their philanthropy, encouraged our students, and they want them and future generations to know the life-changing experience of a Christ-centered education.”

The Purple Line Society honors donors who reach certain milestones of giving, and no minimum gift amount is required to be honored. It has three levels: White, for 10-24 years of giving; Silver, for 25-49 years of giving; and Gold, for 50 or more years of giving.

Members who reach the White or Silver levels receive a special pin as a small token of our gratitude, and new Gold-level members receive a pin along with special recognition at the annual President’s Circle Dinner each February. As of December 2019, approximately 7,500 donors received pins for 10-24 years of giving, and approximately 1,500 donors received pins for 25-49 years.

“We wanted a new avenue for honoring our loyal donors, those who give to ACU with dedication and at all levels,” said Craig Fisher (’92), assistant vice president for alumni and university relations.

“They have answered the call in their lives to give back and bless others, and we are humbled they have chosen to extend those blessings to Abilene Christian.”

Annual giving, especially to the Exceptional Fund, is crucial to the success of ACU, Fisher said. The Exceptional Fund provides ongoing support for scholarships, faculty, programs and more – “It’s the lifeblood of the university,” he said.

People may assume small gifts don’t have an effect on the university, Fisher said, but that couldn’t be further from reality.

Since Jan. 1, 1966, which is as far back as ACU’s digital records extend, gifts of $10 or less collectively total well above $1 million.

“Every gift – and every donor – makes a difference in the lives of our students,” Fisher said. 

– SARAH CARLSON

Learn more at acu.edu/purple-line and acu.edu/presidents-circle.

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EXPERIENCES Submit your news online at blogs.acu.edu/acutoday/experiences or use the EXperiences card in each issue of the magazine.

Deadlines: ACU Today is published two times a year. Because of printing deadlines, your news could be delayed by one issue.

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Contact information: To help ensure the privacy of our alumni, ACU Today no longer shares email and postal addresses of those whose self-reported news appears in EXperiences. If you would like contact information for someone listed here, call 800-373-4220 or email alumni@acu.edu for assistance.

1955

Dr. Al and Dale (Cottingham ’59) Ogren are retired. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary June 6, 2018. They live in Buhl, Minnesota.

1957

Derrel McGlathery retired after 57 years of preaching ministry and moved in 2016 to the San Antonio area with his wife, Linda (McKinzie), who is a retired school secretary.

They live in Converse, Texas.

1960

Gary Cummings, clinical director and infusion clinician at NurseSpring, plans to retire again in 2020. He and his wife, Faith, sponsor exchange students and other young people through Children International. They live in Waynesboro, Virginia.

1970

Tom Hansen was named 2018 Adjunct Professor of the Year at St. Edward’s University, where he teaches in the special education department. He lives in Austin, Texas.

1971

Jo Ann (Harvey) Teal sings with Harborlites, an award-winning women’s barbershop chorus.

Her husband, Merlen, is an electrical engineer for Boeing. They live in Tustin, California.

Gloria Amstutz White is director of sponsored programs at St. Edward’s University.

She lives in Austin, Texas.

1963

1973

Russell O. Vail won four gold and four silver track and field medals in master’s age group events at the USATF Outdoor Michigan State Championships and the Midwest Regional Championships meet in Olivet, Michigan.

He lives in White Lake, Michigan.

Phyllis (Mitchell) Rice retired in 2015 after 42 years as a teacher. She and her husband, Ken, live in Spring, Texas.

1975

Dr. Victor L. Hunter and his brother, R. Lanny Hunter, M.D. (’58), have published a new book, Stories of Desire and Narratives of Faith: From Neanderthals to the Postmodern Age (see page 41). Victor and his wife, Lynette (Boles ’64), live in Denver, Colorado.

Susan (Cheeves) King recently retired after serving 24 years as editor for The Upper Room magazine, a devotional guide. She has taught at Christian writers’ conferences, and English and feature-writing courses at Lipscomb and Biola universities, and at ACU. Her latest book is Short and Sweet: A Different Beat (see page 42). She and her husband, Joseph, live in Franklin, Tennessee.

1967

1978

1964

Dr. Preston Massey is an adjunct professor in biblical studies at Indiana Wesleyan University who published his first book in 2018: The Branch: A Plausible Case for the Substructure of the Four Gospels. He and his wife, Laura, live in Bloomington, Indiana.

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Sue Jane Sullivan recently retired after 41 years of teaching English, social studies and Spanish, all in the Borden County ISD in Gail, Texas. She coached Borden High School’s UIL academics teams to two 1-A overall state championships, six team titles in Speech and Current Events, and eight Cross-Ex Debate state titles. She now lives in Austin, Texas.

Becky (Dobbs) Hise retired in August 2019 from Oxy USA as an environmental analyst.

She has a new granddaughter born in June 2018. Becky and her husband, Lee, live in Midland, Texas.

1979

Jere Guin Jr. has changed her name to Ann Williams. She is retired from the practice of law and lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

1980

Jan Lemmons Meador has moved from Tucson, Arizona, to Abilene, Texas, to live near three of her children and five of her 10 grandchildren.

1981

Charles Mattis, D.D.S., is associate professor of clinical dentistry, director of grand rounds and a third-year dental clinic preceptor at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s School of Dentistry. He served 17 years at ACU as associate professor of biology, pre-health advisor and dean of the First-Year Program. He is dean emeritus of ACU’s College of Arts and Sciences. His wife, Mary Lee (Holton), was adult faith minister for 12 years at Highland Church of Christ and is now owner of Mail Box Plus. They live in Jensen Beach, Florida.

1982

Joel Olbricht was elected to a fouryear term on the Board of Directors for the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. The AICPA serves 657,000 CPAs and FGMAs around the world.

He is manager for Olbricht Kiley Group LLC. He and his wife, Marilyn, live in Deerfield, New Hampshire.

1983

Rick Fox is Hospitality Team academic advisor for Arms of Hope. He and his wife, Jana (’90), live in Medina, Texas.

1986

Lt. Col. Danny Kotulan was named chief of medical operations for U.S. Air Force Indo Pacific Command at Camp H.M. Smith on Oahu, Hawaii. He and his wife, Carol, live in Kapolei, Hawaii.

Brent Easdon, an elder for the Westhill Church of Christ, retired in October 2018 as fire marshal in Cleburne, Texas, and is serving as a reserve police officer. His wife, Kim (Hays), is claims business manager for Farmers Insurance Group. They live in Cleburne.

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS 1988

Denise Norris-Dickson’s grandson, Finnley Steven Case, had a heart transplant at 5 weeks of age, and is recovering at Children’s Medical Center Dallas. His progress can be followed on Facebook at the Team Finn page. Finn’s grandfather is the late Steven Charles Case (’90). Denise is a reimbursement assistant for the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.

She and her husband, James Dickson, live in Douglass, Texas.

1989

Randy Gore is a campus minister at the University of South Carolina, with Long Creek Church of Christ sponsoring his work. He lives in Irmo, South Carolina.

Toby Osburn was named associate vice president for enrollment management at McNeese State University. He previously was executive director of Autism Services of Southwest Louisiana and Direct Care Inc. His wife, Chris (Gandy ’90), is quality assurance manager for Louisiana Pigment Co. They live in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Kyle McAlister was re-elected to a third term on the Abilene City Council in June 2019. He and his wife, Amy (Talbot), live in Abilene, Texas.

1990

Malcolm and Cherie (Walden) Mathews live in McKinney, Texas. Marcus is vice president and general manager of building management solutions for Asia Pacific at Johnson Controls.

1991

Michelle Reines is now executive director of the National Family Preservation Network. She and her husband, Steve, live in Parker, Texas.

1992

Matt Kimball is the new superintendent of Blue Ridge (Texas) ISD. He previously was assistant superintendent of human resources and professional development for the San Angelo (Texas) ISD. His wife, Jennifer (Davis), is a secretary in Frisco (Texas) ISD. They live in Frisco.

1995

ADOPTED

By John and Tonda (Madden ’92) Kuhn, a girl, Gwenyth Abigail, July 4, 2017, after she was a foster child in their home for nearly two years. They have four other children and live in Madison, Alabama.

1997

Britt Hadley was promoted to managing attorney of GEICO’s Staff Counsel Office in Fort Worth, Texas. Britt A. Hadley & Associates covers the region from Fort Worth to Abilene to Wichita Falls. He and his wife, Shannon, live in Flower Mound, Texas.

1999

Jenni Langston was named the children’s ministry director for Memorial Church of Christ. She lives in Houston, Texas.

Ronald Masindano is cabinet secretary policy advisor in the Ministry of Devolution and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands for the nation of Kenya. His wife, Rosemary Wasike (’00), is children’s director for Buckner Kenya, an NGO ministry. They live in Nairobi, Kenya.

2000

Kevin and Charity Linderman and their four children have transitioned back to the U.S. after 12 years of church and community development work in Tanzania. Kevin is now executive director of International Health Care Foundation, and working in Nigeria, Chana and Tanzania. The Lindermans live in Searcy, Arkansas.

Drs. Joseph and Beth (Lavender) Conway and their three children live in Nashville, Tennessee.

MARRIED

Annie Ferera and Robert Batton, Nov. 18, 2018. She is now stepmom to four children and transitioning into private practice with Chupik Counseling & Consulting. They live in Cedar Park, Texas.

Mike Conner and Penny Barker, Aug. 2, 2018, in Bulverde, Texas. He is a supervisor for HC Chandler & Son, and she is a loan processor for The Bank of Madisonville. They live in Madisonville, Texas.

BORN

To Verlin and Susan (Becton) Lee, a girl, Hannah Watterson, Dec. 27, 2018.

They live in Rosanky, Texas.

To Dustin and Eileen (Pannell) Pratt, a girl, Emarie Mae, June 4, 2019. They live in Childress, Texas.

2001

Emilio Lerzundi is a bilingual teacher in the Cleburne ISD and his wife, Rebecca (Davis ’04), is a bilingual teacher in the Crowley ISD. They have four children and live in Burleson, Texas.

Dr. Charla Dover Mathes earned her Ed.S. in educational leadership from Liberty University. She works for Suffolk Public Schools. She and her husband, Greg, live in Carrollton, Virginia.

The Midland Christian School Band, under the direction of Kevin Broome, won the 2019 TAPPS state instrumental music championship in April 2019. He has been the MCS band director since 2014. He and wife, Emily (Mitchell), live in Midland, Texas.

2002 BORN

To Derrick and Robin (Waller ’05) Doyle, a girl, Daphne, Jan. 10, 2016. They live in North Richland Hills, Texas.

To Jonathan and Lisa (Meehan) Harshman, a girl, Emma Rose, May 29, 2019. Jonathan is communications advisor

Y

ou should know that if you ever stop and ask me if I enjoy my job, you’re in for a long answer.

I always start with “Yes,” of course, but I usually can’t stop there. Working in alumni and university relations at ACU is hard to sum up in a sentence or two. When I step back and really consider all the ways our team interacts with the amazing people in Fisher the Abilene Christian community, I’m overwhelmed – and thankful.

As a team, we’re blessed to see and visit with alumni and families in so many settings, whether they’re attending events such as Homecoming, volunteering in their communities or bringing their future Wildcats to visit campus. Seeing the excitement of those diving into the memories of their experiences here is so rewarding to our efforts, just as it is seeing families attending events together and strengthening their connections to this special place.

No matter if we’re on the road in cities across the country or if we’re crossing paths in Abilene, we’re there to listen, and we’re impacted and inspired by your stories, shared experiences and life developments.

Our job is to help foster these memories and provide spaces for you to share them and create new ones. And oh, these stories are worth sharing – stories of incredible people living into their calling, changing lives, growing the Kingdom of God and blessing others.

Our alumni base and university community are world-class. So when I’m asked if I enjoy my job, I think about the educators, ministers, stay-at-home parents, doctors, bankers, nonprofit leaders, social workers, artists and many, many more who lead and pour into God’s work daily. I think of our community and am reminded time and time again how much I enjoy each day. 

– CRAIG FISHER (’92)

Assistant Vice President for Alumni and University Relations ACU TODAY

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BORN TO BE A WILDCAT

Julia Grade Dobbs, daughter of Samuel and Kailey (Miller '11) Dobbs of Spring Town, Texas.

The Alumni Association will send a FREE Wildcat BabyWear T-shirt (12-month size) to the alumni parents of each newborn or adopted infant in your family!

Complete the EXperiences news card and mail it to us, or complete the info online at blogs.acu.edu/acutoday/experiences.

In-focus, high-resolution digital images (minimum file size of 500kb; use your camera’s highest quality setting) of alumni children wearing their Wildcat BabyWear should be emailed to babywear@acu.edu. Call 800-373-4220 for more information.

Ford Jordan Kelley, son of Casey (’03) and Emily Kelley of Austin, Texas.

Aleksandr Miller, son of Jeremy Miller (’10) and Masha Boyle (’10) of Houston, Texas.

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Campbell Lee Smith, daughter of Mason (’15) and Ali (Hayes ’15) Smith of Fort Worth, Texas.

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Gavin James Schroeckenthaler, son of Tyson and Elizabeth (Canarsky ’05) Schroeckenthaler of Madison, Wisconsin.

Campbell Paul Rotenberry, son of Charles (’12) and Hailey (Clinton ’12) Rotenberry of Temple, Texas.

Brayden Mark Goodman, son of Mark (’08) and Rebekah (Cotton ’07) Goodman of Fort Worth, Texas.

Carsen Scott Coco, son of Scott (’02) and M’Lea (Leavell ’02) Coco of Abilene, Texas.

Emilee Grace Villa, daughter of Uriel (’18) and Lyndzee Hernandez Villa of Plainview, Texas.

Adelyne Willow Leininger-Castro (left) and Asher Cainan Leininger-Castro (right), daughter and son, respectively, of Alex Castro (’05) and Whitney Leininger-Castro (’09) of Houston, Texas.

Fletcher James Williams, son of Jordan (’08) and Mallory (Knight ’09) Williams of Allen, Texas.

Jeffrey Davis Harris, son of Hutton (’08) and Allie Harris of Abilene, Texas.

Jessie June Reid, daughter of Caleb (’05) and Bethany (Knox ’05) Reid of San Antonio, Texas.

Blaine Isaac Brennen, son of Adam and Jennifer (Blankinship ’04) Brennen of Cypress, Texas.

Rhett Owen Nipper, son of Riley (’13) and Jill (Dowdy ’13) Nipper of San Antonio, Texas.

Paisley Bryn Stephens, daughter of John (’11) and Brooke (Whitlock ’09) Stephens of Abilene, Texas.

Tatum Lytle Smiley, son of Hayden (’16) and Michelle (Lytle ’16) Smiley of Houston, Texas.

Samantha Quinn Witte, daughter of Cameron (’05) and Heidi (Kopf ’07) Witte of White Sands, New Mexico.

Avery Michelle Calhoun, daughter of William (’12) and Erin (Warren ’11) Calhoun of Cedar Hill, Texas.

Colin Joseph Sprott, son of David (’00) and Jenna (Roberts) Sprott of Abilene, Texas.

Levi James Fry, son of Jason and Haley (Dilling ’09) Fry of Gainesville, Florida.

Ella Kate Waters, daughter of Aaron (’08) and Natalie (Friend ’11) Waters of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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ACU NEWSMAKERS ALASKA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION

Angie (Allison ’95) Moad has been named principal of Gonzales Elementary School in the Ector County (Texas) ISD. She was previously assistant principal at two schools in the district.

Suzanne Langston (’09) was named principal of McKenzie Elementary in the Mesquite (Texas) ISD, where she has worked for 10 years as a teacher and assistant principal. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and secondary education from ACU.

all from ACU. She graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law, where she also earned a master’s degree from the Strauss Institute for Dispute Resolution.

Julia Andrews, who is pursuing her doctorate in organizational leadership from ACU, has been named director of the Center for Safe and Secure Schools. The center partners with federal, state and local entities and is a nationally recognized leader in the development of increased safety and security strategies, standards and best practices in school security.

Dr. Cathy (Fisher ’93 M.Ed.) Ashby was inducted to the Abilene Cooper High School Hall of Fame. A former CHS teacher, assistant principal and associate superintendent for curriculum and Ashby instruction, she became president and CEO of the United Way of Abilene in 2013.

Paul Cain (’89) was named assistant city manager of Waco, Texas. He was previously deputy city manager of Burleson, Texas.

Greg Easterly (’83) was named general manager of WJBK-TV Fox in Detroit, Michigan. He previously was vice president of group operations for Tribune Media, where he was Easterly responsible for 15 markets. Before that, he served as general manager at WPIX-TV in New York, WGN-TV in Chicago and WJW-TV in Cleveland. He received a Gutenberg Award from the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2002.

Brittenie Polk (’12 M.Ed.), principal at Gainesville (Texas) ISD’s Chalmers Elementary School, was named director of special education for her district.

Patty (Strader ’81) Wenetschlaeger has been named associate judge of the 326th District Court, and will serve with judge Paul Rotenberry (’84). Wenetschlaeger has 17 years of family law practice in Texas. She earned a B.A.S. in psychology, an M.S. in psychology and an M.S. clinical psychology,

STEVEN MARTINE

ZACH MASSEY

Lewisville (Texas) ISD named 20-year education veteran Beri (Denman ’99) Deister principal of Lakeview Middle School, where she had been an assistant principal since 2017. Deister earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and an M.Ed. in leadership of learning, and is pursuing an Ed.D. in organizational leadership, all from ACU.

Longtime college athletics media relations administrator Lance Fleming (’92) was named recipient of the Southland Conference’s 2019 Louis Bonnette Sports Media Award. After 20 years at ACU, Fleming is now director of communications for the Abilene Independent School District.

UNITED WAY OF ABILENE

Becky (Baldwin ’96) Hultberg has been named the new president and CEO of the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems. She was previously president Hultberg and CEO of the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association.

Watson

Former ACU faculty member Stuart Platt was named assistant director of the Office of Professional Responsibility at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. Platt served from 19962009 as a U.S. magistrate judge for the Western District of Texas. From 2013-17, he was assistant professor of criminal justice at ACU, where he taught undergraduate and continuing education courses.

In December, ACU trustee Elise (Smith ’83) Mitchell became the 37th inductee into the International Communications Consultancy Organisation Hall of Fame at its Global Awards event in London, England. She is founder and chair of Mitchell Communications Group, and has a long history of leadership roles with ICCO, having served most recently as its president.

Dunn

Ronnie Dunn (’76) and Kix Brooks were inducted in October 2019 to the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee, along with Ray Stevens and Jerry Bradley. Brooks & Dunn have won two Grammys and sold more than 30 million albums, the most of any country duo in history, and had 20 No. 1 hits. Country music recording artist Aaron Watson (’00) will be inducted Jan. 16, 2020, into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame as a Spirit of Texas award winner.

The hall recognizes “individuals who have shown excellence in competition, business and support of rodeo and the western lifestyle in Texas.” Hall of Fame inductees with ties to country music include George Strait, Red Steagall, the Light Crust Doughboys, Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen. Previous Spirit of Texas award honorees include Pat Green, Clay Walker and the Gatlin Brothers.

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Ryan Quidley (’09) has been named president of Oklahoma-based Armstrong Bank. Quidley has served Armstrong Bank for six years, most recently as senior vice president of corporate administration. He graduated from ACU with a degree in accounting and finance before working as a CPA for Ernst & Young in Fort Worth, Texas. Quidley also holds a Wharton Leadership Certificate and is a graduate of the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

Armstrong has branches throughout Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Lara (Seibert ’06) Young performed on the Hugh Jackman World Tour 2019. Diego Gonzalez (’18) performed on the national tour of Escape to Margaritaville.

ARMY SGT. JAMES K. McCANN

U.S. Air Force Gen. Paul Selva (’84 M.S.M.H.R.), former vice chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received the French Legion of Honor from Philippe Etienne (right), France’s ambassador to the United States, for his commitment to strengthening the FrenchAmerican relationship. Selva was honored July 18, 2019, during a ceremony at the Pentagon. He retired Aug. 1, 2019, as the No. 2-ranking officer in the American military.

JOHN MITTON

inductees Walter Cronkite, Sam Donaldson, Verne Lundquist, Dan Rather and Bob Schieffer, among many others.

TEXAS TECH HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER

John Mitton was named to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.

The former student at Hardin-Simmons University took classes at ACU in the mid-1970s for his radio-TV minor, Mitton working on Abilene Christian’s campus TV and radio stations. Founder of Houstonbased Mitton Media, he joins previous

RUBEN SANTIAGO JULIE ANDERSON

Chuck Statler (’96) was named president of the County Judges and Commissioners Association. Statler has been a Taylor (Texas) County Commissoner since 1998, and in his Statler sixth term is the longest-serving member on the Commissioners’ Court.

He also serves as the judge pro-tempore.

MACK LINEBAUGH

A logo designed in 1984 by Ruben Santiago (’80) for the 1986 World Cup and his native Mexico, was voted by soccer fans in September 2019 as the best in Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) history. The emblem by the Dallas, Texas-based graphic designer was originally selected from among 7,000 entries. Santiago earned a B.F.A. in art from ACU and has served on the Board of Visitors for the Department of Art and Design.

ACU biology graduate Tammy (Smith ’90) Camp, M.D., was named president of the Texas Pediatric Society at its annual meeting in Plano, Texas, in Camp September 2019.

She is a pediatrician in Lubbock, Texas, who earned her medical degree from the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine. The TPS is the Texas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a state professional nonprofit organization of more than 4,200 physicians, fellow, resident and medical student members. She is pediatrics residency director at the Texas Tech University School of Medicine.

Former ACU Gutenberg winner Blake Farmer (’06), healthcare reporter for National Public Radio and reporter at WPLN in Nashville, Tennessee, received an Edward R. Murrow Farmer Award for Excellence in Writing from the Radio-Television News Directors Association on Oct. 14, 2019, in New York City.

for Chevron North America Exploration & Production Company, and Lisa is operations reporting analyst for Account Control Technologies. They also have another daughter.

They live in Bakersfield, California.

To Cedric and Jeni (Groves) Turner, a boy, Caleb Joshua “C.J.,” July 7, 2019.

They live in Austin, Texas.

To Coty and Jaclyn (Ash) Woolf, a girl, Estella Jean, June 21, 2019. They live in Midland, Texas.

2003 BORN

To Casey and Emily Kelley, a boy, Ford Jordan, April 20, 2018. Casey earned a Master of Public Affairs degree in 2018 and is now the director of government affairs, west and south, for Exelon Corporation. He also was named to the Alumni Board of the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. Emily is an optometrist for Master Eye Associates.

They live in Austin, Texas.

To Cliff and Allison (Sevier ’05) Blessing, a boy, William “Beau,” Feb. 22, 2019. They have three other sons and live in Dallas, Texas.

To Timothy Ingram and Rachel Osborn, M.D., a boy, Theodore James, Dec. 28, 2018.

Rachel is a physician for Seasons Ob/Gyn. They live in Flower Mound, Texas.

2004

Jason Nadaskay is a teacher and head football coach for new Battle Creek Middle School. His wife, Bethany (Bartlett ’06), is fitness instructor for My Kind of Fit, a new faith-based fitness website launched in partnership with Michelle (Coronel ’04) Faerber. Jason and Bethany live in Spring Hill, Tennessee.

BORN

To Lucas and Jennifer (Walker) Takala, a girl, Callie Brooke, Sept. 19, 2017. Lucas is director of information technology for Realogy, and Jennifer is women’s and connections co-pastor for Christ Church. They live in Euless, Texas.

To Brandon and Amy (Verett) Booker, a boy, Zane Cameron, Feb. 22, 2019. They live in Fort Worth, Texas.

To Adam and Jennifer (Blankinship) Brennen, a boy, Blaine, Jan. 4, 2018.

They live in Cypress, Texas.

To Pete and Melanie (Carter) Wise, a boy, Daniel Carter, May 8, 2019. Melanie is executive director of outreach for Mercy Multiplied. The live in Antioch, Tennessee.

To Josh and Julie (Goen) Panger, a girl, Jaclyn Ann, May 16, 2019. They live in Lubbock, Texas.

2005

Missy Mae Walters was appointed by President Donald Trump as regional director for the Great Lakes Region of the Farm Production and Conservation Division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She lives in Dayton, Ohio.

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SERVING YOU ADVANCING ACU Do you want to recommend a future student, volunteer, host an event or just learn more about how you can be involved with ACU where you live? To help foster relationships with alumni and future students, ACU has assigned personnel from its Admissions and Advancement offices to major markets in Texas as well as Nashville, Tennessee. An admissions counselor (AC) reaches out to future students and their parents, and an advancement officer (AO) assists prospective donors seeking an opportunity to contribute funds to ACU. Through this territory team approach, these dedicated professionals can provide exceptional service to those who contribute so graciously to ACU’s mission and 21st-Century Vision.

ABILENE AND THE BIG COUNTRY

Brittany Lewis • AC • 325-674-2814, brittanyl@acu.edu Anthony Williams • AO • 325-829-4328, williamsa@acu.edu

WEST TEXAS AREA

John Mark Moudy • Senior AC (Amarillo, Midland, Odessa) 325-674-2869, johnmarkm@acu.edu Anthony Williams • AO • 325-829-4328, williamsa@acu.edu

AUSTIN AREA

Tunisia Singleton • Senior AC (Austin / Central Texas) 325-674-6157, tunisias@acu.edu Garrison Powell • AC (Austin / Central Texas) 325-674-2545, garrisonp@acu.edu Charles Gaines • AO • 512-409-1411, charles.gaines@acu.edu

FORT WORTH AREA

Jordan Dale • AC (Erath, Hood, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant counties) • 325-674-2687, jordand@acu.edu Peter Zeller • AC (Erath, Hood, Johnson, Palo Pinto, Parker, Somervell, Tarrant counties) • 325-674-2588, peterz@acu.edu Abigail McClellan • AC (Collin, Denton, Wise counties) 325-674-2504, abigailm@acu.edu Nino Elliott • AO • 817-845-2260, nino.elliott@acu.edu

DALLAS AREA

Abigail McClellan • AC (Collin county) 325-674-2504, abigailm@acu.edu Hannah Davis • AC (Dallas, Rockwall, Ellis, Kaufman counties) 325-674-2877, hannahd@acu.edu Macy McAlister • AC (Dallas, Rockwall, Ellis, Kaufman counties and Oklahoma) • 325-674-4875, macym@acu.edu Don Garrett • AO • 325-674-2213, don.garrett@acu.edu

Arrive early, wear purple: Event attendance crucial way to show support for university When the men’s and women’s basketball teams competed in the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy, Texas, in March 2019, the ACU community showed up in force. In fact, ACU was the only school represented at the tournament with pregame events and entire sections of fans cheering on the student-athletes.

Hundreds of alumni, parents and friends crowded the stands, supporting the men and women in a sea of purple (and grabbing some screen time on ESPN with quirky signs). When both teams clinched their respective tournament wins and berths to the NCAA Tournament, their fans were there for them, cheering amidst the confetti.

Craig Fisher (’92), assistant vice president of alumni and university relations, recalls the atmosphere during those games as electric. And he wasn’t surprised by the turnout for the Purple & White; it’s all a part of what makes ACU special, he said.

“We love seeing lots of purple on the road. Having our fans pack the stands for games shows what an amazing community and an amazing school we have,” he said.

“There have even been a few times at games where we’ve had more fans than the opposing team.”

Showing up to events is an important way for alumni and friends to support the university, Fisher said, whether it’s an athletic event, a volunteer one like Wildcats Serving, or a networking or fellowship event like ACU Moms or Young Alumni Meetups.

HOUSTON AREA

Jaquelyn Loya • AC • 325-674-6147, jaquelynl@acu.edu Megan Fridge • AC • 325-674-2654, meganf@acu.edu Eric Fridge • AO • 713-483-4004, eric.fridge@acu.edu

SAN ANTONIO AREA

Jesse Luna • AC (San Antonio / South Texas) 325-674-2807, jessel@acu.edu Sean Anderson • AC (San Antonio / South Texas) 325-674-6916, seana@acu.edu Charles Gaines • AO • 512-409-1411, charles.gaines@acu.edu

NASHVILLE AREA / EASTERN U.S.

Jason White • AC (Eastern U.S.) • 325-674-2663, jasonw@acu.edu Mark Meador • AO (Nashville) • 615-815-4360, meadorm@acu.edu

WESTERN U.S.

John Mark Moudy • Senior AC (Western U.S.) • 325-674-2869, johnmarkm@acu.edu Jesse Luna • AC (West Coast) • 325-674-2807, jessel@acu.edu

FROM LEFT: Among fans at an ACU-Baylor football pregame party were Mark Spikes (’97), Rachel (Dawes ’97) Sawyer, Jama (Fry ’97) Cadle, and Rachel's daughters, Hannah and Sarah Jane. Cadle is ACU assistant director of alumni and university relations.

KIM LEESON

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Among fans celebrating 2019 conference championships for men’s and women’s basketball in Katy, Texas, were (from left) senior Bryce Hill, Brian Champagne, Randi Morte (’12), Trevor Morte (’17), Renea (Hayes ’88) Morte, Trey Morte (’88) and senior Maddie Morte.

RICK YEATTS

Jenny (Wessel ’04) Haskin found herself becoming an avid basketball fan during the Southland tournament in Katy last spring. She and husband Travis (’05), along with their children Holden and Harper, made the trek from Westlake, Texas, as a way to spend the kids’ Spring Break.

“After watching both the men’s and women’s teams compete with the utmost confidence and integrity, we were hooked,” Haskin said. “We now attend every weekend home game possible and enjoy following the team to away games that are close to home.”

The Haskins also have committed to Wildcat football, attending every home game at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium since its opening in September 2017. They also open their home to host ACU Moms events for making care packages for students, even though their own future Wildcats are a good decade away from attending.

“We want to pass our love for ACU and all of what it embodies to our children,” Haskin said. “This is a way we can be supportive of the university, create memories with our children and build a legacy for their future.”

Haskin also is involved through the Alumni Advisory Board, as is Jonathan Davis (’94) of West, Texas. Davis helped set up for the pregame event in Waco before women’s basketball played Baylor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. More than a thousand fans packed the Texas Sports Hall of Fame before heading to the Ferrell Center to cheer on the team. (A lot of Wildcats like to invade Bear country; about 2,000 fans attended a pregame event in September 2018 when the football teams played each other.)

Davis said the atmosphere at events like Waco’s, as well as events on campus, make ACU feel very different than he remembers it being during his time as a student – in a good

way. With his own daughter, Jill, as a student, he finds himself back for events like Sing Song, football games, even Ko Jo Kai events thanks to wife, Vanessa (Crow ’95).

“Going back to campus as an adult has actually made me more proud of my connection with ACU,” he said.

Event options aren’t as plentiful outside of Texas, so Alan Jennings (’93) decided to bring ACU to Bentonville, Arkansas. He was so impressed seeing what groups of alumni and friends were doing through the annual Wildcats Serving event, he added his hometown to the list of locations in 2019.

“We have a fun, friendly and growing ACU alumni community in Bentonville, so we knew that it would be a great addition to the program,” Jennings said. “We decided to buy, cook and serve a meal at the local homeless shelter along with some cleaning and repair work that could be done on the shelter.”

“It’s great to see Wildcats coming together to live out their faith in new and wonderful ways,” he said.

Fisher is grateful for alumni like Haskin, Davis, Jennings and so many others who find ways to show up to show their support.

“It adds strength to our mission and vision, it supports and encourages our students, it builds momentum for prospective families, and it allows us to celebrate the difference that ACU has played in our lives,” Fisher said. 

– SARAH CARLSON

ACU IN YOUR AREA

Interested in hosting or volunteering at an ACU event in your area, or in getting involved in other ways? Reach out to the Alumni and University Relations Office at alumni@acu.edu.

You also can find events and updates at acu.edu/alumni.

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PURPLE PEOPLE Whether flashing the WC, handing out hugs or simply enjoying time together, Wildcats gather on campus and around the world to share their stories and celebrate their common love for each other and for ACU. Here are just a few images we’ve saved since our last issue. Share others with us at acutoday@acu.edu.

The 2019 Coming Home Court for Homecoming included these graduates from the class of 2009: FRONT, FROM LEFT: Valerie (Walker) Skinner, Sarah (Sparks) Brooks, Anna (Peters) Henix, Jamie Lyn (Spires) Wallnau and Jennifer (Rasco) Hoskins

BRADEN COLLUM

Willie the Wildcat poses with Challenger the Bald Eagle and his handler, Kayla Jackson, assistant curator of birds with the American Eagle Foundation, at ACU’s Nov. 9, 2019, football game with Sam Houston State on Anthony Field. Challenger, now 30 years old, is retired from flying into stadiums but still makes public appearances. Perkins Insurance of Abilene sponsored his trip.

JEREMY ENLOW

BACK, FROM LEFT: Sydney (North) Ward, Kylie (Jennings) Pope, Suzanne Langston, Hayden (Huey) Novak and Sarah (Lane) Long

JACK RICH

1) Jack (’76) and Karen (Leith ’78) Rich of Abilene, Texas, repped the Wildcats while visiting Gentoo Penguins in Antarctica. Jack is president and chief investment officer of ACIMCO (Abilene Christian University Investment Management Company).

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2) FROM LEFT: Accompanying ACU lineman Cole Burgess on Senior Day, Nov. 16, 2019, at Wildcat Stadium, were his cousin, Bo Burgess; his mother, Audrey Burgess; and his sister, Kaitlin Burgess.

Cole, a defensive tackle from North Richland Hills, Texas, brought a photo enlargement of his late father, Donovan Burgess.

BRADEN COLLUM

PAUL WHITE

BRANDI JO DELONY

Ella, Jackson and Witten Wardell examine facepainting photos of themselves on the camera phone of their mother, Emily (Cooke ’06) Wardell, at the university’s 2019 Homecoming Carnival.

SCOTT DELONY

3) FROM LEFT: Among inductees to the ACU Sports Hall of Fame at Homecoming 2019 were Brandon Stover (’02), John Kemboi (’02), Sam Collins (’10) and Meredith (Garner ’02) Powell. Not pictured: Jerale Badon (’08), Irene Squillaci-Sandoval (’08) and the late Lindsay (Dehoff ’02) Brewer. The late Al (’61) and Dottie Scott were posthumously presented a Lifetime Achievement Award and James A. Gash (’89) received the Jim Womack Award.

ALAN SCOTT

MISSISSIPPI SPORTS HALL OF FAME

Alan (’78) and Cindy (Hutcheson ’87) Scott of Richmond, Texas, travel widely, always sporting ACU gear.

4) ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert (’91) and Pepperdine University president James A. Gash (’89) engaged in a halftime skills competition when the two universities squared off in men’s basketball Nov. 16, 2019, in Moody Coliseum.

5) Among dignitaries greeting 1977 ACU grad Wilbert Montgomery (right) at his induction to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame on Aug. 3, 2019, was 2009 inductee Tyrone Keys, a standout defensive lineman for the NFL’s Chicago Bears when they won Super Bowl XX.

SCOTT DELONY

6) 2004 grad and Alumni Advisory Board president Adam Brennen (right) presented ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert (’91) with a check for $62.9 million at 2019 Homecoming Chapel, representing the lifetime giving of alumni from class years celebrating reunions. Accompanying him were Jim Orr, J.D. (’86), vice president for advancement, and Adam’s wife, Jennifer (Blankinship ’04), and their children, Blaine and Adalyn.

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BORN

To Tyson and Elizabeth (Canarsky) Schroeckenthaler, a boy, Gavin James, Aug. 3, 2018. They live in Madison, Wisconsin.

To Alex Castro and Whitney LeiningerCastro (’09), a boy, Asher Cainan, Nov. 28, 2017. Alex works in real estate with Keller Williams Memorial. They live in Houston, Texas.

To Jared and Lauren (Lair) Jones, a boy, Paxon Samuel “Pax,” Nov. 21, 2017. They live in San Antonio, Texas.

2006

Aaron Leong is director of training for Lumenations, a new Christian nonprofit.

His wife, Kimberly, is a teacher of deaf and hard-of-hearing infants and toddlers. They live in Hayward, California.

Alan and Lindsey (Jackson ’04) Motes moved to Colorado to help plant a church and establish new campus ministries. They have three children and live in Commerce City, Colorado.

Monica (Kim-Smith) Gutherie is communications director for the U.S. Army’s Long Range Precision Fires missile program.

Her husband, Kevin, is a soldier. They live in Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

BORN

To Chris and Sara (Ballard) Armstrong, a boy, Hunter William, March 4, 2019. They live in Combine, Texas.

To Steve and Amanda (VanNoort) Lange, a girl, Anna Kay, Aug. 17, 2019. They live in Nashville, Tennessee.

To Christopher and Lauren (Allred) Collins, a girl, Kyndall Leighann, May 29, 2018.

Christopher is director of rehabilitation services for Driven Elite, and Lauren teaches theatre in the Keller ISD. They live in Bedford, Texas.

2007 BORN

To Adam and Melissa (McGlothlin ’06) Carter, a girl, Hallie Evalyn, Feb. 15, 2018. Hallie is named after her late grandfather, Harold “Hal” McGlothlin (’58). Adam works for the City of Mansfield, and Melissa is a teacher with The Oakridge School. They live in Arlington, Texas.

To Jake and Lanna (Armstrong ’10) Kreck, a boy, Jack Hunter, Aug. 7, 2018. They live in Garland, Texas.

To Lonnie and Robin (Ivester) Ellis, a girl, Cambrie Rose, Dec. 19, 2018. They live in McKinney, Texas.

To Joshua and Carolyn (Carr) Gray, a girl, Ella Rose, May 23, 2019. They live in Abilene, Texas.

To Johura and Camille (Painter) Turner, a girl, Cienna Jae, Nov. 16, 2018. They live in Royce City, Texas.

To Jonathan and Carissa (Martus) Shrout, a girl, Zyra Joy, Feb. 21, 2019, in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. They live in Beaverton, Oregon.

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2008

MARRIED

Lauryn Lewis and Aaron Smith, June 22, 2019. They live in Waco, Texas.

2010

BORN

To Adam and Whitney (Brand ’10) Baran, a girl, Trudy Elizabeth, March 21, 2019. He is finance manager for Fossil Group, and she is a tax senior manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. They live in Richardson, Texas.

To J. Breton and Jennifer (King) McNab, a girl, Josephine, March 19, 2019. Jennifer is a major trial prosecutor for Cuyahoga County, and her successful convictions have been featured on the TV show Snapped and on the podcast Serial. They live in Cleveland, Ohio.

To Ryan and Abigail (Willbanks) Dunagan, a girl, Cooper Jean, Nov. 28, 2018. They live in Dallas, Texas.

To Luke and Tiffany (Polnisch) Luedke, a boy, Jack Mason, Aug. 30, 2019. They live in Tomball, Texas.

To Jonathan and Valerie (Goode ’07) Navarro, a girl, Molly Pearl, Feb. 16, 2019.

They live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

To Logan and Benay (Dennis) Sifford, a boy, Bauer Dean, May 13, 2019. They also have a daughter and live in Rio Vista, Texas.

To Chandler and Janna (Kasinger ’12) Harris, a girl, Ruby Raine, Oct. 29, 2018.

They live in Allen, Texas.

To Joshua and Christy (Cupp) Elmaleh, a boy, Samuel, March 6, 2018. They live in Anchor Point, Alaska.

To Ryan and Becky (Easter) Johnson, a girl, Keely, Sept. 3, 2018. They live in Winter Park, Florida.

To Christopher and Cameron (Enlow) Holodnak, a boy, Wrynn, Dec. 14, 2018.

They have two other children and live in Jarrell, Texas.

To Collin and Jessica Alexander, a girl, Abby Elizabeth, May 16, 2019. They live in Brashear, Texas.

To Garrison Hartline (’11) and Megan Faver Hartline, a boy, Samuel Faver, Nov. 12, 2018.

Megan has published a new book, Writing for Engagement: Responsive Practice for Social Action (see page 40). She is director of community learning for Trinity College.

They live in Wethersfield, Connecticut.

To Chris and Ashley (Del Real) Fuentes, a boy, Alexander Nathan “Zander,” Aug. 6, 2018.

They live in Madison, Wisconsin.

2009

2011

BORN

Marcus McLean, O.D., and Sarah (Robirds) McLean live in Tuscola, Texas. Marcus is an optometrist for Abilene Advanced Eyecare, and Sarah works for Communities in Schools of the Big Country.

BORN

To Corey and Megan (Barnett) Dunigan, a boy, Nathaniel Lee, Sept. 4, 2018. They live in Waco, Texas.

To Chase and Andra (Anglin ’12) Pennington, a boy, Ledger, Dec. 14, 2017.

Chase is an engineer for the Fort Worth Fire Department, and Andra is marketing director for Illuminate Ministries. They live in Willow Park, Texas.

To Jordan and Sara (Beckett ’11) Bunch, a boy, Beckett Jordan, May 3, 2018. They live in Pflugerville, Texas.

To Matthew and Amy Gibbs, a girl, Selby, Dec. 10, 2018. They live in Abilene, Texas.

To Michael and Debra Freeman, a girl, Katelyn Elizabeth, Feb. 24, 2019. They live in Justin, Texas.

To Tiago and Emilee (Schwanke) Cury, a girl, Natalie, Oct. 5, 2019. They live in Bedford, Texas.

To David and Karie (Schmidt) Schlottman, a boy, Harrison Robert, Nov. 24, 2018.

David is a lawyer for Jackson Walker, and Karie is an account executive for Ampersand.

They live in Dallas, Texas.

To Blaine and Laura (Busch) Martin, a boy, Henry Zane, Nov. 28, 2018. Blaine is an accountant for Maxwell Loke and Ritter.

They live in Austin, Texas.

MARRIED

Cameron Pierce and Linley Riediger, July 12, 2019. She is a research associate at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. They live in Arlington, Texas.

BORN

To David and Berkeley (Wilks ’13) Griffith, a girl, Delah Simone, Oct. 14, 2018. They live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

2012

MARRIED

Michael Rasor and Melanie Fullerton (’07), Dec. 31, 2018. Michael is an assistant track and field coach at ACU, and Melanie is an educational diagnostician for the Abilene ISD. They live in Abilene, Texas.

BORN

To Taylor and Sherrie (Frierson) Miller, a boy, Brooks Wayne, July 10, 2019. They live in San Antonio, Texas.

To Jacob and Marisol Groves, a boy, Salvador Terry, April 19, 2019. They live in Lago Vista, Texas.

To Houston and Kara (Baccus ’10) Hutchinson, a girl, Mazie Clare, Feb. 18, 2019.

They live in Leander, Texas.

To Evan and Leslie (’10) Greathouse, a girl, Evalee Grace, July 20, 2017. John is executive director of the John 4:14 Foundation, and Leslie is a writer for Midland Bible Church.

They live in Midland, Texas.

To Ben and Shannon (Smith) Applegate, a girl, Fallon Teresa, Aug. 29, 2019. They live in Round Rock, Texas.

To Kyle and Samantha (Sutherland) Hampton, a girl, Agnes Jeanette, Nov. 22, 2018. Samantha is a content producer and

digital strategist for Willow Street Agency.

She co-founded Texas Tallow, a skincare company, with Wiepie (Rojas ’13) Cross.

Kyle and Samantha live in Brownwood, Texas.

To Spencer and Lexi (Stirling ’13) Covey, a girl, Kyler Lee, Aug. 14, 2019. Spencer works in outside sales for Consolidated Electrical Distributors, and Lexi is a realtor for eXp Realty.

They live in Centennial, Colorado.

2013

John Summers (’13 M.A.) was named chief nursing officer of Texas Health Presbyterian Allen Hospital in Allen, Texas. He lives in McKinney, Texas.

BORN

To Bryan and Kara (Buckel) Rodriguez, a boy, Luca Samuel, Sept. 10, 2019. They have another son and live in Fort Worth, Texas.

To Garrett and Leigh (Foith) Beasley, a boy, Beckler Scot, April 22, 2019. They live in Dallas, Texas.

To Jeremy and Alexa (Jarpe) Leech, a boy, Ryan Elliott, Feb. 20, 2019. Alexa is an RN at Houston Methodist Sugar Land. They live in Sugar Land, Texas.

To Blaine and Rachel (Davis) Whitlock, a girl, Ember Raine, July 23, 2018. Blaine is a firefighter with the Abilene Fire Department.

They live in Abilene, Texas.

To Madison and Dominique Ryals, a boy, Amias, July 19, 2019. They live in Richardson, Texas.

To Caleb and Jacey (Ferrara ’14) Withrow, twin girls, Bravelyn Rae and Canon Joy, Sept. 7, 2018. Caleb is strength and conditioning coach at Southern Methodist University.

They live in Dallas, Texas.

2014

BORN

To Austin and Brenna (Harper) Lunney, a boy, Grant Robert, Nov. 20, 2018. They live in Lubbock, Texas.

To Tucker and Audrey (Deaver) Mack, a boy, Cooper Leggett, Sept. 12, 2019.

They live in Fort Worth, Texas.

2015 BORN

To Trey and Ashley (Stroup ’13) Arnett, twins Oplin June and Albert Austin,

Oct. 10, 2019. They live in Benbrook, Texas.

To Aaron and Lorena (Ponce) Salcido, a girl, Ava Jolie, Oct. 17, 2019. Aaron is a financial consultant for Fidelity. They also have another daughter, and live in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

2017

Joshua Hill is a ministry administrative intern for New Song Bible Fellowship Church.

He lives in College Park, Maryland.

BORN

To Jody and Cheyenne (Barry) Spain, a boy, Scout Allen, June 4, 2019. Cheyenne is an accountant for Sagora Senior Living.

They live in Waxahachie, Texas.

2018 BORN

To Jonathan (’18 MBA) and Charisma Tack, a boy, Obadiah Ransom, March 3, 2019.

Jonathan is a private pilot for DA Aviation.

They live in Midland, Texas.

To Naveen and Diana Desai, a boy, Caleb Thiago, Oct. 27, 2018. They live in Aldie, Virginia.

IN MEMORIAM 1940

Marjorie Griffin Chambers died May 30, 2019, in Harlingen, Texas, at age 99. She was born Sept. 5, 1919, in Dallas, Texas, and graduated there from Adamson High School in 1936. She married William H. Chambers Sr. (’36) in 1941, and earned a master’s degree from Hardin-Simmons University in 1968.

She lived in Odessa, Texas, for 50 years, devoting her professional career to schools in the Ector County ISD. She also was chapter president of PEO Sisterhood, and a member of Delta Kappa Gamma and Kappa Kappa Iota professional organizations for educators. She was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas Angus Griffin and Claudia Katherine Arrington; her husband, William; her brothers, Raymond Griffin and Thomas A. Griffin; and her sisters, Elizabeth McSwain and Mary Olive (Griffin ’36) Granger. Among survivors are her daughters, Claudia (Chambers ’63) Sowell and Marjorie (Chambers ’79) Rozell; a son, Dr. William “Bill” Chambers Jr. (’67); six grandchildren, including Laura Dennis (’91) and Griffin Rozell (’04); and eight great-grandchildren.

1944

James Boyd Taylor died March 19, 2019, at age 96. He was born Aug. 30, 1922, in Wingo, Kentucky, and graduated from Paducah (Kentucky) Tilghman High School in 1940. He enrolled at ACU with his twin brother, Byron, and earned a B.A. degree in biblical text.

He married Geneva Campbell (’46) in 1946.

He preached for more than 80 years, starting in 1938 and including service to Texas Church of Christ congregations in Iowa Park, Lincoln Street in Wichita Falls, Eastside in Irving,

Petrolia, Austin Street in Garland, and Heath.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Elbert and Rhoda Coltharp Taylor; his wife, Geneva; sisters Bonnie Troutman and Ozell Record; and brothers Burton Taylor and Byron Taylor.

Among survivors are his children, Sheryl Curlee (’71) and Derl Taylor (’83).

1946

Jackie (Morris) Warmsley died Oct. 16, 2019, in Abilene, Texas, at age 93. She was born July 16, 1926, in Abilene. She majored in social work and art, and was active in her community as an artist and sculptor. She assisted in getting the Teen Community Boys Home started and also was the founder of Hope Haven. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dr. Don H. (’24) and Alberta (Allen ’26) Morris. Among survivors are her husband, Landon Ray Warmsley; sons James Lawson (’69), Don Thomas Lawson (’74) and Dr. Robert Lee Lawson (’80); a brother, Thomas Asbury Morris (’55); a sister, Patsy Carter Morris (’50); six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

1948

George Clifford Reel died Sept. 5, 2019, in McMinnville, Tennessee, at age 95. He was born Sept. 24, 1923, in Hamilton County, Tennessee. He served with the U.S. Navy at Pearl Harbor during World War II. He graduated from Marion County High School and earned a master’s degree in education administration.

He taught at Clinton (Tennessee) High School in the 1950s, was principal of Boyd Buchanan School (Chattanooga, Tennessee) in the 1960s, and was director of the East Tennessee

School of Preaching and Missions in the 1970s.

He preached the gospel around the world for more than 70 years. He was preceded in death by a son, Kip; a daughter, Sara; and his parents, George Washington and Minnie Leola Dagnan Reel. Survivors include his wife of 72 years, Dorothy Jean Duncan Reel (’51); two daughters, Lisa Connor and Lori Boyd; 11 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

Clyde Nathaniel Morgan, M.D., died Feb. 3, 2019, in Abilene, Texas, at age 95. He was born Nov. 2, 1923, near Uvalde, Texas. In 1941 he joined the civil service as an aircraft mechanic trainee in San Antonio, Texas, but left the next fall to begin college at ACU. After the bombing at Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He began his military career as a part of the 317th Depot Repair Squadron as a pilot trainee. He completed his wartime service as a 1st Lieutenant flying a C-47 for VIPs traveling throughout the American and Middle East Theater. Later he was personal pilot to King Ibn Saud, completing a goodwill contract issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He returned to complete his undergraduate degree at ACU in 1948, earned a medical degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and opened his practice in Abilene in the early 1950s. He was preceded in death

by Birdie Joyce (Palmer) Morgan, his wife of 58 years; his parents; and five siblings. Survivors include a son, Clyde N. Morgan Jr. (’75); two daughters, Reinette Steele (’79) and Nancy Davis (’81); seven grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Ina Marie Milstead Shipp died Aug. 2, 2019, at age 91. She was born Sept. 4, 1927, in Cleburne, Texas. She married her college

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sweetheart, Stanley Shipp (’46), in 1946.

Together they served in various Churches of Christ in the U.S., Switzerland, and through encouraging visits around the world. She was preceded in death by her parents, Maude and Lonnie Lowell Milstead; her husband; her brothers, James Russell Milstead (’51) and Lonnie Lowell Milstead Jr. (’49); and two grandchildren. Among survivors are her daughters Pamela Sapienza (’69), Penny Mcllroy (’71) and Patti Grigg; six grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

1949

Borden “Sonny” Benjamine Manly died March 31, 2019, in Abilene at age 92. He served as an elder at 16th and Vine Church of Christ and Southern Hills Church of Christ for more than three decades. He was manager of the USDA Cotton Marketing office in Abilene, retiring after 37 years. He was preceded in death by his parents, Borden Benjamine and Marcus Lewis Manly; three brothers, Dennis Manly (’41), James “Jim” Manly and Jack Manly (’63); two sisters, Evelyn Irvin (’37) and Margaret Standridge; and one grandson. Survivors include his wife, Mary Hammett Manly; a daughter, Terri Wolaver (’92); a son, Marcus Manly (’84); and three grandchildren.

1951

Guy Sullivan died Aug. 17, 2018, in Lubbock, Texas. Among survivors are his wife, Elaine; daughters Sue Jane Sullivan (’78), Dr. Sara Sullivan Dodd (’81) and Sabrina Sullivan Blankenship (’89); and sons Scotty Sullivan (’77) and Shane Sullivan.

Evie Mae Roberts Clovis died Oct. 13, 2019, in Abilene, Texas, at age 89. She was born May 4, 1930, in Clarksburg, Tennessee. She graduated from Idalou (Texas) High School in 1947 and met William E. “Bill” Clovis II (’50) at ACU. They were married Sept. 15, 1950. She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years; her parents, Robert Lee and Stella Muse Wilson Roberts; a daughter, Sue Clovis Conaway (’77); three sisters, Mildred Shepherd, Ann Hill (’53) and Mary Hayes (’44); and two brothers, Dr. J W Roberts (’42) and R.L. Roberts Jr. (’47). Survivors include three daughters, Angela Estes (’73), Annette Boyles (’73) and Roberta Giles (’86); a sister, Bettye Blay; a brother, Bill Roberts (’68); 10 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Norman Vol Taylor died Feb. 28, 2019, in Lexington, Kentucky, at age 88. He was born May 14, 1930, in Temple, Texas, and graduated from high school in Lampasas, Texas. He returned to Abilene following service in the U.S. Air Force, finished a bachelor’s degree and married Charlotte Harrison (’54) in 1954.

He and his family lived in several Texas cities before settling in Nacogdoches in 1963 as owners/operators of White’s Auto Store. He and his wife purchased a small equipment rental business in the 1970s and retired in 1999. He served as a Church of Christ elder for 30 years.

In retirement, the Taylors moved to Angel Fire, New Mexico, and then in 2007, to Lexington,

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Kentucky, to be near their daughter. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilford Vol and Arabelle Gore Taylor. Among survivors are his wife of 64 years; children Jan Taylor (’79), Dr. James Norman Taylor (’81), Scott Taylor (’82), Brad Taylor (’84) and Charley Taylor (’89); a foster son, Michael Elliot; 10 grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter.

Peggy Anne Austin Garrett died March 12, 2019, at age 88. She was born April 10, 1930, in Abilene, Texas, where she graduated from Abilene High School in 1947. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.

She taught school at Fair Park Elementary in Abilene and married Don C. Garrett, M.D. (’49) in 1952, as he was finishing his military service in the U.S. Air Force. They moved to Dallas soon after their marriage for Don to attend medical school and Peggy to teach at Carrollton (Texas) Elementary School. Over the years, Peggy was active in many community endeavors – the board of Christian Homes of Abilene, the founding board of Kenley School, the Visiting Committee for ACU’s College of Biblical Studies, sponsor of Delta Theta, Abilene Woman’s Club and its investment club, and volunteering at Covenant Place and the Alzheimer’s Association.

The Garretts traveled to many nations in support of missions work. Their legendary ministry of hospitality allowed them to host thousands of college students in their welcoming home.

Peggy was preceded in death by her parents, Edward Paul and Goldie Gay “Betty” Austin; her husband, Don; siblings Betty June Anzo (’38), Edward Paul Austin Jr. (’35), Vicki Lou Davis (’66) and Helen Geraldine Duval (’41). Among survivors are sons Don Garrett (’77), Dean Garrett (’79), Dan Garrett (’81); a daughter, Dee Anne Taylor (’83); a sister, Tiffany Wagstaff; 10 grandchildren; two stepgrandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

1952

Lillie McCleskey Sullivan died Oct. 22, 2018, in Lubbock, Texas. Among survivors are her daughters Sue Jane Sullivan (’78), Dr. Sara Sullivan Dodd (’81) and Sabrina Sullivan Blankenship (’89); and sons Scotty Sullivan (’77) and Shane Sullivan.

Doris Clay Vance died April 12, 2019, at age 87. She was born March 12, 1932, in Big Spring, Texas. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and an M.Ed., both from ACU. She taught third, fourth and fifth grades, and high school English in Christoval, Texas. She married Robert E. Vance (’54) on Feb. 17, 1955, and together they ministered in churches in the U.S., Germany and Austria. She was preceded in death by her parents, Harvey E. and Mattie Cullers Clay, and her husband. Among survivors are daughters Ruthie Martin (’81), Lynnette Stillwell (’82) and Debbie Hamby (’86); six grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

Irma Lee Perkins Barns died June 22, 2019, at age 89. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business. Among survivors are her children, grandchildren, sister and brother.

Robert “Rob” Orr died Oct. 16, 2019, in Dallas, Texas, at age 89. He was born

Oct. 23, 1929, in Vernon, Texas, and graduated in 1948 from Vernon High School, where he played basketball, football, track, and was a district champion in the mile run. He played on ACU’s undefeated 1950 football team and earned a B.S. degree in business with a minor in agriculture (see page 80). In Abilene, he met Patsy Etter (’54). They married Aug. 13, 1955, and moved to Vernon to assume management of the family farm. He earned an M.Ed. degree from Texas A&M-Commerce University and served in the Vernon ISD for 36 years as a teacher, curriculum director and assistant superintendent for instruction. After Patsy’s death in 1999, he married Linda Lee Powell (’62) on Sept. 14, 2002. They lived in Dallas and attended Prestoncrest Church of Christ for 17 years. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Clyde Orr and Clarice Roberts Orr; his first wife, Patsy; brothers Boyd Orr, Forrest Orr (’38), Graham Orr (’40), and W.C. “Dub” Orr (’50); and a sister, Edith Orr. Among survivors are his two sons, Doug Orr (’83) and Jim Orr (’86); seven grandchildren, four greatgrandchildren; and his wife, Linda Orr, and her children, Chris Groves (’92), Christina Lawless (’94), Carter Groves, Cavan Groves, Candace Crofford, and 13 grandchildren-in-law.

1953

Jon Ellis Jones died Oct. 13, 2019, in Abilene at age 87. He was born Feb. 16, 1932, in Amarillo, Texas. He graduated from Paschal High School in Fort Worth and earned a degree in Bible from ACU, where he met his future wife, Joan Brooks (’56), whom he married Aug. 22, 1955. He dedicated his life to spreading the gospel, preaching at various congregations including University Church of Christ in Austin; Central Church in Miami, Florida; and The Hills Church in North Richland Hills, Texas. He was Alumni Advisory Board executive secretary from 1953-56. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joan; his parents, Robert C. and Lois Jones; and a sister, Bobbie Cleo McMurtry (’47).

Survivors include two daughters, Jan Patterson (’81) and Julie Brown (’84); a son, Jeff Jones (’83); and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Anna “Ann” Lou Roberts Hill died Sept. 12, 2019, in Abilene at age 87. She was born May 9, 1932, in Clarksburg, Tennessee, and graduated from high school in Quanah, Texas. She married Jerry Hill (’52) on Nov. 21, 1951. They made their home in Benavides, Texas, and traveled as missionaries to Central America. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert Lee and Stella (Wilson) Roberts Sr.; her husband; two brothers, Dr. J W Roberts (’42) and R.L. Roberts (’47); three sisters, Mildred Shepherd, Mary Hayes (’44) and Evie Clovis (’51); and one grandchild. Survivors include one sister, Bettye Blay; one brother, Bill Roberts (’68); two daughters, Barbara Kirk (’97) and Linda Barriger (’77); a son, David Hill (’89); six grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild.

Jo Frances Beasley Ford died Aug. 1, 2018, in North Richland Hills, Texas,

at age 87. Born in Fort Worth, she graduated from Polytechnic High School in 1949, attended ACU and completed her education degree at Texas Wesleyan College in 1966. She earned her library science certification through Texas Woman’s University and served as librarian for many Fort Worth elementary schools until retiring in 1987. In 1977, she married Morris Ford. She was preceded in death by her parents, Adrian and Minnie Lee Beasley, and her husband of 32 years. Survivors include her daughter, Paula Legg Vaughn (’73); a sister, Jerrie Scoggins; three stepchildren, Gayle Wilkins, Terry Ford and David Ford; two granddaughters; one great-granddaughter; and many step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

1954

James Harold Cobb died July 23, 2019, in Dallas, Texas, at age 87. He was born March 15, 1932, in Athens, Alabama. He played football and basketball at ACU and earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education. He married Necia Bishop (’55) and they settled in Lubbock, Texas, where he coached high school basketball and football before beginning a 30-year career with Southwestern Life Insurance Company. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bob and Velma Cobb; and brothers Luther Cobb, Robert Cobb (’51) and Chuck Cobb (’56). Among survivors are his wife of 64 years; daughters Cathy Rosenquist (’80) and Cindy Foege (’82); two grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; a brother, John Cobb; and his sisters, Sue Reed, Joe Ann Allen and Linda Morris.

1955

Nancy Ann (Lewis) Ferguson died July 16, 2019, in Abilene, Texas, at age 85. She was born May 1, 1934, in Paducah, Texas, and graduated high school in Gastonia, North Carolina, in 1951.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Bible and taught elementary school in Alvin, Texas, and Melrose, Massachusetts. She married Dr. Everett Ferguson (’53) on June 25, 1956, in Alvin, Texas. She wrote Bible curriculum for Sweet Publishing and Hillcrest Church of Christ. She authored three books, conducted workshops around the world and taught Bible lectureship classes at several universities, including ACU. She was preceded in death by her parents, Edith Lucille (Walls ’24) and Byrd Ray Lewis (’23); and a brother, Dr. Donald Everett Lewis (’52). Survivors include her husband of 63 years; a son, Ray Ferguson (’80); two daughters, Ann Doyle (’83) and Pat Luchs (’87); and six grandchildren.

Don Bowen died March 7, 2019, in Corsicana, Texas, at age 85. He was born July 24, 1934, in Wichita Falls, Texas. He graduated from Central High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and earned a B.S.Ed. degree from ACU, where he met his wife, Shirley Sehon (’56). They were married in 1955.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army and served later in the Army Reserve and National Guard.

He earned a master’s degree in educational leadership, and served as principal of two

schools before becoming superintendent of Corsicana ISD. He served as president of the Kiwanis Club, Chamber of Commerce and Medical Administrators of Texas, and on several boards, including the ACU Alumni Advisory Board. He was preceded in death by his parents, Virgil and Zelma Bowen. Survivors include his wife of 63 years; a son, Don Bowen Jr. (’82); three daughters, Brenda Sandifer (’80), Bridget Price (’87) and Briana Fleming (’91); and eight grandchildren.

Neil Harrison Jones died July 26, 2018, in Benbrook, Texas, at age 85. He was born March 6, 1933, in Eastland, Texas. He graduated from Rising Star High School in 1950. He earned an accounting degree from ACU. He married Billie Joy Marshall on Sept. 29, 1956. He spent most of his career in the oil and gas industry, retiring from Oryx Production Company in 1992. He was an elder for more than 26 years at Ridglea West and West Freeway Churches of Christ. He was preceded in death by a son, Todd Jones (’86); his parents, Sam Wiley (’40) and Sarah Tennie (Harrison) Jones; and a brother, Johnny Jones (’66). Survivors include his wife of 61 years; a son, Mark Jones (’81); and five grandchildren.

Robert Harry Smith of Littleton, Massachusetts, died May 13, 2019, at age 89. He was born April 20, 1930, in Ayer, Massachusetts, and raised in Waltham, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force at age 17 and served five years. After his service, he entered ACU to pursue studies for ministry, and earned a B.A. degree in Greek. He married Betty L. Adams (’54) on Nov. 6, 1953. He served as a Church of Christ minister in Unity, Maine; and in Lexington and Littleton, Massachusetts; and as an education minister at the Chelmsford (Massachusetts) Church of Christ. He also developed skills as a chef while working in his mother’s restaurant. He was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas Smith and Winnie (Harmon) Smith McPhail. Among survivors are his wife of 65 years; children Shawn D. Smith, Nerissa (Smith) Calo and Bryn Smith; and four grandchildren.

1956

Betty Boles Freeman died May 27, 2019, in Mission Viejo, California, at age 83. Survivors include three daughters, Carrie Wulf, Molly Perry and Vicky Halpern; and a son, Scott Freeman.

1957

Walter Edwin Kreidel died Aug. 21, 2019, in Franklin, Tennessee, at age 87. He and his wife, Mary Nelle Kreidel, served as missionaries in Brazil for more than 30 years. He was preceded in death by his parents, Emory and Oda Kreidel; a son, Walter Keith Kreidel (’80); and a brother, Lee Aaron Kreidel (’53). Survivors include his wife; a son, Christopher Clark Kreidel (’88); two daughters, Angela Kay West (’79) and Karen Nelle Clark (’83); three sisters, Vicki Russell, Annette Davison and LaVerne Roberts; 13 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.

Paul Otto Harland died Jan. 22, 2019, in Texhoma, Oklahoma, at age 84. He was born

Feb. 24, 1934, in Texhoma and graduated from high school there in 1952. He attended Oklahoma Panhandle State University, majoring in animal husbandry. His junior year he transferred to ACU and added a minor in Bible. There, he met his future wife, Rozilla McKnight (’58). They married in June 1956.

After graduation, they moved to Texhoma where he started farming alongside his father. Shortly after, he was drafted into the military and spent time in Colorado, Georgia and Maryland. He received a hardship discharge to return home and help his father farm. He served as president of the Rotary Club, Booster Club and as secretary/treasurer of the Texas County Junior Livestock Association. He moved to Shallowater, Kansas, to manage a grain elevator for Monsanto before being transferred to Guymon, Oklahoma. He retired in 1998 and moved back to the family farmhouse where he was born. He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years; his parents, Otto and Madeline Harland; a sister, Elene Green (’50); and a son, Bob Harland.

Among survivors are three children, LaDonna Harland, Terry Harland and Susan Mattocks; three sisters, Joyce Chisum, Mary Beth Blake and Judy Morgan; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

1958

Rozilla Alma McKnight Harland died May 24, 2019, in Edmond, Oklahoma, at age 82.

She was born on Jan. 18, 1937, in Long Beach, California. She graduated from high school in La Mesa, California, in 1954. She attended ACU, where she met her future husband, Paul Harland (’57). They married June 22, 1956, and made their home in Texhoma, Oklahoma.

She worked as a seamstress and ran a cake decorating business for more than 10 years.

She later worked for Simpson’s Western Auto, Bank of the Panhandle and City National Bank in Guymon, Oklahoma. She was preceded in death by her parents, Hamilton and Rachel McKnight; an infant brother, Johnnie; and a son, Bobby Harland. Her husband died Jan. 22, 2019.

Among survivors are three children, LaDonna Harland, Terry Harland and Susan Mattocks; her sister, Doris Schafer; nine grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Lois Yuneva Kirk died March 8, 2019, at age 93. She was born March 22, 1925.

She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from ACU. She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank Doven and Daisy Dean Bass, and by a brother and three sisters. Survivors include a son, Oliver Frank Kirk (’70); a daughter, Sandi Hedges (’71); two grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; two step-grandchildren; and 10 step-great-grandchildren.

1959

Harold Joseph “Hank” See died May 17, 2019, in Lebanon, Missouri, at age 83. He was born Nov. 26, 1935, in Newburg, Iowa. He was married for 50 years to Flora L. Lawrence until her death in 2006. On Jan. 26, 2009, he married Shirley Tadlock Chapman. He served in the U.S. ACU TODAY

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Marine Corps during the Korean War. During his 40-year career, he worked in several fields and industries including retail management, law enforcement and security detail, education, commercial self-service laundry, real estate and refrigerant reclamation and manufacturing. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Benjamin and Ida Mae Wright See; a step-son, David Chapman; and several brothers and sisters. Survivors include his wife of 10 years; a daughter, Elizabeth See Chapman; a son, Alan See (’81); two step-sons, Darrin Chapman and Dennis Chapman; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; 11 step-grandchildren; and a brother, Benjamin See (’59).

John Commodore Pryor died May 27, 2019, in Lawton, Oklahoma, at age 82. He was born on Dec. 8, 1936, in Olustee, Oklahoma. He graduated from Altus High School in 1955 and earned both his bachelor’s degree in education and M.Ed. from ACU. He taught from 1960-64 in Clyde, Texas. He was a teacher and counselor for the Central Islip school system in New York from 1964-91. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph L. and Bessie Faye (Parman) Pryor; five brothers, Joseph L. “Joe” Pryor, James R. “Jim” Pryor, Ralph Pryor, Patrick L. “Pat” Pryor and William M. “Bill” Pryor; and a sister, Peggy Pryor Leonard. Survivors include eight nephews, seven nieces and numerous grandnieces and nephews.

Reford Gene Schmittou died June 21, 2019, in Abilene at age 82. He was born Oct 13, 1936, in Post Oak, Texas. He graduated from Abilene High in 1955, graduated from ACU with a bachelor’s degree in science and education, and earned his master’s in education administration from Our Lady of the Lake University. He married Virginia Ruth Echols (’59) on Jan. 22, 1959, in Abilene. He taught in schools in several Texas cities before returning to Abilene, where he taught science at Lincoln Junior High and became dean of Cooper High School. His passion for music led to the opportunity to play with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Bob Wells and George Strait. He was preceded in death by his parents, Russell Reford Schmittou and Dorothy Louise Epps.

Survivors include his wife of 60 years; a sister, Geri; a brother, Glenn; a son, Ron Schmittou (’85); a daughter, Cheryl Pieper (’82); and five grandchildren.

1960

Sherlene Joyce Curtis died Aug. 15, 2019, in Abilene at age 82. She was born Jan. 25, 1937, in Brady, Texas, and graduated from Lohn (Texas) High School. She taught home economics and was a home economist before becoming a missionary with her husband to Austria and throughout Eastern Europe. Later in life, she became secretary for Highland Church of Christ in Abilene until her retirement. She and her late husband, Gwynneth (’61), were honored by ACU with an award recognizing their years of service and dedication to missions and ministry. She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents, L.D. and Nadine Bates Browning; and her sister, Barbara Young (’56).

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Among survivors are her daughters, Kellie Miller (’87) and Trellis Cook (’91); her sons, Cornell “Cory” Curtis (’94) and Ryan Curtis (’98); and 11 grandchildren.

Kerry Wheeler King died Oct. 14, 2018, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at age 80. He was born May 19, 1938, in Cleburne, Texas, and graduated in 1956 from Littlefield (Texas) High School. He owned a sign franchise in El Paso, Texas, prior to moving to Santa Fe, where he later retired from IBM. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jack W. King (’42) and Carlene Wheeler King; a daughter, Elissa King Hutchinson (’89); and a son, Kerry Allen King.

Survivors include his wife, Virginia Allen King; two brothers, Keith King (’65) and Jack King (’71); and a sister, Carol King Sullivan (’73).

1963

Lanny Lee Faris died Oct. 10, 2018, in San Antonio, Texas, at age 81. He was born May 12, 1937, in Wenatchee, Washington. He met his wife, Willene, in college. He was self-employed.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Lois and Jesse Faris; a son, Michael Faris; and a brother, Jesse Edwin Faris. Survivors include his wife of 61 years; daughters Julie Burns and Anne Cullison; a son, Richard Faris (’90); six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

1964

Internationally acclaimed sartorial icon Darrill Radcliff Osborn, former men’s fashion director at Neiman Marcus, died July 1, 2019, at age 76. He served in the U.S. Army as executive assistant to famed airborne chaplain Gen. Francis Sampson, and landed his first job at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City as boys clothing buyer. He was featured in Ari Seth Cohen’s 2016 book, Advanced Style: Older & Wiser, and appeared regularly on the pages of The Dallas Morning News, D Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and books and magazines in Europe and Japan.

He received numerous international design and style awards. Osborn retired in 2002 after three decades at Neiman Marcus. Osborn was a deacon in the Highland Park (Texas) Presbyterian Church and a dedicated volunteer.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Calvin and Flossie Osborn; and a brother, Moses Osborn. Among survivors are his sister, Karen (Osborn ’66) Sharp.

Louis Ray Stone of Richardson, Texas, died Nov. 3, 2019, in Dallas at age 78. He was born Sept. 22, 1941, in Durant, Oklahoma. He married Janice Filbeck (’64) on May 30, 1964.

He taught and coached basketball in the Fort Worth (Texas) ISD, at ACU (assistant coach from 1970-73) and the last 45 years at Richland Junior College. He was preceded in death by his parents, William Claude and Mae Lorene Stone, and a brother, Jerry Paul Stone. Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Jennifer Lyn Stone (’97); two sons, Chad Ray Stone (’91) and Wade Corey Stone (’95); seven grandchildren; and a brother, William James Stone.

1965

Frances Darlene (Cadenhead) Ashby died Aug. 3, 2019, in Abilene at age 76. She was born Feb. 15, 1943, in San Francisco, California, and graduated from North High School in Denver, Colorado, in 1961. She moved to Abilene to attend ACU, where she met and married Dr. Jon Ashby (’64) in 1965. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education and taught eighth-grade English at Franklin Middle School for more than 20 years. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles Lee Barton and Frances Gertrude Barton Cadenhead. Survivors include her husband and two sons, Bart Ashby (’90) and Joel Bret Ashby (’10).

Dave Oakley died Aug. 7, 2019, in Carlsbad, New Mexico, at age 75. He was born Jan. 22, 1944, in Steubenville, Ohio, and married Kay Maxey on Oct. 6, 1962. He graduated from ACU with a bachelor’s degree in biblical text. In the mid-1980s, he began a career in financial planning and retirement services, working with Edward Jones and LPL Financial Services. He served as an elder at Sunset Church of Christ and was interim minister at Central Christian Church. He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents, Charles and Martha (Lerner) Oakley; a brother, Charles Oakley; and a grandson.

Survivors include two daughters, Lori Craig and Kristi Oakley; a son, David Oakley; a brother, Gary Oakley; a sister, Sue Newman; and 10 grandchildren.

Kenneth Page Martin died Sept. 15, 2019, in College Station, Texas, at age 77. He was born Feb. 11, 1942, in Josephine, Texas. When he was 19, he married Diane Clary (’65) and moved to Abilene to attend ACU, where he majored in biblical studies. After graduation, he moved to Austin and started a restaurant business that grew to 17 restaurants in Bryan, College Station, Abilene and San Angelo. He was a member of A&M Church of Christ for 50 years, where he served as an elder and taught marriage enrichment classes. He also worked with Camp of the Hills, a Christian camp for low-income children near Marble Falls. Survivors include his wife of 58 years; a daughter, Mindy Douglas (’95); four sons, Kip Martin (’84), Koby Martin, Kyle Martin and Kraig Martin (’96); 14 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Dr. Sunny Courington Stephens-Stout died June 19, 2019, in Poteet, Texas, at age 76. She was born March 13, 1943, in Abilene, Texas, graduated from Abilene High and earned a degree in vocational home economics. She earned a master’s degree from Our Lady of the Lake University in 1977 and a Ph.D. from University of the Incarnate Word in 1983. She taught in public schools and served as a central office administrator in three districts. She spent 20 years as faculty at UIW and served as director of teacher education. She was widely published, and was named Texas Professor of the Year in 1987. Married to Kenneth Stephens for 41 years until his death in 2008, she married Gene Stout in 2009. She was preceded in death by her parents, Samuel Delmar and Delta Kniffen Courington; her first husband; and her

only child, Lane Stephens. Among survivors are her husband, Gene; brothers Jerry Courington (’70) and Sammie Courington; a sister, Becky Westmoreland (’65); and two granddaughters.

Dawn Sharon (Lewis) Felts, of San Saba, Texas, died Jan. 26, 2019, at age 77. She was born June 27, 1941, in Austin, Texas, and graduated from San Saba (Texas) High School in 1959. At the age of 17, she married her high school sweetheart, John Cayce Felts (’61), on Jan. 24, 1959. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 1965, followed by an M.Ed. and multiple certifications in special education from Tarleton State University. Her 37-year teaching career included Texas public schools in Lampasas, Brownwood, Fort Bend, Fredericksburg and Abilene. She founded The Gingerbread House private kindergarten and preschool program in Fredericksburg. She also served 18 years in San Saba ISD, retiring in 2002. She was preceded in death by her parents, Russell Austin Lewis Jr. (’47) and Esther (Deveny ’40) Lewis; a sister, Joan Carol Lewis (’70); and a brother, David Russell Lewis (’66). Among survivors are John, her husband of 59 years; a daughter, Julie Dawn Wright (’14 M.Ed.); a son, John Michael “Mike” Felts (’93); four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

1970

Laura Sanders Otey died Oct. 7, 2018, at age 71. She was born Sept. 8, 1947, in Austin, Texas, and spent most of her youth in Houston, where she attended Central Church of Christ. After graduating from Lamar High School, she earned a B.S. degree from ACU. She earned master’s degrees in education administration and counseling from Texas State University and became a certified mediator and mediation trainer. Her career spanned 41 years as an educator, primarily in the Austin ISD, where she was a special education teacher and administrator and retired in 2009. From 1991 until her death, she worked as a conflict resolution educator and trainer, and taught at several universities, including ACU. On June 7, 1980, she married Bob Otey. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dorothy Jean (’44) and Robert Lee Sanders (’44). Survivors include her husband of 38 years; their children, Robb Otey, Matt Otey and Kirstin Otey; a brother, Steve Sanders (’75); a sister, Lisa Higgason; and eight grandchildren.

1975

Randall Arlan Daw died Feb. 23, 2019, in Greenville, Texas, at age 64. He was born Oct. 26, 1954, in Port Arthur, Texas. He married Debra J. Murphy on Aug. 16, 1975, in Midland, Texas. He spent 44 years in ministry, preaching at churches across Texas, including 22 years at Johnson Street and Creekside Churches of Christ in Greenville. He also participated in international mission work. He taught at summer praise camps, wrote hymns, contributed to the Timeless psalter project and conducted orchestra for summer youth musicals. He was preceded in death by his father, Cooper Arlen

Daw. Survivors include his wife, Debra J. Daw (’75); his mother, Jessie Ruth Daw; four sons, Jesse Clay Daw, Jeremy Patrick Daw, Jonathan Kyle Daw and Phillip Joel Daw; two brothers, Roger Trent Daw and Phillip Wayne Daw; and four sisters, Karen Ruth House, Susan Diane Daw, Dianna J. Thomas and Carol Jane Cailler.

1980

Former ACU basketball standout Odis Debolancy Dolton III (’80) died Oct. 11, 2019, in Plano, Texas, at age 63. He was born Feb. 1, 1956, in Greenville, Mississippi, where he graduated high school in 1974 and was named to two All-America basketball teams. Dolton led the Lone Star Conference in rebounding as a sophomore. He was MVP of the 1976-77 basketball team and played in a then-school record 103 games during his four-year career.

He also lettered twice for the football team as a wide receiver (1978-79), and played baseball (1976). He earned two bachelor’s degrees in 1980 – in industrial education and social work – and added a Master of Science in Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University. Dolton later served on ACU’s Visiting Committee in social work. He began his social work career with Abilene State School (five years), the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (15 years), and the City of Abilene for 19 years as assistant director of finance, and assistant director of code compliance and the Office of Neighborhood Service. He was a respected leader in many civic organizations.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Odis Dolton Sr. and Jessie Mae Dolton; and siblings Benjamin Wright and Linda Curtis. Among survivors are Pam (McCreary ’83) Dolton, his wife of 42 years; children Michael Payne-Dolton, Kendrick Mitchell, Odis Dolton IV (’08), and Candice Barber; siblings Wyester JohnsonSincere (’01), Curtis Cross, Elizabeth Dolton, Linda Johnson, Donald Dolton (’96), and Linda Jennings; 18 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

1982

Clayton Alan Smith, 59, died Oct. 24, 2018, in El Campo, Texas. He was born Oct. 13, 1959, and grew up in Garwood, helping his parents farm and playing three sports for Rice Consolidated High School. He ran track at ACU, earned a degree in business and married his college sweetheart, Diane McLean (’82).

He was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil A. Smith and Shirley E. Hunt. Among survivors are his wife of 36 years; sons Cale Smith and Sean Smith (’10); a daughter, Shannon (Smith ’12) Applegate; four grandchildren; a sister, Sheryl (Smith ’80) Stevenson; and a brother, Madison Smith (’83).

2019

Lance Thomas Bleakney, 21, of Bossier City, Louisiana, died May 23, 2019. Born June 23, 1997, in Spring Branch, Texas, he was a graduate of Clear Springs High School in League City and earned a B.A. degree as he followed his dream of being a thespian. Survivors include

his father, Chris L. Bleakney; his mother, Ashley A. Hanson; and a brother, Cade Ellis Bleakney.

OTHER FRIENDS

Joe Ed Furr, 79, died Sept. 11, 2019.

He was born Sept. 15, 1939, in Brownwood, Texas, graduated from Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi in 1961 and began his lifelong ministry as a preacher. He married Thana Sue Norris in 1966. In 1986, he earned an MBA from Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Ultimately, Furr came to preach at the Travis Street Church of Christ in Sherman, Texas, in 1983, a congregation which became the Western Heights Church of Christ in 1993. He retired in 2011 after more than 28 years in ministry there. Another lifelong endeavor was his leadership of the Texas Normal Singing School, a church worship education program started by his father in 1946, which is held on ACU’s campus each year. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edgar and Leroy Smith Furr, and his brother, John Furr. Survivors include his wife, Thana Sue; and sons Darren Furr and David Furr.

Southwestern Christian College patriarch Dr. Jack Evans Sr., one of the longest-serving presidents in U.S. higher education history, died Nov. 1, 2019, following a lengthy illness. Born in Houston, Texas, he was one of a small number of talented gospel preachers who studied under legendary Church of Christ evangelist Marshall Keeble at Nashville (Tennessee) Christian Institute. He earned an associate’s degree at Southwestern Christian in 1959, a bachelor’s degree in history and religion from Eastern New Mexico University in 1961 and a master’s degree in 1963 from The University of Texas at El Paso. He served as minister of the Cebada Street Church of Christ while attending UTEP. After ministering briefly with the Vickery Boulevard Church of Christ in Fort Worth, Texas, he began work at his alma mater in 1963 as dean and history instructor. Four years later, he became the first black president of SwCC and served in that role for nearly 50 years before retiring in 2016 as president emeritus.

His leadership helped Southwestern earn full accreditation as a junior college in 1973, and it began offering bachelor’s degrees in Bible and religious education in 1982. Evans was a dynamic preacher and popular public speaker, headlining Crusade for Christ events in major cities and in gospel meetings around the nation. He was a keynote lecturer at ACU’s Bible Lectureship (now known as Summit) in 1970, 1979, 1982, 1983 and 1989, and delivered the May Commencement address in 1970. He received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from Harding University, Pepperdine University and ACU (1984). He married Patricia Officer in 1959, and she served alongside him on the faculty and staff at Southwestern Christian for 50 years.

They were married 60 years when she died in May 2019. Among survivors are his sons, Jack Evans Jr. (’83), Herbert Evans (’84) and David Evans; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. 

ACU TODAY

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ACU Remembers

Professor emerita of music Dr. Elizabeth Marion Cawood died June 22, 2019, in Abilene Texas, at age 77. She was born Sept. 14, 1941, in Harlan, Kentucky. She graduated in 1958 from Harding Academy in Searcy, Arkansas, and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1968 from Indiana University, a master’s from the University of Kentucky (1971) and a doctorate from Florida State University (1979) – all in vocal music performance. She taught music at Lipscomb University for 12 years before joining ACU’s faculty in 1984. She was named Teacher of the Year in 1989 for Abilene Christian’s College of Liberal and Fine Arts. Cawood was an acclaimed soprano with a career that included singing opera and operetta with the Cologne Opera House while serving as Fulbright scholar in Munich, Germany (1966-68). In 1986 she was a featured performer in ACU Department of Music performances at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City and the Kennedy Center Terrace Theatre in Washington, D.C. She also was a guest soloist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1988, and in 1996

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ACU TODAY

PAUL WHITE

Former ACU football head coach John David Payne of Willow Park, Texas, died May 18, 2019, at age 86. He was born May 15, 1933, in Schoolton, Oklahoma. He graduated from Wewoka (Oklahoma) High School in 1951 and earned a degree in physical education from Oklahoma State University (1955), where he played football. He married Dorthy June Robinson in 1957 and they shared 61 years together. Payne coached football for 41 years, from Oklahoma high schools through the collegiate and professional football ranks, including the Canadian Football League, NFL, USFL, World League and Arena League. He was head coach of three CFL teams Payne – the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hamilton TigerCats and Ottawa Rough Riders, and his Hamilton (1976) and Ottawa (1980) teams advanced to the CFL Grey Cup championship game. He was an assistant at Brigham Young University and TCU, and was ACU’s head coach from 1990-95, with his Wildcat teams twice finishing in second place in the Lone Star Conference. Payne was preceded in death by his parents, George Leo and Elsie Lavone Payne; sisters Nila Maxine Payne Hooper and Cora Mae Payne Anderson; and a brother, Paul Dean Payne. Among survivors are his children Jenifer June Allbaugh, John Jeffrey Payne (’89), Heather Payne Reynolds and Robinson James Payne (’89); a brother, Harold Gene “Pete” Payne; and seven grandchildren.

STEVE BUTMAN

GORDON TRICE

Robert McLeod (’62) died July 6, 2019, in Houston, Texas, at age 80.

He was born Nov. 10, 1938, in Merkel, Texas, graduating from high school there in 1959 after a standout athletic career in football, basketball, track and field, and baseball. He earned a B.S.Ed. degree from ACU before beginning a successful investment career in real estate and in breeding cutting horses, and was a longtime resident of Brenham, Texas. He was a record-setting tight end in football for ACU with All-America honors, and in basketball he was named NCAA college division all-region and set the Wildcat record for career scoring with 1,607 points. His ACU receiving McLeod records in football include pass receptions and touchdown passes in one game, and career yards (1,046). He was named outstanding lineman in two postseason all-star games – the All-America Bowl and Copper Bowl – and was drafted by the NFL’s Chicago Bears and AFL’s Houston Oilers. In basketball, he set 19 Abilene Christian records, including marks for points (43) and rebounds (23) in one game, and rebounds in a season (368) and career (1,237). He signed a rookie pro football contract with the Oilers while still dressed in a basketball uniform following his final collegiate game. He went on to help Houston win the 1961 AFL title in the first of his six seasons with the team, and played in the league’s Pro Bowl as a rookie. McLeod was named to ACU’s Team of the Century in both basketball and football, and was inducted in the university’s Sports Hall of Fame in November 1989. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sam and Opal Omega Yoakum McLeod, and a brother, Garth McLeod. Among survivors are his wife, Judy (Bibb ’63) McLeod; daughters Edie (McLeod ’87) McWilliams, Katy (McLeod ’88) Pugh and Ellie (McLeod) Ferguson; a brother, Jerry McLeod; sisters Sue (McLeod) Tucker and Jan (McLeod) Rivera; and seven grandchildren.

was a featured performer during an ACU music department concert at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas. Among her many performances as a guest artist were concerts with symphony orchestras in Abilene; Nashville, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Lexington, Kentucky; and at the Stuttgart Opera House in Germany. She twice won first place in district and third place in regional Cawood competition in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. She was preceded in death by her parents, Dr. James A. and Lillian Greer Cawood, and a sister, Jenny Lind Cawood. Among survivors are her nephews, James Cawood Chenault and Brian Chenault.

Calvin Wayne Cooley Sr. (’62), a former member of Abilene Christian’s world and collegiate record-setting relay teams, died July 3, 2019, in Dallas, Texas, at age 80. Born April 2, 1939, in Abilene, Texas, he grew up in nearby Hodges and graduated high school in Hawley in 1957 after a standout athletic career in basketball and track and field. Cooley was one of the top collegiate hurdlers in the nation during his four years (1958-61) at ACU as a member of a world record-setting relay team for legendary coach Oliver Jackson (’42). Cooley and Wildcat teammates Dennis Richardson (’63), Bud Clanton (’61) and Olympian Earl Young (’62) Cooley set a world record of 1:22.6 in the 880-yard relay April 7, 1961, at the Texas Relays. That season Abilene Christian also won the 440, mile and distance medley relays in Austin, added baton titles at the Penn Relays and California Relays, and three times set the collegiate record in the mile relay to earn recognition as the best all-around relay team in the nation by Track and Field News.

Cooley lost only one hurdles race as a freshman and two as a sophomore in 1959, and he set the national freshman record of 22.6 in the 220-yard low hurdles. He was the Texas Relays champion in the 120-yard high hurdles in 1959 at 14.3, and twice he was ranked No. 2 in the nation in the 220 hurdles

by Track and Field News. Cooley graduated with a B.S.Ed. degree, then went on to teach history and coach at Crocket Junior High in Odessa, Texas, before serving as head track and field and assistant football coach at King High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. He retired from teaching and coaching in 1966 and entered the farming and ranching business in Hodges, where he lived until 1988 before moving to Noodle, Texas. Cooley was inducted into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame in October 2015. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward Jefferson Cooley and Lily Inez Stephenson Cooley, and a brother, David Edward Cooley. Among survivors are his wife, Barbara; sons Calvin Wayne Cooley Jr. and Craig Dean Cooley; a daughter, Christa Lynette Erb; a brother, Richard B. Cooley; a sister, Wanda Gayle Sellers; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

ACU Sports Hall of Fame inductee Lindsay DeHoff Brewer died June 24, 2019, at age 38. She was born Aug. 27, 1980, and graduated from Arlington Martin High School in 1998. As a junior, she was a member of Arlington Martin’s 1996 state championship team.

At ACU, she was Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year, team MVP as a freshman, and three times was named first-team All-LSC and Academic All-LSC. She is fourth all-time in school history in blocks and was inducted posthumously into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame in October 2019. She was a member of Delta Theta social club and involved in many activities at Abilene Christian. Brewer Brewer worked 16 years for Ernst & Young, including roles in client service and business development, and for the past three years she was Southwest Business Development Operations Leader. She was actively involved in the community and worked closely with the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Among survivors are her parents, David and Linda DeHoff; William “Will” Louis Brewer II, her husband of 10 years; a son, Tripp Brewer; and a sister, Leslie DeHoff.

STEVE BUTMAN

Former ACU university relations manager J. Brent Barrow (’86) died Aug. 2, 2019, at age 55 following a 16-year battle with brain cancer. The youngest of six children, he was born Dec. 3, 1963, and graduated from Birdville Richland High School. He was a lifelong resident of Fort Worth, Texas, and purchased his family’s longtime business, Barrow Electric, in 1990. He served on the Board of Directors for the Birdville Foundation of Educational Excellence, the Civil Service Commission and Strategic Planning Committee, and the Community Enrichment Center. He was elected to the City Council in 2018. He was a leader in Bible Study Fellowship and served at The Hills Church of Christ for 35 Barrow years, the last 12 as an elder. He was preceded in death by his parents, J.B. and Peggy (Moore) Barrow. Among survivors are Starlyn (Thomas ’86), his wife of 29 years; daughters Breanna (Barrow ’15) Stone and Katie (Barrow ’17) Herring; and a son, Thomas Barrow.

STEVE BUTMAN

Professor emeritus of education Dr. Robin Dale Tacker died Sept. 10, 2019, in Abilene at age 80. He was born April 9, 1939, in Porter, Oklahoma.

He grew up in Wagoner, Oklahoma, and graduated high school in 1957. He entered Oklahoma State University, then joined the U.S. Army and served with the 1st Battle Group, 60th Infantry. He married Renith Capps on Nov. 21, 1962. In 1963, the couple signed up with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to teach on the Navajo Reservation at Round Rock, Arizona. They returned to Wagoner, Oklahoma, for Dale to finish his degree. He graduated from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah and went into teaching Tacker full time at Star School in Wagoner, where he also served as principal. He later earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in education from the University of Tulsa. He taught in Tulsa public schools and was an elementary school principal. In 1977, the family moved to Abilene where Dale was hired as the director of student teaching at ACU, where he remained until he retired in 2004. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robin Joel and Vernie Lea Tacker; and two sisters, Bobbie Lea Stockton and Carolyn Jeanne Hornsby. Survivors include his wife of 57 years; a son, Robin Dale Tacker Jr. (’92); a daughter, Rhonda Kaye Wilson (’16); a sister, Jane Baird; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

STEVE BUTMAN

ACU Sports Hall of Fame inductee Ron Willingham (’54) died Aug. 6, 2019, at age 86 after a six-year battle with cancer. He was born Dec. 10, 1932, in Collingsworth County, Texas. He graduated high school in Pampa, Texas, in 1950 and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from ACU. He was married to Beverly Byrd from 1954-90. In the mid-1960s he began full-time work in the training and development field, later expanding to include sales and customer service training. He was the author of more than 20 training courses that have been conducted in 130 countries with more than 1.5 million graduates. In the early 1980s, his Integrity Selling course was the first to combine Willingham client-focused, needs-based selling concepts aimed at creating behavior change. In 1989 he moved his company, Integrity Systems, to Phoenix, Arizona. His Authentic Salesperson course, upon which his 2014 book, Authenticity: The Head, Heart, and Soul of Selling, is based, was launched in 2011. He published 11 books geared toward sales, customer service, management, and personal development success. His volunteer work included weekly motivational speaking for the ACU football team in the 1970s and 1980s. He served on the National Board of The Boys and Girls Clubs of America and as a founding board member of Kids at Hope. He was inducted into the ACU Sports Hall of Fame in 2016 for lifetime achievement. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ronald Bennett and Juanita Bacon Willingham, and a sister, Vondell Mitchell.

Among survivors are his daughters, Robin Willingham (’78) and Becky Johnson (’80); four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; a sister, Carolyn Hood (’57); and “adopted” son, Ove Johansson (’77).

Dr. Dan Coker (’58), longtime missionary and mentor to many missions majors at ACU while serving on its faculty, died Sept. 18, 2019, in Tyler, Texas, at age 82. He earned a B.A. in biblical text and a M.A. in New Testament (1962) from ACU, and a doctorate in intercultural comparative education from the University of Florida. Following college and military service, Coker and his wife, Elise, moved to Guatemala as part of a mission team. They later moved to Honduras as self-supporting missionaries, and also lived and worked in Mexico and in Montevideo, Uruguay. For more than 30 years, Coker served as a director of the Pan American Lectureship.

He preached in every Spanish-speaking nation in the Americas and served as dean and executive director of the Instituto Latinamericano de Estudios Biblicos (Latin American Institute of Biblical Studies) in Toluca, Mexico. He also worked with Great Cities Missions, traveling throughout Latin America preaching, teaching and recruiting missions teams. He served on the Board of Visitors for ACU’s Graduate School of Theology. Among survivors are his wife, and daughters Marla Coker (’87) and Danise Coker.

Professor emeritus of English Dr. Preston Frank Harper (’59) died Sept. 23, 2019, at age 83. Ever the teacher, he donated his body to Vanderbilt University to advance science and the study of cancer. He was born May 22, 1936, in Austin, Texas. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, fought in Korea and attended ACU on the GI Bill. He married classmate Marsha Jeane Winn (’59). He earned a master’s degree at The University of Texas in 1962 and a doctorate at TCU in 1972. He taught English at ACU from 1965-2007 while Marsha managed the university library, careers that kept them happily productive for more than 40 years of their lives.

Harper He authored several novels, including The Good Fight, Texas Prison Break, A Tangled Web, A Small Deception, Warlords of the West: A Story of the Comanches, and Reasons to Live, Reasons to Die. In October 2016, the Harpers moved to Franklin, Tennessee, to be closer to family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Louisa Harper; and his sisters, Rose Douglas and Rae Weatherford. Among survivors are Dr. Marsha Harper, his wife of 61 years; a daughter, Katie (Harper ’85) Casey; sons Steve Harper (’82) and Jason Harper (’01); six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Worldwide missions mentor Dr. Robert Harold “Tex” Williams (’50) died Oct. 23, 2019, at age 91. He was born July 7, 1924, in Austin, Texas, and graduated from high school there before enrolling in Texas A&M University. He transferred to ACU, where he was president of the student body and competed in track and field and in football, playing on the undefeated 1950 team. Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies, a Master of Missiology degree (1979) and received an honorary Doctor of Christian Service degree (1998), all from ACU. He was named recipient of his alma mater’s Distinguished Alumni Citation Williams in 1992. He served as minister in congregations in Brownwood, Austin and Abilene, Texas, and in Oakland, California. He worked more than four years for Boles Children’s Home (now Arms of Hope), where he met and married Mary Jane Williamson on June 10, 1955. Tex and Mary Jane were missionaries in South Africa from 1957-71. He helped establish the Natal School of Preaching, Southern Africa Bible College, and missions work in Swaziland, Botswana, and the kingdom of Lesotho. He began working with Sunset Institutional Bible Institute in 1971 and was named founding chair of the Sunset School of Missions in 1981. He was president of World Bible School for nearly 20 years. Among survivors are Mary Jane, his wife of 64 years; sons Charles “Rocky” Williams (’79), Stephen “Buck” Williams and Shawn Williams (’84); a daughter, Mary Kay; 11 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. 

AACCUU T TOODDAAYY

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SFuaml lm- W e ri -nFt ae lrl 22 00 21 07

79

SecondGLANCE

BY DAVID R AMSE Y

Wildcat football success once centered on the Brothers Orr

ORR FAMILY

It’s a beautiful, uplifting American story, and it begins and the old-fashioned brand of strength earned by lifting in Vernon, Texas, on a 200-acre farm situated north of the on a farm instead of lifting at the gym. They were slender Pease River and south of the Red River. by football standards, types who could move. In high Here, the four Orr brothers learn the value of diligent school, Rob won the mile run at district. You will find few, labor from mother Clarice and father Clyde. The brothers and maybe not a one, high school center winning the mile spend days in blazing sunshine raising wheat and cotton. run today. In today’s era, bulk rules on the football line They attend the local Church of Christ and embrace with many offensive linemen soaring above 300 pounds. the power and mystery of the Gospel. They witness the In the Orr era, it was more important to move fast, and a unbending integrity of their parents. They expertly direct big gut was rare. a plow, and they blaze with excellence in the classroom.

Yet, it was not all about football for the Orr brothers.

They grow, in a wonderful contradiction, tough yet gentle, Never had been. Never would be. At Abilene Christian, rugged yet kind, unyielding yet accepting. the Orrs combined athletic excellence with high-flying And then they journey 150 miles south to West Texas academic success. They were devoted to Christ and to play center for Abilene Christian’s football team. Four Christ’s followers. They practiced a balanced, full life. brothers – Forrest (’38), Graham (’40), Wilson “Dub” (’50) Roland Orr (’58) is Forrest’s son. “I’d say they were all and Rob (’52) – excel at the same position at one college very intelligent,” Roland says. “They were servant leaders for nearly 20 years. Unprecedented? in the churches in their communities.

Probably.

They all enjoyed being around Lee Orr (’80) is one of Dub’s sons. people and they really enjoyed “They were tall and rangy and strong being around each other.” kids,” Lee says. “Most of all, they They were busy men in their were just never-give-up kind of guys. careers yet always were willing, I don’t think my dad was particularly even eager, to sit down for a visit. strong or athletic even for the era, Lee laughs as he remembers visiting but nobody was going to outhustle or a monument in Washington, D.C., outwork him.” with his father and the family.

Graham, Dub, Rob and Forrest Orr As you think of the Orr brothers Lee heard someone say, “Hey, aren’t playing center, it’s a requirement to travel to a different era you Dub Orr?” It was one of his father’s many friends. in football when the center played a vastly more important The Orr era, with all its triumphs and lessons, still lives role in the health of an offense. In the Orr era, most teams at ACU. Today, football is played on campus once again, its employed the single-wing offense. Today, if you mention footprint not far from where the Orrs once snapped away. single-wing, your listener grows hungry while envisioning The family has a suite near the top of Wildcat Stadium a restaurant serving chicken. that brings the brothers to life. Letter jackets hang on the Yesterday, the single-wing roared as football’s fancy, wall, along with purple and white blankets once presented modern attack. The center might hike to various ball to football players. A visitor can look at photos of young, carriers in the backfield, and those ball carriers might talented, aggressive athletes who doubled as studious, be moving at full run when receiving the ball. Playing kind and devout students. center demanded complete understanding of a complex The space is the northernmost suite overlooking formation. Playing center demanded high commitment Anthony Field, and the closest to their hometown. It’s a and high intelligence. In other words, the Orr brothers perfect vantage point to remember the brothers who once were ideal for the task. traveled 150 miles from family farm to football stardom, Jim Orr, J.D. (’86), ACU’s vice president for and so much more, in Abilene. advancement, is one of Rob’s sons. He describes the Rob, the youngest and last of the surviving brothers, unique qualities of playing center in his father’s era. recently died, ending a beloved chapter in family history “There was a bit of an art to being able to, in effect, and perhaps an unprecedented one in college football lore. pass the ball backward while nearly upside-down,” Eighteen Orrs have since earned degrees from ACU, Jim says. “I recall Dub saying this talent among the where their family tradition continues to grow even four brothers must have been genetically predisposed.” deeper roots on the hilltop campus they love.

The Orr brothers were blessed with broad shoulders 

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ACU TODAY

From the PRESIDENT

ACU Today is published twice a year by the Office of University Marketing at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas.

STAFF

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among the “best buys” and top universities. Since then, their comparative data has served to educate students and families about nuances in the college selection process.

Like our colleagues, we place high value on recognition from U.S. News and World Report in its annual “America’s Best Colleges” editions, knowing what we do about its methodology and the science behind the numbers.

Our cover story this issue (pages 4-27) dives into an important analysis of U.S. News’ new way of measuring institutions and their value. As you will read, it reflects not just what its editors think but what the presidents, chief academic officers and deans of admissions of the nation’s colleges and universities think about which institutions are excelling in what are described as vital ways to determine student success.

In short, ACU is judged the best in Texas and among the best in the nation at several of these important measures.

That’s great news for our current and future students, of course, and affirms what we have known for a long time about a higher education from Abilene Christian. It’s also a win-win for others.

The value of every graduate’s degree is elevated when their alma mater is recognized in this way, which can translate into career opportunities along with other personal and professional advantages in having ACU on one’s résumé or academic vita. The generosity of our benefactors is affirmed when they see their investment make an impact in the lives of deserving students.

And parents are pleased to know their choice of ACU helps ensure the success of their students.

These kudos from education experts, while welcome, are further proof that even more important objectives are being achieved: We are living up to our goals of providing a unique, Christ-centered experience and expanding our influence and educational reach.

As you will read in this issue, we have made strategic investments for decades in programs, people and facilities to help ensure an ACU education meets the needs of students as they prepare to make a real difference in the world through their careers and personal lives. We believe deeply in the value of experiential learning and make it a central focus of what we do.

Our endowment is critical in our ability to reduce the cost of education and make it affordable for every student and family, and your generosity in growing it is deeply appreciated. Our new Purple Line Society (see page 61) especially recognizes donors whose longtime giving is worth celebrating.

God is truly blessing Abilene Christian and making its name synonymous with the most respected colleges and universities in the world. You empower our mission. Thank you, and help us spread the word! 

DR. PHIL SCHUBERT (’91), President The mission of ACU is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world.

PAUL WHITE

lthough ACU was founded in 1906, it was the mid-1980s when education experts first began to publish ranking guides and list ACU

Editor: Ron Hadfield (’79) Assistant Editor: Robin (Ward ’82) Saylor Sports Editor: Chris Macaluso Production Manager: Amber (Gilbert ’99) Bunton Contributing Writers This Issue: Dr. Cheryl Mann Bacon (’76), Sarah Carlson (’06), Dr. Jeremy Elliott, Lance Fleming (’92), Dr. Susan (Lester ’92) Lewis, Deana (Hamby ’93) Nall, David Ramsey (’81) Contributing Photographers This Issue: Sarah Adams (’20), Alaska Hospital Association, Julie Anderson, Meda Bow (’23), Steve Butman, Braden Collum, Brandi Jo (Magee ’06) Delony, Scott Delony (’06), Dr. Kyle Dickson (’92), Jeremy Enlow, Jeff Fitlow, Rendi (Young ’83) Hahn, M.C. Jennings, Hannah Johnson (’19), Kim Leeson, Mack Linebaugh, Steven Martine, Zach Massey, Army Sgt. James K. McCann, Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, John Mitton, Tim Nelson, Clark Potts (’53), Gary Rhodes (’07), Jack Rich (’77), Ed Rode, Rubén Santiago (’80), Texas Tech Health Science Center, United Way of Abilene, Courtney Ware, Paul White (’68), Rick Yeatts Contributing Graphic Designers/Illustrators This Issue: Greg Golden (’87), Holly Harrell, Todd Mullins, Amy Willis (’19 MBA) Editorial Assistants: Vicki (Warner ’83) Britten, Emerald (Cardenas ’08) Cassidy, Sharon (McDaniel ’79) Fox, Rachel (Jinkerson ’11) Goodman, Rendi (Young ’83) Hahn

ADVISORY COMMITTEE Administration: Suzanne Allmon (’79), Kevin Campbell (’00), Dr. Gary D. McCaleb (’64), Dr. Robert Rhodes Advancement: Jim Orr, J.D. (’86), Billie Currey, J.D. (’70), Sarah Carlson (’06) Alumni Relations: Craig Fisher (’92), Jama (Fry ’97) Cadle, April Young (’16), Mandy (Becker ’13) Collum Marketing: Jason Groves (’00) Student Life: Dr. Scott McDowell Ex-officio: Dr. Phil Schubert (’91)

CORRESPONDENCE ACU Today: hadfieldr@acu.edu ACU Alumni Association: alumni@acu.edu Record Changes: ACU Box 29132, Abilene, Texas 79699-9132, 325-674-2620

ON THE WEB Abilene Christian University: acu.edu ACU Today Blog: acu.today Address changes and EXperiences: acu.edu/alumni ACU Advancement Office (Exceptional Fund, Gift Records): acu.edu/give ACU Alumni Website: acu.edu/alumni Find Us on Facebook: facebook.com/abilenechristian facebook.com/acusports facebook.com/welcometoACU Follow Us on Twitter: twitter.com/acuedu twitter.com/acusports twitter.com/acuadmissions Follow Us on Instagram: instagram.com/acuedu instagram.com/acualumni instagram.com/acuadmissions

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irginia Heacock never had the resources to attend college. But thanks to her generous heart, generations of students have the opportunity to attend ACU on her behalf and live out her dream of receiving a Christian education.

Heacock joined Humble Oil and Refining, which later became ExxonMobil, in East Texas in 1945 as a telephone operator. Just three days after being hired, she was promoted to payroll clerk. By her retirement in 1986, Heacock served as lead administrator for business systems projects and had saved up quite a nest egg, which she lovingly referred to as her “Christmas fund.”

Despite her successful career, Heacock always wished she had been able to continue her education, and it was her belief that Abilene Christian uniquely equipped young people to grow both professionally and spiritually during college’s formative years.

So in 1995, she established the Virginia F. Heacock Charitable Foundation to provide annual scholarships to deserving ACU students, and in 2011 she transitioned the foundation’s funds to create a pair of permanent endowed scholarships at the university.

Following her death in March 2013, Virginia’s scholarships were further funded through both a generous estate gift and instructions to her family and friends that “In lieu of flowers, please send memorial gifts to the ‘Virginia Heacock Charitable Endowment Foundation’ at Abilene Christian University.”

Today, 10-12 students a year, several of whom are pictured above, have the honor of carrying on Heacock’s legacy at ACU. They receive funds from her scholarship to help cover their education, but they also learn more about the generous woman who made their opportunity possible.

If you would be interested in establishing an endowed scholarship at ACU or making an impact through your estate plan, please contact our team at The ACU Foundation. Like Heacock, your lasting legacy can help make the dream of Christian higher education a reality.

Virginia Heacock didn’t attend ACU, but friends at her church encouraged her to invest in the university.

Hunter Welcome Center ACU Box 29200 Abilene, Texas 79699-9200

800-979-1906 • 325-674-2508 • theacufoundation.org • theacufoundation@acu.edu

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C OMING UP Wildcat Preview Days .......................... February 21, March 27, April 20, June 15 Sing Song ..................................................................................... February 21-22 President’s Circle Dinner .................................................................. February 22 Alumni Day Luncheon ....................................................................... February 23 Admitted Student Visit Days ........................................................ March 2, April 3 Southland Conference Basketball Tournament (Katy, Texas) .......... March 11-15 TEDxACU ................................................................................................ March 27 Day of Giving ............................................................................................. April 21 Class of 1970 Golden Anniversary Reunion........................................ April 22-24

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Southland Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships (Elmer Gray Stadium, Abilene) .............................. May 15-17 Wildcat Week ................................................................................... August 18-22 Pregame Party / Football at Texas A&M (College Station) ............. September 5 114th Annual Summit ............................................................... September 20-23 Freshman Follies / Family Weekend ......................................... September 11-12 Homecoming .................................................................................. October 15-18 JMC Gutenberg Celebration .......................................................... October 15 Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and Lettermen’s Reunion ................. October 16

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Victory Lap Offensive linemen Slayde Anderson (66), Robin Luna (70) and Nico Russolillo (53) celebrate a last-second 17-10 win over McNeese on Sept. 21 by splashing in one of several wading pools used for a luau promotion on the east concourse of Wildcat Stadium.

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