ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
Spring 2011
ACU TODAY Uptown Downstage Talented young alums such as Ben Jeffrey (Pumbaa in Broadway’s The Lion King) take bows in some of theatre’s top shows
Beyond the Printed Page: e Future of Books
䊱
President Schubert’s Inaugural Address
䊱
Chapel
This ISSUE 2 8 22 28 38 46 48 50 52 56 64
Horizons
BELOW One of ACU’s most popular events is the annual Ethnos Culture Show, which packs audiences into Cullen Auditorum each November, allowing students to celebrate their diversity and showcase their talent. Here, part of the cast and crew takes final bows following a 2010 performance. (Photograph by Gary Rhodes)
Uptown Downstage: Young Grads Take Bows in Some of eatre World’s Top Shows Beyond the Printed Page: ACU Helps Reimagine the Future of Books e Inauguration of Dr. Phil Schubert Formed in Faith: A Look at Chapel at ACU Hilltop View Academic News Campus News Wildcat Sports EXperiences 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.
ACU Today is published three times a year by the Office of University Marketing at Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas. Staff Editor and Graphic Designer: Ron Hadfield (’79) Associate Editor: Katie (Noah ’06) Gibson Sports Editor: Lance Fleming (’92) Contributing Writers This Issue: Paul A. Anthony (’04), Katie (Noah ’06) Gibson, Wendy (Waller ’01) Kilmer, Dr. Charlie Marler (’55), Robin (Ward ’82) Saylor Contributing Photographers This Issue: Bill Albrecht, Jenavene (Hester ’09) Bazacas, Ron Brown, Michael Bulbanko, Dyann Busse, Steve Butman, Lindsey (Hoskins ’03) Cotton, Jeremy Enlow, Daniel Gomez (’14), Gerald Ewing, Jonathan Givens, Willis Glassgow, Wade Griffith, Robert Mannis, Joan Marcus, Jessalyn Massingill (’10), Brandon McKelvey, Cherese (Archie ’03) Prince, Gary Rhodes, Kim Ritzenthaler, Brian Schmidt (’07), Jeff Taylor, Sean Turi Contributing Graphic Designers This Issue: Greg Golden (’87), Holly Harrell, Todd Mullins, Amy Ozment Contributing Illustrators This Issue: Mark Andresen, Amy Ozment
ADVISORY COMMIT T EE Academics: Dr. Jeanine Varner Administration: Suzanne Allmon (’79), Dr. Gary D. McCaleb (’64) Advancement: Phil Boone (’83), Billie Currey (’70), Paul A. Anthony (’04) Alumni Relations: Jama (Fry ’97) Cadle, Samantha (Bickett ’01) Adkins Alumni Association: Kelly (Stites ’91) Shewmaker Marketing: Jason Groves (’00), Grant Rampy (’87) Students’ Association: Samuel Palomares (’11) Student Life: Dr. Jean-Noel Thompson Ex-officio: Dr. Phil Schubert (’91)
corre s pon denc e ACU Today : hadfieldr@acu.edu ACU Alumni Association: alumni@acu.edu
ON THE WE B Abilene Christian University: acu.edu ACU Today Blog: acu.edu/acutoday Address changes: acu.edu/alumni /whatsnew/update.html ACU Advancement Office (Exceptional Fund, Gift Records): acu.edu/giveonline ACU Alumni Web Site: acu.edu/alumni Find Us on Facebook: facebook.com /abilenechristian facebook.com /ACUsports Follow Us on Twitter: twitter.com /ACUedu twitter.com /ACUsports
Fr om the President
W
hen members of the Abilene High School choruses traveled to New York City over Spring Break, they were amazed to see an ACU graduate playing Pumbaa in The Lion King, the long-running Broadway
musical hit packing audiences into the Minskoff Theatre each week. As our cover story this issue explains, Ben Jeffrey is one of a talented group of young ACU graduates who are seeing great success in their theatre careers. On page 11 of this issue, Ben speaks gratefully about not just earning his B.A. degree but receiving his “theatre I.Q.” at ACU, and the difference it’s made in his life. His testimony, like that of his classmates, is rewarding to read. It’s just another affirming reminder of the amazing things God is doing at Abilene Christian: • In August we welcomed the most academically prepared freshman class in ACU history (see page 48) and in October announced plans to open our own School of Nursing starting in Fall 2013, a logical expansion of our highly successful programs preparing students for pre-health professions (page 46). • A recent study showed that four of the top 20 papers published in the science world during the past 10 years (see page 45) listed faculty and undergraduate collaborators from ACU’s Department of Physics. • We recently hosted the 2011 Connected Summit (see page 29), which attracted professionals from 73 universities, 87 K-12 schools and 33 corporations who are interested in ACU’s groundbreaking mobile-learning initiative and the revolutionary change new technology can bring to the classroom. Among others, they were intrigued to hear Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak explain his love for technology, teaching and young learners. They also helped us celebrate the opening of our innovative Learning Studio, sponsored by AT&T. • Four of our five fall sports teams advanced to regional or national post-season play (see pages 50-52 and Bonus Coverage at acu.edu/acutoday). In early March our men’s track and field team won the NCAA Division II indoor championship, ACU’s 63rd national title overall. • And it’s been exciting to watch the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center take shape, and inspiring to see friends step forward with financial commitments to help us near the finish of that campaign. The building, expected to open in late August, will give students a much-anticipated place to pursue healthy lifestyles and build community. Keep up with what’s new at blogs.acu.edu/srwc, including the live webcam. Each day, these words from my inaugural address (see pages 20-28) remind me of our great opportunity for educating Christ-centered global leaders at ACU: “Never has the world so desperately needed men and women of great intellect and exceptional training, but who also have a heart for Jesus. We must ensure that ACU remains a place to welcome the best and brightest learners who desire more from their lives … who seek a cause bigger than themselves. To do so, we must be innovative and collaborative. We must be prepared to meet and surpass their expectations for an exceptional education, knowing that such commitment – such excellence – done in the name of Jesus, and empowered by the Spirit, is to truly answer God’s call for this university.”
ON THE COVER Ben Jeffrey (’06), playing Pumbaa in The Lion King in Broadway’s Minskoff Theatre, is one of several young graduates performing in top shows across the nation. (Photograph by Joan Marcus)
It is a joy and privilege to help students learn how to make a real difference in the world. Thank you for the many ways you empower us to do just that. 䊱
DR. PHIL SCHUBERT (’91), President The mission of ACU is to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world. AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
1
HORIZONS
2
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
Title Town Senior defensive tackle Marvin Jones (75) celebrates a 41-34 last-minute win Nov. 6, 2010, in Canyon over archrival West Texas A&M that helped pave the way for the Wildcats of head coach Chris Thomsen to clinch their second Lone Star Conference championship in three years. See related story on page 51 and extensive coverage in our online version of a memorable autumn for all of ACU’s athletics teams.
AC U TO D AY
䊹
Spring 2011
JEREMY ENLOW
See bonus coverage at acu.edu/acutoday
3
HORIZONS
TOMS and ACU: A Great Fit A nearly full house of students from ACU and local schools turned out for the Sept. 13, 2010, presentation in Chapel by TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie. He explained the history behind his One for One movement and recounted the trials and tribulations of the 34-year-old entrepreneur’s enterprise, which quickly outgrew his small apartment in California and recently contributed its 1 millionth pair of shoes to children too poor to afford a pair. The next day, more than 900 students attended a Style Your Sole Party on campus, setting a TOMS record for a single-day event. See story on pages 48-49.
4
Spring 2011
䊹
AC U TO D AY
GARY RHODES
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
5
BY RON HADFIELD, WENDY KILMER AND ROBIN SAYLOR
B
including the Abilene Shakespeare Festival each summer and the Homecoming Musical which continues to sell out several shows in the Abilene Civic Center each October. Students realize that hard work, God-given ability and academic preparation from a Christian worldview compose a proven formula for professional success. In Tony Award-winning Broadway shows, national touring productions and headline-making community theatre, 2010 was a marquee year for these and other young graduates whose program bios credit the same alma mater on an Abilene hilltop.
Seth Bazacas (’09) played Max alongside the Grinch in the national tour of a Dr. Seuss classic.
6
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
PAPARAZZI BY APPOINTMENT
y any measure, the quality ACU Theatre patrons are used to seeing in the Williams Performing Arts Center is no illusion nor magic created backstage by its skilled technical wizards. It has a direct correlation – as it has for four generations – to what happens in the classrooms, scene and costume shops, and other venues where talented young theatre majors learn the art and science of their bright futures. Today’s students can earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in one of six tracks: acting, directing, musical theatre, design/technical, theatre education or theatre ministry. The Department of Theatre limits enrollment to 50 students annually, and competition is fierce to perform in up to six productions a year,
Annika Johansson (’06) began taking children’s theatre classes in Amarillo at age 7.
JEREMY ENLOW
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
7
Jeffrey’s first major gig is a big pig
B
RON BROWN
en Jeffrey’s dreams of making it big on Broadway may not have included playing a dancing warthog straight man to a wise-cracking meerkat. But hey, hakuna matata – translation: no worries – the 2006 ACU theatre graduate with an M.F.A. in acting from Rutgers University is happily pinching himself at the thought of performing eight shows a week in New York City in the fabulously successful stage version of The Lion King. “Let’s face it,” he laughs. “I’m a character actor: the big fellow, the heavy, big-brother kind of guy who will probably never play a handsome leading man. But this is more than OK with me.” Halfway through a one-year contract in the role, he’s just the Broadway show’s second actor to play Pumbaa in the 14 years the six-time Tony Award-winning musical has been packing audiences, first into the New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street, and now into the Minskoff Theatre on West 44th Street near Times Square. While borrowing the storyline and soaring music from the classic 1994 Disney film, Jeffrey says The Lion King’s stage version is a different experience from its animated original. “But the ideas that fuel it are wonderful and unparalleled,” he says. He recommends parents not bring children younger than 5 or 6 years old (those under 4 are not admitted), but for different reasons than you might expect. “They’d be visually overwhelmed with it,” he explains. “There’s just so much to see” in the 160-minute show. The Lion King has the same Oscar-winning songs by Elton John and Tim Rice (“The Circle of Life,” “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” “Hakuna Matata” and others), but also has other tunes, as well as dance and movement inspired from Japan and Indonesia, jazz and hip-hop to enhance the story and enrich the viewing experience. The musical follows the development of Simba, a young lion struggling with a desire to be king of Pride Rock like his father, Mufasa, before he earns it. He leaves home, is befriended by animals such as warthog Pumbaa and meerkat Timon through various adventures and perils, finds a mate, and returns a changed, mature lion ready to lead by example after his father’s death. “Describing it to someone who has not seen it on stage is difficult because there is nothing else to compare it to. … That’s one of the main reasons it’s still running after all these years. It is a universal, human story. It’s the prodigal son story. It’s a story about discovering yourself. It’s visualized through these amazing animal puppets, with human voices. The story is for humans, told by humans, but it’s about the human spirit infusing the animal world of Africa,” Jeffrey says. “The Lion King transcends language, religious systems, community and culture – it’s at the heart of the human experience.” The show’s towering African masks and complex, often human-sized puppets were imagined by Tony Award-winning designer/director Julie Taymor, who has a reputation for avant-garde costume design but reinvented that art form with The Lion King’s wildebeests, hyenas, cheetahs, gazelles, giraffes and other animal and plant life of the African landscape. With the help of puppet expert Michael Curry and set designer Richard Hudson, the show’s costumes serve as breathtaking scenery as well. Few puppets in the show rival Pumbaa’s size, but Jeffrey says the experience is equal parts hard work and enormous fun. He is enjoying a new-found 20-pound reduction in the formerly 50-pound puppet he wears and controls on stage, thanks to some space-age carbon graphite and aluminum. Even then, singing and dancing while wearing a 30-pound warthog creates a physically demanding workout that taxes Jeffrey from the tip of his tusks to his wiggly hind parts and wiry tail – a scene-stealing six-and-a-half feet in length. It takes a crew of four or five to prepare his wig, makeup and costume for each performance. He can’t get in his puppet – wearing a padded suit underneath – without a dresser’s help. Once he does, 8
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
Fred Berman (as Timon) and Ben Jeffrey (as Pumbaa) provide comic relief for Broadway’s version of The Lion King.
JOAN MARCUS
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
9
Department gives its students their ‘theatre I.Q’ and roles in which to shine
“Pumbaa and I are a little alike. He’s a bit of a klutz. He’s not stupid, but also not the sharpest knife in the drawer. But there is a lot of human truth in Pumbaa, so when you see him, you see a part of me as well.” – BEN JEFFREY
10
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
us go outside. He was very kind and gracious, however.” Both actors, the couple met in Kansas City in 2008, where they were filming an indie movie. They married and moved to New York City in 2009, working odd jobs to make ends meet – she as a waitress and he at Starbucks (“for the benefits,” he adds) – and waited for their individual and collective ships to sail. “It’s a journey. Never simple, never easy, but always worth it,” he says of the two actors’ lives together. Jeffrey says he couldn’t afford a ticket to see The Lion King until he was hired for the cast. “Now I see it for free,” he laughs. He sees parallels between his character and himself. “Pumbaa and I are a little alike. He’s a bit of a klutz. He’s not stupid, but also not the sharpest knife in the drawer,” Jeffrey says. “But there is a lot of human truth in Pumbaa, so when you see him, you see a part of me as well. “He’s very tenderhearted; he hates to see people hurting. He’s really, really loyal,” Jeffrey explains. “And at the end of the day, he does what I’d like to do in difficult situations. He loves his friends so fiercely. I want to be the kind of person others can come to and enjoy being around. I don’t do that perfectly, and neither does he. But we try.” And while he and Timon are clearly the comic relief of the musical, the giant warthog with a flatulence problem sees a meaning behind The Lion King that inspires him each day. “The South African actors who perform are the bedrock of the show. ‘The Circle of Life’ singer, Tshidi Manye (who plays Rafiki), is just amazing. And there are very strong spiritual elements infusing the story,” he says. “The Lion King fuels you; you don’t fuel it. We all gain something by being a part of it,” Jeffrey says. “I am so grateful that this became my first gig. Yes, it’s a job and it pays the bills, but it’s highly inspirational. It gives to me as much as I give to it.” – RON HADFIELD
Cast members from ACU’s 2010 Homecoming Musical, Titanic.
GARY RHODES
his arms remain inside, one in Pumbaa’s tongue and the other free to control the character’s eyes and mouth and wiggle his snout. The ears rest on Jeffrey’s shoulders. While he’s on stage for about 45 minutes of each show, he doesn’t enter until near the end of the first act. “They give me a little stool on which to sit and rest, sort of like a big turtle,” he says of the place reserved backstage for him to wait between songs and other cues. “If I tried to stand where I could see what’s happening on stage, I’m liable to get trampled by a herd of exiting wildebeests.” Jeffrey went through four auditions for Pumbaa, discovering at the last one that he was one of the few finalists who had not played this role in one of Disney Theatrical Productions’ versions of the show on Broadway, in Las Vegas, London, Hamburg, Tokyo or one of the 17 global sites where it has appeared since 1997. And he certainly was the youngest by “about 15 years.” He said Disney was involved in “a changing of the guard” on the Broadway version in early 2010, recasting six of the lead roles at once. His third audition was with the resident director and puppet mistress, and required him to wear the costume for the first time to ensure he was not “puppet stupid,” as Jeffrey describes it. “I stumbled around for a half hour but had a great time. It went very well,” he says. The final call-back involved about 15 people in the audience, including director/designer Taymor. “It was a little intense,” he says, and required a reading with someone playing the Timon character. “But it was great fun, and I knew I made a good impression. “A couple of days later, my agency called me. They asked, ‘Hey, do you want to play Pumbaa on Broadway?’ After a moment of stunned silence and some joyous screaming on my part, I ran over to the restaurant where my wife, Christina, works and told her. We kissed and did some more screaming, but her boss made
What some of his successful graduates have to say about their experiences studying theatre at ACU is music to the ears of professor and department chair Adam Hester (’77). An undergraduate program at a Christian university in West Texas can’t be expected to specialize in every nuance of the professional theatre world, but the department’s most successful young alumni speak glowingly of their one-of-a-kind experience in the Williams Performing Arts Center. “ACU really prepares you for the basics, the building blocks of a career,” says Juliette (Miller ’06) Trafton of The Fantasticks. “I’ve had casting directors tell me, ‘Everybody at our auditions can sing; they all have beautiful voices and wouldn’t be here if they didn’t. What we’re looking for in musical theatre are people who can connect to the text and to the character. That’s what we want to see in an actor.’ And that’s something Adam and others in the department do so very well. What has helped me get where I am today is the preparation I had in really, really fine acting.” Hester says there are two central
focuses of the ACU theatre program. “One is spiritual transformation,” Hester says. “We want to connect each artist with their faith and work, not just to sustain them but also to affect the people with whom they will work each day. The second, of course, is to provide high-quality training that will help talented people be successful. Those priorities go together here.” “I knew I wanted to pursue musical theatre but I also wanted a Christ-centered university, and those do not often go hand in hand,” says Seth Bazacas (’09), who grew up moving frequently and lived in various locations across the United States. “I was looking all over the country to find the best program and training where I could also pursue my faith strongly. I found ACU, loved it, and I got in.” The Lion King’s Ben Jeffrey (’06) says ACU does a lot of musical theatre for a university its size and has a highly capable faculty who thoroughly understand that particular art form. “ACU gave me a springboard. One of the reasons I thrived in graduate school at Rutgers is because I received such a solid foundation in what it means to be on stage. We talk in this business about having ‘theatre I.Q.’ – vocally, physically, emotionally – the basics you need to put into practice each day as a professional. I got that at ACU. And it teaches the classics so well; Adam Hester is a Shakespeare nut.” Annika Johansson (’06) says she speaks everywhere she goes of her tremendous experience at Abilene Christian.
“I want so badly for ACU to be recognized for the wonderful job it does preparing theatre professionals. Everyone there takes such good care of their students and provides such a positive experience for them.” Johansson says it’s easy for students to overlook a program such as ACU’s, thinking they can only make it to Broadway or TV or Hollywood by attending a New York or Los Angeles school. “You certainly can do that,” she says. “But I tell students, ‘How much better are you going to be when you learn this business in a place where you can look up to the people teaching you, where it’s as important to be developed spiritually as well as academically by highly qualified people who really care about you, who will be your parents away from home, and who will pray with and for you to be the very best you can be?’” “What really separates ACU is that the department challenges you, and when you fall on your face, loves you,” says Jeffrey. “I made my share of mistakes, but what got me through that was the group of faculty and staff who were willing to invest themselves in us because they truly wanted the best for us. They were willing to say, ‘We are here for you; this is our ministry.’ That is unbelievably rare in this profession. What I was given there … if everybody else did that for people,” Jeffrey says, “the world would change.” “That’s really rewarding and satisfying to hear,” says Hester. “Juliette, Annika and Ben are such neat people, and so generous in sharing and ‘giving back’ their time to help other students. It’s thrilling to get to share in their great successes.”
Trafton and others who sing on stage also hold former voice coach Jeannette (Scruggs ’49) Lipford in high regard. “I love her. What a great voice teacher,” says Trafton. “I tell people that Jeannette simply goes about doing God’s work each day. And she came to see me perform in New York! I can’t tell you how rare it is for a college professor to visit a former student and watch him or her succeed professionally. Adam and Donna have done it, too. They’re such amazing people.” “Jeannette has an uncanny gift of being able to instill a belief in each person that they can be successful; to provide that little bit of confidence they lack,” says Hester. “If a student has a lack of confidence, it can be more apparent in their singing than their acting. Jeannette has this great technique and expertise to help people do things they don’t think they can do otherwise.” ACU graduates also are thriving in other aspects of the theatre profession. Lyndsey Goode (’01) is one. After earning a master’s degree at the University of California at Irvine and working as a stage manager in New York, Goode was hired as a personal assistant by award-winning actor Edie Falco, who won four Emmys, two Golden Globes and five Screen Actors Guild awards for her acting in The Sopranos, and now stars in Showtime’s Nurse Jackie. “Edie was impressed with Lyndsey’s skills as a stage manager, her cool-headedness under fire and her faith,” says Hester. “Edie loved the values she saw in Lyndsey.” – RON HADFIELD
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
11
JEREMY ENLOW
SEAN TURI
12
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
Last U.S. tour was more than Johansson could ask from Phantom
A
nnika Johansson (’06) remembers the exact scene when her Big Break arrived:
A hot early August afternoon in 2009, sitting atop an unused microwave oven resting on the floor of a small closet at Greenways Intermediate School in Amarillo, Texas. Hula hoops leaning in the corner. Kids’ snacks hanging on the wall. And on Johansson’s cell phone, production supervisor Peter von Mayrhauser from The Phantom of the Opera, asking, “Do you have some time to talk?”
The daughter of a financial investment advisor father and advertising executive mother, Johansson had been tipped off minutes earlier by longtime Phantom cast member David Gaschen that her cell phone would soon ring with an offer that could change her professional career and life. She excused herself from class to step into the quiet of a nearby housekeeping closet to take von Mayrhauser’s call. It had been four long months since Johansson had auditioned, with Gaschen’s help, in New York City’s Majestic Theater for a role in Phantom. It was a memorable experience, but with no word back from its casting company, enough time had lapsed for Johansson to move on to weightier matters such as paying bills. She began rehearsals for a role in local community theatre production, and landed a job tutoring 30 fifth- and sixth-graders in an after-school program in her hometown. “One of our jobs as actors is to go to auditions,” Johansson says, “So I was really not expecting anything to come of it.” But one call changed all that, with von Mayrhauser offering her the role of Page / Don Juan Triumphant in the United States tour of Phantom, and giving her three weeks to get her affairs in order before joining a 36-member cast to rehearse the longest-running Broadway musical and the top-grossing entertainment venture of all time. Gaschen, a Lubbock native and recording artist who has played the title role of Phantom more than 1,000 times in Europe and on Broadway, first heard Annika singing in January 2009 on “Aielli Unleashed,” a podcast from KUT 90.5 FM, the National Public Radio station in Austin. Johansson was singing music from The Last Five Years, a two-person, single-act musical in which she was performing for Penfold Theatre at the Austin Playhouse (see page 18). “She was stunning,” says Gaschen. “I called and told her, ‘You should be in New York. Nothing against Amarillo,
but you should be on Broadway.’” One of Gaschen’s friends is Phantom’s music producer, Kristen Blodgette, whom he called to arrange for Johansson’s audition for an upcoming opening in the cast. “Kristin said Annika just ‘killed it’; they loved her and hired her. Now I know what it’s like to be an agent,” Gaschen laughs. “All I did was make the call; her talent and her beauty got her the job. She’s a very special person, and so humble. It’s a great feeling to help someone get their big break. There are so many talented people in the world who might be able to do this but never have the opportunity. They just don’t get that break. It was an honor to be involved.” After accepting the role, Johansson was mailed a CD of the show to review. She first joined the company in Michigan, sitting in a Detroit Opera House balcony seat to watch a live Phantom performance for the first time. “I was so scared and nervous,” she says. “Phantom is such a spectacle – the music, the pyrotechnics, the lighting. I thought, ‘How on earth am I worthy enough to be here?’ Some of the people on the cast had been in this business upward of 30 years, and some had been on this particular tour for 18 years. It took me a while to feel like I really belonged.” The show’s unprecedented success makes that intimidation understandable. The Phantom of the Opera first premiered in London in 1986, and on Broadway in 1988, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It is based on a novel by Gaston Leroux, a book by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by Charles Hart. But it was Webber’s musical genius that gave the stage version of Phantom its wings, its hauntingly romantic soul (“The Music of the Night” and “All I Ask of You”) and a reputation as one of the theatre world’s hottest tickets. Webber’s other Broadway triumphs include award-winning music written for Evita, Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar. The first of three U.S. tours of Phantom began in 1992 and played 205 engagements in 98 North American cities before the third – in which Johansson played – closed in Los Angeles in November 2010. It continues to wow crowds on Broadway, and in London, Las Vegas, Budapest, and in major cities throughout Asia. All told, Phantom has been seen in more than 65,000 live performances by 100 million people in 25 countries. Sales of its cast album have exceeded 40 million copies – the most ever of its kind. A number of extraordinary actors have played in the three lead roles: disfigured
Erik, the scheming, lonely Phantom; his love interest, Christine Daaé; and her young suitor, Raoul. Michael Crawford originated the stage role of the Phantom, earning a Tony Award for the performance, and Sarah Brightman was the first Christine. Although Lon Chaney Sr. starred in a 1925 silent film version that became a horror-genre classic, the Broadway musical was adapted for Hollywood in a 2004 feature film directed by Joel Schumacher that gave audiences a deeper sense of the story behind the Phantom’s tortured past, and the scene around the Paris Opera House, which provides much of the musical’s backdrop. The U.S. tour of Phantom required a small army to move its elaborate staging. There were 100 people in the traveling company, including 60 crew members, 37 scenery and electrical operators, and a 17-person orchestra. Twenty 48-foot semi-tractor trailer rigs were needed to transport the sets and equipment, including 230 costumes (valued at $1.5 million), 2,700 yards of drapery material, a 1,000-pound chandelier, a 5,000-pound proscenium and a 3,500-pound staircase. In all, the traveling version of Phantom cost more than $600,000 a week to produce. When she arrived in Detroit, Johansson practiced for three days with the production stage manager and dance captains, learning every line of dialogue and where to stand in each scene. On Friday of her first week, she participated in a four-hour “put-in rehearsal” with the entire cast. “That was intimidating enough, but I was the only one in costume; everyone else was wearing sweats,” says Johansson. “It was like getting dressed up for Halloween, only I was a month early. I was in my wig … the whole get-up. I knew what I was supposed to do but it was so easy for all that to go out my head – the lyrics, the vocal parts. I had to snap myself back to reality and concentrate on the job at hand.” Three weeks later, her parents, Ove (’77) and April (Bankes ’77), traveled from Amarillo to St. Louis to watch her perform. “Afterward, it was so great to walk out the stage door and see them,” she says. “There were tears in our eyes. I was immediately taken back to other places I saw them after a performance: in elementary school and children’s theatre, all those years of theatre classes, at ACU, and now this.” “I am so proud of her,” gushes Ove, who still holds the world record for a 69-yard field goal he kicked for the Wildcats in 1976, a feat whose notoriety may be eclipsed by his own daughter’s fast-rising theatrical career. He now wears a silver Phantom mask lapel pin – a recent Christmas gift from AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
13
“All I did was make the call; her talent and her beauty got her the job. … It’s a great feeling to help someone get their big break. There are so many talented people in the world who might be able to do this but never have the opportunity. They just don’t get that break. It was an honor to be involved.” – D AV I D G A S C H E N
– RON HADFIELD
14
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
WADE GRIFFITH
Annika – for most dress-up occasions, and will be happy to tell you all about it, and her. Family and ACU friends visited last spring when Phantom played in Dallas and Austin, including Adam (’77) and Donna (Vickers ’88 M.A.) Hester, Harold (’50) and Jeannette (Scruggs ’49) Lipford, as well as a group of 60 people from Amarillo Little Theatre who rode a bus to Dallas together one Friday night to watch a performance, and hosted a reception for Annika afterward at the Fair Park Music Hall. “The 13 months went by so quickly,” she says. “Phantom was probably the Escalade of Broadway tours. It was so nice to be in one city for at least three weeks at a time.” Some touring shows stay only two nights in each city, but Phantom’s popularity meant setting up in some of the nation’s top performance venues and major cities for the eight performances a week (nightly Tuesday-Friday, and twice each on Saturday and Sunday) of each engagement. “Having Mondays off and all weekdays free until 5 p.m. meant I could enjoy being a tourist as well,” she says. Johansson mentions spending nearly a month exploring Disney World (including swimming with dolphins with her castmates) and skydiving in Ohio. “I wanted to make the most of every opportunity,” she says. One was to be in Phantom’s final U.S. tour performance in the historic Pantages Theatre in L.A. “As one of the youngest cast members, I felt emotional about it, too, but not like everybody else,” she says. “Some people in the cast had been on this tour for 14-15 years, and some orchestra members had been there all 18 years. Phantom had been their life. “A company like that can form a family, although a dysfunctional one at times,” she admits. “But soaking up the final moments, seeing people hugging each other and telling what they mean to each other, seeing the audience filled with alumni of the tour, hearing people in the audience sing along … it was great. They cheered at each moment when you wanted them to cheer.” At the final bow, Tim Martin Gleason, the tour’s Phantom, read a note from director Hal Prince. Then the crowd was treated to surprise appearances on stage by Webber and Brightman. “I just thank God for giving me the opportunity to be a part of something so historic, and for giving me the confidence boost I needed to participate,” Johansson says. “I pray I’ll get another chance, but if I don’t ever get another Broadway show, it’s OK,” she says. “I am so grateful to God for the talent and opportunity, and hopefully I made Him proud. I have no idea how to top this, but don’t know that I need to. It was just magical.”
Brooks’ crazy comedies keep audiences laughing and Seibert working
L
ara Seibert credits not only the faculty of ACU’s theatre department for her preparation for an acting career, but equally her community of fellow students. “It was a really great way to learn about theatre,” she says. “There were a lot of girls who were extremely talented. We all had to step up our game to compete, but at the same time we were the best of friends. It was competitive, but in a professional way, and I loved that part of it. When you have people around you who are taking it seriously, you try harder yourself and enjoy it all the more.” Seibert’s career shows the fruits of that preparation in working hard and competing successfully. Following her graduation from ACU in 2006, Seibert performed briefly in Garland Summer Musicals near Dallas before making the move to New York City, where she faced the challenge of adapting to the city and the lifestyle of the acting world. “I didn’t know anybody in New York,” Seibert recalls. “It was very, very scary. I remember being up here that first week and not really knowing what to do every day. It was a huge transition, not being a student anymore and not being in Texas anymore, and taking public transit to get everywhere. It was so overwhelming. Even finding a waitressing job was hard because I had never done it before.” It wasn’t long, however, before Seibert found a rhythm to her days, spending time networking, auditioning, taking dance classes and generally becoming familiar with the city and its shows. Of course, Seibert may not have realized when she landed her first acting job in a tour of The Producers just how familiar she would someday be with that particular show. A 2001 musical comedy adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan and based on Brooks’ 1968 film, The Producers is about two theatrical producers who attempt to get rich by overselling interests in a Broadway flop. Seibert’s first Producers’ tour was a non-equity show, meaning it employed actors who were not members of or protected by the Actors Equity Association union. Non-equity shows may offer less pay and benefits but provide opportunities for new actors to gain experience, as well as the opportunity for smaller metropolitan areas to see big-name productions at a reasonable cost. “It was fantastic,” Seibert says. “Of course, looking back on it, it was a horrible job in terms of schedule. We were on tour for a year, we lived on a bus, and all the shows were one-nighters. We’d do a show, pack up,
“I remember being up here that first week and not really knowing what to do every day. It was a huge transition, not being a student anymore and not being in Texas anymore, and taking public transit to get everywhere. It was so overwhelming. Even finding a waitressing job was hard because I had never done it before.” – L AR A SE IBE RT
wake up the next morning and drive, and then go straight to the next show. It’s terrible and exhausting, but I had so much fun. It was the perfect place to start out. The pay isn’t as good, the schedules aren’t as good, but I was very lucky to be doing something like The Producers and to get to know that show in particular.” Her non-equity acting days were short-lived, as she quickly was cast in another regional run of The Producers, this one an equity show, allowing her access to the union. Still, her biggest success to date was yet to come, as she auditioned for and was cast in yet another Mel Brooks musical comedy – Young Frankenstein – on Broadway. In September 2008, Seibert attended several open-call auditions for the show and made it to the end of the calls. Her agent then scheduled her for an audition to replace a cast member in the show. “I went in, sang the song and then danced for about two hours, with about 30 other girls,” Seibert says. “I had to leave early because I was doing a show out in Westchester. Before I got to the show, my agent called me and said I got the job and would start at the end of the week. Truly a whirlwind.” After three weeks of intense rehearsals, Seibert began her role playing one of the featured dancers in the ensemble and understudy for the lead role, Inga, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein’s ditsy lab assistant from Transylvania. During the show’s run, she ultimately did perform the lead. “Playing Inga on Broadway was truly an amazing experience that I will never forget,” Seibert says. “It was my first experience with a Broadway budget for design. My costumes were stunning and top of the line, designed by the Tony Award-winning William Ivey Long. I had about eight different lace-front wigs that were all fit and threaded to match my exact hairline. They gave me tons of dance shoes, makeup and dancewear. The cast couldn’t have been more welcoming.
I got to meet Mel Brooks, and it was such a good quality show with some very famous people involved. In the end, it was the most intimidating, wonderful, helpful, hard, and exciting moment of my career. I truly loved every second of the process.” The Broadway version of Young Frankenstein ran until January 2009 before beginning a national tour that September in which Seibert performed for another year. Both were based on the 1974 film version starring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr and Cloris Leachman. In the months between the Broadway show and the national tour, Seibert found work at the Maine State Music Theatre in Brunswick, Maine, performing in Crazy for You and The Drowsy Chaperone, the latter of which has been her favorite show. “It was a dream come true to get to play in it,” she says. In keeping with her success in Brooks’ musicals, after returning from a year touring with Young Frankenstein, Seibert was cast in yet another run of The Producers, this time in North Carolina, starting in January 2010. Seibert’s days of feeling alone and unfamiliar in New York City are in the past, thanks to the growing number of ACU alumni finding success in New York’s theatre, film and musical industry. “There are several ACU alumni out here now, and we always see each other around, which is very refreshing,” Seibert says. The community of ACU alumni living and working in the Big Apple includes Seibert’s sister, Allison (Seibert ’01) Rogers, a Sing Song hostess who also was a part of ACU’s theatre program and is now a fellow professional actor, with recent success in an ESPN commercial. Her husband, Jeff Rogers (’01), is a graphic designer with SpotCo, a company responsible for designing Broadway show posters. “It's fantastic having them up here, especially my sister,” Seibert says. “It gives me someone to go to auditions and dance classes with.”
– WENDY KILMER
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
15
J
Phantom played matchmaker for Trafton
uliette (Miller ’06) Trafton’s successful young theatrical career is something of a mutual-admiration society. Audiences applaud, as do those who direct and produce some of the most popular Broadway and off-Broadway shows of all time. And the multitalented actor continues to stand in awe of “the huge, amazing, miraculous things that God does” in her life. Her four years as a professional have a fairy tale quality to them. Six months playing Ariel in The Little Mermaid on a Disney Cruise Lines ship. Two years as an understudy for Christine Daaé, including nights when she performed that female lead on stage in the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera. And now, the lead role of Luisa in The Fantasticks, the off-Broadway but longest-running musical in theatre history. She married fellow actor Stephen Trafton in May 2009 while the two were in the cast of Phantom, including a magical performance when she first played Christine and he played Raoul, her onstage and real-life love interest. Stephen previously was in the Broadway revival cast of Les Misérables. The Little Mermaid opportunity came while she was doing an intensive musical theatre workshop at Collaborative Arts Project 21 (CAP21). Her professor suggested she skip a class to audition for the Ariel role, and the hunch paid off when Juliette was selected. She trained two months in Toronto, then set sail for Port Canaveral, Fla., and four months on the Disney Magic ship, performing as many as 14 shows a week while the huge luxury vessel and its 2,400 passengers toured islands off Mexico, St. Thomas and St. Martin. “It was Disney-style all the way,” she says. The ship had two state-of-the-art venues, including the Walt Disney Theatre, which seated more than 900 people for shows such as The Little Mermaid. Afterward, Juliette took a break to return to her native Orlando, Fla., to help care for her mother and father, both of whom had been diagnosed with cancer. The opportunity to be the first Abilene Christian graduate to be cast in Phantom was the result of meeting an agent at one of the Showcases sponsored by ACU’s Department of Theatre, designed to unite the university’s talented young actors with talent scouts from New York and elsewhere. “However, it’s hard enough to get cast for a show in New York City when you’re living there, much less when you’re in Florida,” she says about the experience flying back and forth from Orlando to New York to audition. While auditioning, she stayed with former ACU classmate Lara Seibert (’06).
ROBERT MANNIS
Penfold Theatre grows roots in booming Austin market ACU alumni Nathan Jerkins (’05), Sean Martin (’03) and Ryan Crowder (’04) made a big splash in the Austin, Texas, arts scene in 2010. As leaders of the three-year-old Penfold Theatre Company, they’ve sold out shows, piqued the interest of the rapidly growing suburb of Round Rock and seen their enterprise win Austin Critics’ Table awards for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Musical. Penfold’s timing could not have been better. The year before it began, an arts council was formed and a professional symphony came to the Round Rock area, helping create a foundation for the arts. 16
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
“It was great because there’s already a stream going that way, and we've stepped into that stream,” says associate artistic director Martin. “Round Rock is really well positioned, because it's a city in its own right, but it’s also at the intersection of several other growing suburbs.” Its population and that of surrounding communities is nearing 400,000. In 2009, the city council of Round Rock came to see Penfold’s second show, The Last Five Years. “Then they took us to lunch and basically said, ‘You’re good. We want you in our town. What can we do?’“ says producing artistic director Crowder. ACU has already had a huge influence on
Penfold, something Jerkins, Martin and Crowder have no intention of changing. If anything, they would love for its students and alumni to be more involved in their productions. “We realized that the work ethic we had and the reason we had such a passion and drive to do this was because we learned it at ACU,” said Crowder. Abilene Christian graduates have served as Penfold actors, provided leadership on its boards, and directed shows. Baylor University theatre faculty and former ACU graduates Thomas (’98) and Sherry Jo (Hester ’95) Ward are playrights of Penfold’s current show, Going With Jenny. And in 2009, Annika Johansson (’06) co-starred in The Last Five Years, an opportunity that led to a role
“Mom was always playing songs from that musical on the piano while my brother and I danced around the room with towels tied around us, as though they were capes.” – JULIET TE (MILLER) TR AF TON
Her first reaction to the news that she would play the Princess in Phantom, while serving as Christine’s understudy? “You are so amazing, God!” Some of Juliette’s fondest memories while growing up involved pretending to be on stage for some of Phantom’s most famous scenes. “Mom was always playing songs from that musical on the piano while my brother and I danced around the room with towels tied around us, as though they were capes,” she laughs. The first night she played Christine, in San Diego, Calif., was equal parts joyful and mind-boggling. “Christine doesn’t appear until several minutes into the show, so I was sort of off-stage by myself with some time to think,” she recalls. “My family was in the audience, and my mind started to race with so many thoughts. I knew everyone was expecting to hear the same Christine they remember from the show’s soundtrack. Could I meet those expectations? I was so nervous. I knew my lines and the music, but mostly hoped I wouldn’t fall into the orchestra pit. And on top of all that, my debut was with the boy (Stephen, playing Raoul) I was falling in love with. It ended up being so much fun.” The life of an understudy is a hectic one, even on a well-oiled machine of a show such as Phantom. “As a principal character, you are never called to rehearse with the rest of the cast except for the occasional ‘put-in rehearsals’ when a new person is being worked into the show,” Juliette explains. “So, we stand in for them during every rehearsal. They need that body there so new actors will know what it’s
on the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera (see pages 14-16). Penfold also is beginning to host internships for ACU students. Theatre student Emily Rankin (’11) stage-managed Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged for Penfold in August 2010. “I’m really hoping this turns into a long-term program for ACU students,” says Crowder. “These internships would provide more opportunities for them to work with a professional theatre company and gain more experience.” ACU theatre chair Adam Hester (’77) agrees. “It’s a great pipeline to have with a professional theatre, with folks we
like to be with all the others in each scene. They don’t want to exhaust Christine or the Phantom or Raoul because of their extensive singing responsibilities, so each understudy is in high demand. We were always on the go.” Phantom employs two actors to play Christine, in addition to an understudy who fills yet another role on the cast, allowing the principal characters to have vacation and sick time when needed. But the understudy must know each line of dialogue and note of music, and be ready to step in at a moment’s notice. Juliette played Christine five times during her two years on tour, in San Diego; Portland, Ore.; and Tampa, Fla. And she made an impression: Juliette was called in summer 2010 to audition again for the Christine role in New York City, leaving the curtain open, she hopes, for future opportunities on the world’s longest-running musical on Broadway. She was one of 200 actors who tried out in May 2010 for the 50th anniversary cast of The Fantasticks, and was chosen – after just one audition – to begin June 28. Written by Broadway Hall of Fame inductees Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, The Fantasticks was first performed in 1960, and ran for 42 years and more than 17,000 off-Broadway performances. It has been seen in 67 countries and translated into more than 20 languages. It explores the relationship between two young people, Luisa and Matt, whose scheming fathers work overtime to help their children fall in love. “It’s a great show, and over the last eight weeks I feel like I’m finally getting
respect and with whom we feel comfortable sending our students to work,” Hester says. The trio also is dedicated to sharing their faith with the community. Associate artistic director Jerkins and his wife, Melissa (Travis ’03), have helped plant a church in downtown Austin. “It’s exciting to know these three guys are succeeding artistically and using their faith to connect with people in different ways,” says Hester. “I’m proud of who they are and what they stand for.”
to the center of my character, Luisa. The house (Jerry Orbach Theatre in The Snapple Theatre Center) only seats 199 people, so being that close to the audience is a fresh experience.” The Traftons are not only talented but deeply spiritual people, as attendees at ACU’s annual Summit in September 2010 discovered. Stephen wrote “Longing for Glory,” a show the couple performed in Fulks Theatre featuring a compilation of songs from musicals such as West Side Story and Phantom, and selected scripture and other inspirational narratives. Stephen and Juliette co-taught a Summit class of the same title two days later, and visited with ACU theatre students. Frustrated with trying to find a church home every six or so weeks while traveling with Phantom, they began and helped lead a small Bible study group for members of its cast and crew. Now, with Stephen working odd jobs and auditioning for new roles, and Juliette settled into a principal one with the non-touring Fantasticks, the couple has time to be more involved in a local congregation, where he sings and has been asked to lead an established Bible fellowship group study for theatre professionals in Manhattan. “We are really proud of Juliette and her accomplishments,” says ACU theatre department chair Adam Hester (’77). “She has been a very strong Christian influence in each company she has worked with. We could not ask for a better representative of our department. I’m sure we’re going to continue to see great things from her and her husband.” – RON HADFIELD
Crowder, Jerkins and Martin
– AMANDA TRAFTON CHERESE PRINCE
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
17
Longtime lovebirds relish singing together on stage
RON BROWN
JENAVENE HESTER
A
18
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
CU’s candlelight devotional during Welcome Week brought Seth Bazacas (’09) and Jenavene (Hester ’09) Bazacas together in 2005. It hasn’t been the only matchmaker since then. While standing for a song during the traditional freshman devotional, Seth and Jenavene found themselves caught up in the praise, simultaneously realizing upon opening their eyes that they were the only ones still on their feet in the packed Beauchamp Amphitheater. The moment stood out in other ways as well. After a week spent together in their Welcome Week group and the shared moment of spontaneous praise, Seth felt compelled that night to write down the feeling of having met his future wife. She also happened to be the daughter of Department of Theatre professor and chair Adam Hester (’77) and his wife, Donna (Vickers ’88 M.A.), an adjunct faculty member. From a young age, Jenavene was a veteran ACU actor, having performed in several roles for her father’s productions since she was a middle schooler. The two had a lot in common, and they spent the next four years together in the theatre program, taking many of the same classes or performing alongside one another. But it didn’t take all four years for Seth’s prediction to come true. “She caught my eye right away,” Seth says. “That night at the candlelight devo I thought, ‘You know, I think I’m probably going to marry that girl.’” Four-and-a-half years later, at a restaurant in New York City, in the presence of both of their families, Seth re-opened his journal, read aloud the words he had written that Welcome Week night, and made a move to turn the hunch into a reality as he proposed to Jenavene. The occasion of the dinner was one highlighting another unexpected and opportune pairing of the two: the opening night of Lincoln Center’s production of Babes in Toyland in which both were performing. Just months after graduating with degrees in theatre from ACU, where both had significant roles in productions throughout their four years, they moved to apartments near each other in New York City, auditioned for Babes in Toyland and were both cast for the show. The newly engaged couple completed the Christmas run of Babes in Toyland together, and Seth was soon cast in the Nickelodeon Presents Storytime Live Tour and was on the road while Jenavene stayed in New York. After returning from that tour, a previous audition connection landed Seth an appointment for the casting of a national tour of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical. “It went great, and I told Jen, ‘I feel really good about this. You should probably go in,’ ” Seth says. “She didn’t have an appointment like I did; she just went to an open dance call. I thought, ‘We have to at least try.’ At this point, we thought, having just married, if only one of us got it, we would pass. Our agents didn’t like that, but they understood.” The offer for Seth, who was cast as Max, the Grinch’s dog, came first. “I was excited because it was a big deal, but there was a part of me that could only get so excited because I didn’t know yet about Jen. I was trying to be excited but guard myself,” he says. Seth waited tables at the time, and Jenavene worked at Starbucks. Both also were waiting anxiously to hear back about her casting audition, but the call didn’t come for a couple of weeks. “She was at Starbucks, and I was at the restaurant,” Seth says. “I got her voicemail message on my break; they had just called her and she had been cast. I told the manager I had to leave. I was in tears, jumping up and down, excited, and I ran out of the restaurant and all the way from Wall Street to Midtown where she
“Being on tour together was like an extension of our honeymoon. We’d wake up at the same time, make coffee, and head off to rehearsal together every day. It's really fun to have the same group of friends, know the same people. That makes it really easy to hang out, and on top of that, the show was just so much fun to do.” – J E N AV E N E ( H E S T E R ) B A Z A C A S
“Gravity is different in Whoville. You walk off balance and occasionally you just kind of jump up in the air.” Her costume wig featured spiraled ringlets of hair extending from three cones on her head – one on top and one on each side. “As soon as I got my wig, my character was in full bloom,” she says. “I would bob my head back and forth. It’s like my head was barely attached to my body because of the huge wig. Each Who had something fun and different about him or her, and the wig was mine. Part of Whoville was just about being cheerful and loving one another and being excited about Christmas. It was so fun and uplifting.” Both agree that the only thing that could beat performing in a major national tour of a popular Christmas-themed musical was getting to do it together. “Being on tour together was like an extension of our honeymoon,” Jenavene says. “We’d wake up at the same time, make coffee and head off to rehearsal together every day. It's really fun to have the same group of friends, know the same people. That makes it really easy to hang out, and on top of that, the show was just so much fun to do.” Despite their good fortune in having landed roles together for two major
productions, the couple realizes they may have to adjust to more frequent separations during future performance schedules. “We love marketing ourselves together, but we very much pursue our careers separately,” Seth says. “Any time we have the opportunity to do both, we absolutely take it. Being married, it’s ideal to not have to be apart. But in the meantime, more often than not, we’re auditioning separately for different parts in different shows.” For now, that meantime is finally getting to be in their home in New York City and continuing to meet with agents, audition and make new connections to find their next roles. 䊱 – WENDY KILMER
GIVENS JONATHAN
was working. Then we were both jumping up and down, excited, in the middle of Starbucks. Now we could quit those stinking side jobs. It was great.” Just a week after returning from their honeymoon, rehearsals began, and the tour ran from November through early January in Nebraska, Arizona, Texas and Canada. The musical version of Dr. Seuss’ classic Christmas story relies on narration from the Grinch’s faithful companion, Max, a character played by two actors. The elder Max narrated, and Seth played the younger Max, experiencing the story as it happened. “Max is such a great character,” Seth says. “From a physical aspect, it was exhausting. I had to throw all my energy into it, being up and down, on my knees, running around. It was all slapstick comedy. I would end each night drenched in sweat from head to toe. From a character standpoint, Max had the innocence of a puppy; everything was new and exciting. But he’s watching his master hate everything. I played on that aspect of being a loyal faithful friend. He’s always supportive, always positive, trying to bring out the best. It was neat being able to play a true friend. It could have a role of pratfalls, but this was a more positive spin.” Jenavene played Scallops Who, a resident of Whoville. The Seuss-inspired characters have whimsical costumes and a slightly askew sense of balance and proportion. “We had to practice walking around as a Who,” Jenavene says.
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
19
Schubert’s address espouses Outlive Your Life principles
A
t Abilene Christian University, passing the torch at Dr. Phil Schubert’s Inauguration – even if only figuratively – had a little something for everyone gathered in Moody Coliseum on Aug. 23, 2010. For historians, it was ACU's 10th president (Dr. Royce Money) handing its 11th (Schubert) a well-worn Bible signed by a cloud of witnesses from some of its earliest graduating classes, and a new Chain of Office. For trustees, it was the delightful coincidence of a new Board chair (Dr. Barry Packer) introducing a new university president, just as his father (Dr. H. Lynn Packer) did 19 years before. For faculty and staff, it was an opportunity to welcome a new chief executive for the first time in nearly two decades. For students, it was the surprising sight of their new president
20
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
GERALD EWING
ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
21
Board chair Dr. Barry Packer (’78) delivered the trustees’ charge to its new president, noting that the last person to inaugurate one at ACU was Barry’s late father, Dr. H. Lynn Packer (’50), who presided over the ceremony for Dr. Royce Money in 1992. (INSET) Members of Schubert’s family who attended Inauguration included (from right) his wife, Jamie (Rhoden ’94) Schubert; his mother, Kathy Schubert (’59); his sister-in-law, Tanya, and brother, David Schubert (’84); his brother, Kelley (’88), and Robin (West ’89) Schubert; and his nephews Jon (’09), Shane and Chase (’14) Schubert.
“Phil, you stand, as we all do, on the shoulders of our previous 10 presidents – Barret, Darden, Whiteside, Baxter, Sewell, Cox, Morris, Stevens, Teague and Money – each gifted and talented differently but chosen for their level of preparedness for this important role. You are a man with an innate ability to envision and plan strategies to help achieve measured goals. But you also are a student of history, unafraid to look back for guidance and inspiration, and to forge ahead with confidence and trust in God. ose skills will serve you well in this office.” – DR. BARRY PACKER
GARY RHODES
The Aug. 23 ceremony combined elements of ACU’s traditional Opening Assembly, such as the Parade of Flags, with Inauguration.
GARY RHODES
22
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
Dr. Steven Ward (right) conducted the Big Purple Band and Grand Chorus.
GARY RHODES
D
istinguished guests, members of the Board of Trustees, friends, alumni, faculty, staff, students: You honor ACU with your presence today at this historic event. To say that I am humbled to be standing before you in this capacity is such an understatement.
What does it mean to outlive your life?
A man named Allen Booker Barret set out on a mission more than a century ago, and his determination to follow God’s call has had an impact on all of our lives in ways that we will never fully understand. On Dec. 23, 1905, A.B. Barret, our founder, boarded a train in Covington, Tenn., that was bound for Abilene, Texas. At the turn of the century, this dusty frontier town had a population just a little more than 6,000 and was not quite 25 years old. Barret brought with him a meager change of clothes and a bold vision to shape the lives of young men and women into the image of Jesus. He was determined to establish a Christian institution of higher education right here in West Texas. Barret was passionate about his vision; he spent the better part of the next nine months traveling by buggy from town to town, telling his story. He talked about students, and money. He met with ranchers and farmers and merchants – anyone who would listen. He told them about the importance of educating students for lives of purpose and meaning. Then, without hesitation, he would ask them for their money. Barret received $3,347.20 from 193 inspired individuals in 43 towns surrounding Abilene – the gifts ranged from 50 cents to $250. From those meager beginnings, the doors to what we now know as ACU opened on Sept. 11, 1906, with eight committed faculty and 92 students eager to find out how God would change their lives. Over the last 104 years, God has shown his favor on ACU and on the important work that takes place here. Men and women of great faith, determination and hope, across multiple generations, have pledged their time, their talent and their treasure to further what my great friend and mentor, Dr. Royce Money, calls “kingdom business.” Today, ACU is the fourth largest private university in the JEREMY ENLOW
wearing a pair of trendy TOMS shoes that – like many of theirs – also signified a new pair given to a needy child on the other side of the world. For alumni, it was a reminder to model lives ACU’s students can emulate while hearing God’s call to “rock the world with hope.” Dr. Philip Joe Schubert took office June 1, 2010, but the public ceremony Aug. 23 celebrating the beginning of his presidency, combined with the traditional Opening Assembly, marked a day to celebrate the past and accept with enthusiasm its present opportunities and future challenges. “Never has the world so desperately needed men and women of great intellect and exceptional training, who also have a heart for Jesus,” Schubert said. “We must ensure that ACU remains a place to welcome the best and brightest learners who desire more from their lives … who seek a cause bigger than themselves. To do so, we must be innovative and collaborative. We must be prepared to meet and surpass their expectations for an exceptional education, knowing that such commitment – such excellence – done in the name of Jesus, and empowered by the Spirit, is to truly answer God’s call for this university.”
ACU’s Presidents H.C. Darden 1908-09
A.B. Barret 1906-08 The school’s founder and first president dreamed of establishing a Christian college in West Texas and saw his dream come true. Barret taught at Southwestern Christian College in Denton before establishing Childers Classical Institute, which would become Abilene Christian University in 1976. He resigned in 1908 to become president of Southwestern Christian.
Darden was superintendent of the Clyde schools before he became president of Childers Classical Institute. During his tenure as president, he raised money to retire the school’s debt (with the help of R.L. Whiteside), enhanced the school’s relationship with the city of Abilene and saw the first four students graduate from Childers.
ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
23
GERALD EWING
state of Texas, enrolling nearly 5,000 students from 48 states and provinces and over 40 nations from across the world. More than 500 staff and 250 faculty have chosen this as their life’s work, and our alumni base is nearly 90,000 strong. The impact of ACU literally spans the globe. ACU’s purpose has never been merely to educate students for careers and professions. Instead, we educate them for a lifetime of service and leadership throughout the world, just as our mission statement reflects. Paths of intellectual discovery and spiritual growth intersect here in powerful ways. Our commitment is to create a unique environment where students are not only challenged to learn, but they’re challenged to live critically, globally and missionally. In the words of ACU president Dr. Don H. Morris nearly 40 years ago, “this is no ordinary college.” It wasn’t then, it isn’t now, and I can assure you – it will not be in the days ahead. We have no ordinary vision. Our students are taught by no ordinary faculty. We dream of no ordinary future, live with no ordinary hope, and serve no ordinary God. Students, I want to speak to you directly for a few minutes. For most of us, this is a day of new beginnings. Life is filled with them. A little over two weeks ago – for the very first time – I stood here on this stage. I shook the hand of every graduate as they headed out for a new beginning of their own. I wasn’t ready for how deeply that experience would move me – it was very different than the Commencements I had experienced over the past 17 years. This time, I was able to look into their eyes and see the emotion and the energy that they brought to this moment. I knew they were ready and I knew they were headed for great things. It was an awesome, humbling feeling. That experience caused me to see them, and you, in a new light. Never have the possibilities of your lives seemed so enormous, nor your passion to follow God’s call so real. I believe in each and every one of you and I am proud to serve you as your president. At ACU, we love the pageantry of days like today: Opening Assembly and the Parade of Flags, the Big Purple Band and the Grand Chorus, the sights and sounds of yet another new school year.
New chancellor Dr. Royce Money passes the presidential Bible to Schubert.
JEREMY ENLOW
R.L. Whiteside 1909-11 In January 1909, R.L. Whiteside was instrumental in setting up the Bible School, forerunner of the annual Bible Lectureship (now called Summit). He saw two classes of students graduate – 14 in 1910 and 12 in 1911 – an encouragement that the school was progressing. After resigning as president, Whiteside returned during the 1912-13 school year to teach psychology and Bible.
24
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
James F. Cox 1911-12, 1932-40 Cox was elected president in 1911, but did not serve in the role, as his wife became seriously ill. His brother, A.B. Cox, acted as an interim president for the semester. As Cox’s wife remained ill by the beginning of the spring semester, he resigned as president. He later served as chair of the education department from 1919-23, then dean of the college for eight years. In 1932, he returned as president and served until 1940. After resigning a second time, he served as a Bible professor until 1951.
Symbols prominent at Inauguration
U
niversity inaugurations are replete with pomp and ceremony, and every institution has a set of official emblems or historical items for one chief executive to hand down to his or her successor. For centuries, university presidents and chancellors have worn a Chain of Office – known in the middle ages as a necklet or livery collar to distinguish persons of nobility – as part of their academic regalia at special events. Dr. Phil Schubert wore a new one for his Inauguration to replace the 39-year-old Chain of Office worn by the university’s ninth president, Dr. William J. Teague, and its 10th, Dr. Royce Money. Designed by ACU’s Creative Services Office and minted by Medallic Art Company, the new Chain of Office featured a medallion of the university’s seal, and plates engraved with the names of Abilene Christian’s presidents and their years of service. Also, a Bible from the university’s archives, first printed in 1901 and bearing the signatures of students from the classes of 1915-31, was passed from Money to Schubert. “Let it be a constant reminder of our legacy, of the authority and inspiration of the Word of God, of the power of the Gospel, and of the very reason for the existence of ACU as a premier Christian institution,” Money said.
JEREMY ENLOW
Jesse P. Sewell 1912-24
Batsell Baxter 1924-32 During Sewell’s first year as president, the school offered college-level work for the first time, and its graduates were junior college graduates. The annual Bible Lectureship (now known as Summit) officially began under Sewell, and 12 campus buildings were built, remodeled or enlarged during his administration. He and his wife, Daisy Parker Sewell, invested a great deal of their own money into the school. Childers became a senior college in Fall 1919 and, officially, Abilene Christian College in 1920.
Baxter, who had taught at ACU since 1919, was appointed to the presidency at Jesse P. Sewell’s recommendation. He relaxed some of the rules about students’ social privileges, and student activities and organizations gained importance on campus. Baxter was renowned for his sense of humor and ability to laugh at himself. During his presidency, the college moved from its original North First Street location to its present location on the Hill. He resigned in 1932 to become president of Lipscomb University.
ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
25
STEVE BUTMAN
But, we live for days like Commencement, when as hard as it is to say “good bye” to you for just a little while, we know that our mission is complete, our Promise is delivered, and the next amazing adventure of your life is about to begin. There wasn’t time to do it, of course, but I so desperately wanted to ask each of those graduates as they crossed the stage, “What’s next?” “Where do you go from here?” “Where is God leading you?” And most importantly, “How are you going to make a difference in the world?” I love the truth behind a soon-to-be-released book from best-selling author and ACU alumnus Max Lucado. It’s titled Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference. Max recently let me read an advance copy, and it impacted me deeply. It reminded me of people like Blake Mycoskie, the founder and CEO of TOMS Shoes – he’s definitely living the “Outlive Your Life” principle. Blake will be on our campus in just a few weeks to share how his passion fuels his profession, and how a simple pair of shoes is changing the lives of needy children all around the world. We used to buy shoes because of what they did for our feet. But TOMS’ kind of purposeful philanthropy does good things for our heart. I know; that’s why I’m wearing a pair of TOMS this morning. I think they’re pretty legit. And I’m going to be wearing an even cooler pair tomorrow, so be sure in chapel not to miss that! (There wasn’t much you could do with the whole robe getup.) But more importantly, I like that this new pair of shoes – through TOMS’ “One for One” program – means that a needy child on the other side of the world gets a new pair of shoes, too. And I like the message that bringing people like Blake to our campus should send to you: that at ACU, we’re serious about helping you hear and follow God’s call for your life, discovering how to lead and serve, and in so doing, make a real difference in the world. The “Outlive Your Life” principle gets right to the heart of our ACU Promise: We make a Promise that ACU will be 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.
26
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
When we humble ourselves and allow ourselves to become God’s hands and feet in this world, we can move mountains, eliminate disease, feed the hungry, put shoes on feet and clothes on backs, educate and enlighten, build houses, fund nonprofits, make movies, write books, comfort mourners, and save souls. We can outlive our lives. We’ve been living that out here at ACU for 104 years. But we can do it better and more intentionally. Part of equipping you means that we must ensure that you receive a world-class education: one that will open doors throughout your life, allow you to move in and out of all kinds of circles of influence, earn a place among the leading experts and scholars in your field, and create the kinds of opportunities in which you can truly make that real difference. From a seat in one of the world’s finest graduate schools to a seat in Congress … from a Dallas urban ministry to a home church in Ghana … from an Abilene nonprofit on Fannin Street to a Fortune 500 company on Wall Street … and everywhere in between. We want to ensure that you’re ready. We will push you to be exceptional, to think innovatively, and to dare to make a real difference. We’ll challenge you to set aside your fear and to press on! But we’ll love you and nurture you as God loves you, each and every step of the way. When you graduate, we’ll pray that you will know Christ and that you will commit your life to making him known. Whether God is calling you to become a professor or a pastor, a scientist or a social worker, an accountant or an athlete, the important truth to remember is this: He is calling you! I believe that He is calling you and me to be people determined to “rock the world with hope” and carry the life-saving gospel of Jesus to all those who so desperately need it. Your call to outlive your life may take you to a scientific laboratory. Every summer, our undergraduate students have unprecedented opportunities to work in the finest physics labs in the world, and alongside the nation’s top physicists. One of them is our very own Dr. Rusty Towell, a 1990 alumnus and professor of physics, who works with his students to build test detectors for the nuclear collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Long Island, N.Y. However, their influence doesn’t stop once they leave the lab, as Dr. Towell and his students are difference-makers for the small
Lucado’s book resonates with Schubert
A
CU alumnus Max Lucado (’77) has written more than 50 books with more than 65 million copies in print in his 25-year career as a best-selling Christian author, but his latest provided the impetus for Dr. Phil Schubert’s inaugural address. Outlive Your Life, published in September 2010 by Thomas Nelson, was No. 8 on the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association bestsellers list for February, and No. 10 on the Christian Book Sellers bestsellers list for April. Lucado says in a recent Q&A that helping others is good, but that a Christian’s responsibilities extend even further. “Other organizations can make this life better; because of Christ, we can make this life make sense. We can give hope by helping people understand that God loves them and cares for them,” Lucado says. “So, yes, let’s care for the body. Absolutely. But amidst the distribution of food and water and the digging of wells, let’s make certain that we share the Good News of Jesus.”
Dr. Don H. Morris 1940-69 After graduating from ACU in 1924 with a B.A. in education, Morris taught and coached debate at Abilene High School. From 1932-40, he was vice president and chair of ACU’s Department of Speech. Morris was the first former student to become president of ACU. He served 29 years, and in 1969, he ranked as the dean of college and university presidents in Texas. He received three honorary doctorates from other Christian colleges, and became ACU’s first chancellor in 1969.
Dr. John C. Stevens 1969-81 A 1938 ACU graduate, Stevens later served in World War II as a chaplain, winning the Bronze Star Medal, among other honors. He began teaching at ACU in Fall 1948 as an assistant professor of history, becoming dean of men in 1950, dean of students in 1952 and assistant president to Dr. Don H. Morris in 1956. Stevens was inaugurated as president in 1969, oversaw the college’s transition to a university in 1976, and became chancellor in 1981. He served as chancellor emeritus from 1991 until his death in 2008.
ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
27
Patchogue Church of Christ, where they teach classes and lead worship, help with building and landscape maintenance, assist with youth activities, and energize the congregation with their faith in action. ACU alumnae Leah Jones-Knippel and Kara Ulmer heard the call to outlive their lives and they’ve answered by fighting human trafficking in places like Ghana and Thailand. Dr. Jack Scott, a 1954 ACU graduate, could be enjoying retirement at age 77, but instead he accepted an appointment by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be chancellor of the California Community College System, which oversees 109 colleges serving 2.6 million students. Dr. Scott spoke to us in chapel not long ago, and he said, “The very essence of Christianity is that you are called to serve … regardless of your chosen profession. The truth is, every occupation should be a ministry. Serve, serve and serve again.” I could go on and on about all the ACU students, faculty, staff and alumni who are choosing to make a real difference in the world. Yet I believe that God is calling each of us – not just our students – to dream even bigger, work even harder and reach even higher. I believe he’s calling ACU to deliver a world-class, Christ-centered education that is second to none! Never has the world so desperately needed men and women of great intellect and exceptional training, but who also have a heart for Jesus. We must ensure that ACU remains a place to welcome the best and the brightest learners who desire more from their lives … who seek a cause bigger than themselves. To do so, we must be innovative and collaborative. We must be prepared to meet and surpass their expectations for an exceptional education, knowing that such commitment – such excellence – done in the name of Jesus, and empowered by the Spirit, is to truly answer God’s call for this university.
What does a world-class education look like? It’s undergraduate students engaging in cutting edge research, and graduate students who are authoring articles in top-tier research journals. It’s faculty who refuse to teach from yellowed notes but bring to their students the most current and relevant information in their fields. A world-class education means students
Dr. William J. Teague 1981-91 A 1952 ACU graduate, Teague served as executive assistant to president Dr. Don H. Morris from 1952-57. He became vice president for development at Harding University in 1957, then vice president at Pepperdine University from 1959-70. He was president of William J. Teague Associates, from 1964-70. He was an administrator in two other corporations before being named ACU’s president in 1981. He became chancellor in 1991, and retired as chancellor emeritus in 2007.
28
Winter 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
will not only hear brilliant and inspiring lectures but they will engage faculty and one another using the latest technologies, whether on this campus or on another continent. It’s students serving in schools, businesses, labs, clinics and churches while they’re still students, right alongside those who are doing the most amazing work in their fields: asking questions, listening, rolling up their sleeves, getting their hands dirty, thinking, teaching, analyzing and producing, learning away from campus in the very places where they will work when they graduate. It’s a university committed to excellence that is not just for the sake of excellence but for the glory of God. That and much more is what you should expect at ACU. When I walked across campus this morning, I couldn’t help but wonder what A.B. Barret would think if he were here today. I think he would be pleased. In fact, I think he would be overcome with emotion to consider the lives that have been changed and the good that has been done through Abilene Christian. That’s the real story, isn’t it? Being able to envision what people can do when they have ears to hear God, the faith to listen, a desire to learn and an unquenchable passion to follow Him to the ends of the earth. Heaven knows no bounds to the good that can be done. I think once he composed himself, Mr. Barret would say, “Press on. There’s so much still to do.” I believe he’s right. ACU’s legacy is no longer in the hands of A.B. Barret. As much as I’m honored and humbled to serve as your 11th president, ACU’s legacy is not in my hands either. No, ACU’s legacy is in our hands! Together, we are forever learning what it means to outlive our lives. Just look at the 192 individuals from those 43 towns that provided those initial gifts that gave this institution its life. So it will take all of us to forge its future. I have no doubt that we will rise to the challenge and steward our legacy well. We have history and the Holy Spirit on our side. Our mission is compelling. Our Promise is bold. And our 21st-Century Vision is clear. There is simply no room for mediocrity. We must bring our best to the table each and every day. God deserves it. The future demands it. And the world is desperate for it! May God guide our efforts and may He continue to bless Abilene Christian University. 䊱
Dr. Royce Money 1991-2010 After a career in ministry, Money (’64) joined the ACU faculty in 1981 as an associate professor of marriage and family therapy, then chaired the undergraduate and graduate Bible and ministry departments before becoming the first director of the Doctor of Ministry program. He was named executive assistant to Dr. William J. Teague and in 1988, Money became vice president and provost. He became president of the university in 1991 and chancellor in 2010.
Panel discussions invited professionals into broader discussion.
The AT&T Learning Studio opened on the top floor of ACU’s Brown Library.
Pearson eCollege’s Adrian Sannier
Keynote speaker Karen Cator from the U.S. Department of Education
Essa Academy (UK) director Abdul Chohan
Cullen Auditorium was a major venue for the event.
Registrants came from 29 states and nine nations.
Success Story ACU’s 2011 Connected Summit attracts experts from around the world to discuss the future of mobile learning
GARY RHODES
“I
love it when the little guy is empowered,” admitted pioneering computer engineer and aspiring fifth-grade teacher Steve Wozniak. The headlining keynote speaker at ACU’s 2011 Connected Summit (see back cover) also happens to be the co-founder of Apple Inc., the company on which Abilene Christian depends to provide iPhones and iPod touches to all its undergraduate students and professors as part of the university’s award-winning mobile-learning initiative. A crowd of more than 2,000 in Moody Coliseum on the opening night listened to a wide-ranging conversation between Wozniak and Dr. William Rankin, ACU’s director of educational innovation and associate professor of English. “Each student is different and learns differently,” said Wozniak, who for years has
volunteered as an elementary school teacher in his home state of California, seeking to connect with and motivate youngsters of all abilities and interests, especially shy ones, as he was. Wozniak envisions a classroom of the future where all students have computers that recognize and serve the user – as he says the iPhone does – with minimal guidance from a teacher. Such ideas were at the heart of those shared at Connected Summit – a gathering of more than 540 international educators, administrators, technologists, thought-leaders and policy-makers committed to mobile learning. Registrants represented nine countries, 73 universities, 87 K-12 schools and 33 corporations. Other keynote addresses were by Karen Cator, director of educational technology for the U.S. Department of Education, and Adrian Sannier, vice
president of product for Pearson eCollege. The Feb. 28 - March 1 event drew rave reviews from registrants for the quality and variety of its program, and its organization. The future of traditional books – the topic of a feature story authored by Rankin on pages 30-35 of this issue – was a major focus. A number of presenters debated textbooks, e-textbooks and the paperless classroom in light of the development of new mobile-learning tools such as Apple’s iPad. Several hundred participants also attended the Feb. 28 grand opening of ACU’s new AT&T Learning Studio on the top floor of Brown Library. Watch our upcoming issue for an inside look at one of the most innovative facilities of its kind in higher education. 䊱 For more information, visit acu.edu/connectedsummit.
ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
29
30
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
Beyond the rinted age
By Dr. Willia m Rankin
Illustrations by Mark Andresen
ACU uses its mobile-learning expertise to help the world’s brightest minds re-imagine the future of books
rom my earliest days, cackling in my mother’s lap while she read A Fly Went By or snug in my bed while she read Brighty of the Grand Canyon, I’ve loved the way books open doorways in the imagination. Years later, poring over Brian Greene’s Elegant Universe or Simon Schama’s A History of Britain, I still have books opening doors for me. Some lead me into small rooms cluttered floor-to-ceiling with furniture and tchotchkes, and others into vast, airy suites where doorway leads to doorway. I’ve loved books so much that I’ve made a career out of reading and studying them, and even of making them – not just by writing or editing, but by designing them, setting their type, illustrating them, and helping to get them into readers’ hands. Yet, I have to say, until a few years ago when new sets of doors began to open for ACU, I never imagined I’d be at a place that would play a key ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
31
role in deciding the future of books. As unlikely as it may sound, that’s precisely what’s happening right now at Abilene Christian University. Scholars, publishers, researchers and technologists from all over the world are making their way to our West Texas campus, drawn by our ability not only to see the future of education but to make it real. That’s enabling us to stand at the threshold of a digital future where people will read, study, explore and discover in ways that are at the same time very new and very old. So although we never could have dreamed of it when we launched our Connected mobile-learning initiative three years ago, we now find ourselves peering in the doorway at what may well be the next Gutenberg. The view within is enticing and amazing.
Looking back to see ahead As we’re discovering how mobility can change teaching and learning, it’s become increasingly clear to many of us that a major component is missing. While our students and teachers are discovering an increasingly open, flexible and customized learning environment, our textbooks remain closed and static, bound in the standardized paper that once liberated them but has gradually become a kind of prison over the past 560 years. When books first began to replace scrolls as the dominant informational medium in about the third century, they were very different from the books we have today.
32
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
The design of early books was driven in large part by early Christians’ desire for a richer informational experience. They wanted to access information “non-linearly,” holding a finger in one passage while consulting another, and they wanted portable access so they could carry the scriptures with them wherever they went. To accommodate these needs, early books were models of flexibility and customization. With patrons dictating the content of their books, deciding what texts and excerpts and ultimately even the kinds of decorations and images they wished to include, books became highly personalized expressions of their owners’ tastes, interests and economic status.
Of course, that economic factor exposed the critical drawback of early books. They were ridiculously expensive to produce. Coming before the age of paper, a single book in this early period often meant the sacrifice of an entire herd of cattle or flock of sheep to supply the skins necessary to produce the book’s pages. And when one factored in the costs of the exotic and dangerous materials needed to produce a book’s decorations – lapis lazuli from Afghanistan or cinnabar, a bright red compound of mercury whose mining was so toxic that workers’ life expectancy was often only three years – along with the expense of hiring skilled copyists to write each word by hand, the costs easily became astronomical. In the heyday of hand-crafted
book production in the 14th century, a fine book easily cost more than a luxury car would today. So while early books were technologically advanced marvels of personalization, the number of people who could actually afford them was painfully small. Consequently, most people were locked away from literacy and learning. When he popularized movable-type printing and (eventually) the use of paper starting in the mid-15th century, Johannes Gutenberg not only solved the problem of cost, he also ushered in an entirely new information age that has shaped our own world profoundly. Gutenberg’s innovation drove no fewer than three interrelated revolutions in Western Europe: in religion, in education and in politics. Fueled by a hitherto unprecedented access to the scriptural text, the Protestant Reformation changed the relationship between believers and books. Every Christian household was now expected to possess a Bible for devotional and educational purposes, and people began to augment their libraries with other theological and devotional texts as well. Driven by the expectation that believers needed to read and study the scriptures for themselves, educational reformers began laying what would become the first foundations of universal education. Literacy, which had been comparatively rare up to this point in history, began to be expected of all people, men and women alike. And with the populace thus educated,
many began to feel they should be allowed a voice in their own government, as well, opening the door for the first modern democracies. Have you ever stopped to think, for example, how many of the American revolutionaries were printers or publishers? Or why the Stamp Act of 1765 – a law that taxed and regulated printing – was considered such an affront by the colonists that it became a prime factor in setting the revolution in motion? Yet in spite of all of their benefits, the generation of books produced by Gutenberg’s technology also suffers serious limitations, some we scarcely notice. While people have had nearly universal access to consuming printed texts, for instance, the process of writing, editing, printing and distributing is so complex that few people can participate in textual creation. And the economic necessity behind large print runs means that producing certain kinds of texts – those limited to small audiences or narrow fields of study – has been largely ignored. Error correction and the augmentation of texts with new materials has likewise had to wait until running a second edition can be justified, and this means that some of our books, even relatively new ones, can be woefully out of date. Perhaps most compellingly, the customization and localization that once characterized virtually all book production have had to be sacrificed for a standardized, generic approach that best meets the desires
of a readership dispersed geographically and culturally. For all of its blessings, Gutenberg’s technology is beginning to show its age, and a host of new technologies are waiting at the door, ready to spark new opportunities and new revolutions that will transform the world.
Making what’s next When ACU first began to explore the future of books, we established a relationship, in an ironic twist, with the oldest continually operating press in the world. Granted its charter by Henry VIII in
1534, Cambridge University Press is one of the world’s leading academic publishers, and it’s bringing nearly five centuries of expertise to help chart the future of publishing. Rounded out by Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs, which gave the world the laser, the transistor and the C++ programming language that dominates today’s software development, our consortium is exploring some of the elements we believe will
ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
33
Dr. William Rankin, ACU director of educational innovation and associate professor of English, presented “Building for the Next Information Age: Envisioning the Future of Books” at the 2011 Connected Summit.
GARY RHODES
characterize books in the 21st century and beyond. So what do these books look like? The first thing we know is they will be digital. 34
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
With simple, single-function devices such as Amazon’s Kindle pointing the way, digital texts already show certain advantages over printed texts.
From ecological and economic standpoints, it is increasingly hard to justify the costs of felling trees, turning them into paper, shipping the paper, printing it, cutting it and turning it into books, then shipping, warehousing and ultimately recycling the books. From a reader’s standpoint, the difficulty of carrying around more than a few books at any given time makes digital texts, where thousands can be stored on a single lightweight device, incredibly attractive. Having a whole library of books with me when I have a flash of insight or a sudden question means that learning opportunities that once would have been lost can now become opportunities for exploration and discovery. And with the flexibility of digital texts, errors and incomplete information need no longer be a hindrance. In one telling recent example, Theodore Gray’s The Elements – a beautiful digital text built around the periodic table of elements – appeared on the iPad just days before a team of Russian scientists made six atoms of Ununseptium (an element previously only theorized) in their lab. Within two days of the discovery, Gray’s digital book had been updated to include the new information, leaving its paper siblings, which will likely require at least a year to incorporate the new discovery, in the dust. As our digital devices themselves become more robust, led by a generation of new tablet devices like Apple’s iPad, even further possibilities begin to open for us. Equipped with powerful computing and media capabilities and augmented with geolocation sensors, cameras and a variety
can be difficult for teachers to understand where students are stuck and difficult for students to understand where a teacher wants to focus. In one of Dr. Ian Shepherd’s business classes this fall at ACU, using a digital text developed for the iPad by Inkling, he and his students “subscribed” to one another’s marginal comments and highlights, enabling them to “watch” one another as they read through the course text. Seeing where his students were confused and what they understood allowed Shepherd, an associate professor of management, to tailor class discussions and experiences in a way that simply wouldn’t have been possible before.
An open door
of inputs, these new devices could transform the way we think about books and reading. Perusing a history of World War II? Tapping that picture could let you hear or even see a movie of President Roosevelt delivering his rousing call to arms on Dec. 8, 1941. Such media richness offers people the opportunity to contextualize and understand what they’re reading in ways that are currently too cumbersome or complex. Want more? Engage the geolocation feature and let the book incorporate local information into its account of the war. In Abilene, for example, the book’s content could automatically shift to focus on the history of the 12th Armored Division that trained here before being deployed to help liberate Europe. Read by students on a study abroad trip to Normandy, the book could alter its content again – each time providing readers with information to help them
better understand their local surroundings and, in turn, leveraging those surroundings to help them better understand what they’re reading. Add in interactivity – for example, letting people adjust the hypothetical levels of aluminum, iron or rubber available over the course of the war and watching the resulting impact on the production of ships and planes – and readers now have a tool for better understanding the role such resources played in winning or losing the war. Such developments may seem like science fiction, but early versions of these features are currently in development. At ACU, we’re already considering how they’ll benefit students and faculty. Another technology essential to digital books involves social networking. College classes often focus on teachers and students discussing the books they’re reading, but it
The possibilities are many and intriguing. For example, a team of French researchers spent two weeks at ACU this fall studying how people interact with digital versus print books to augment the social and informational features future books will possess. ACU’s new AT&T Learning Studio, which recently opened in our Brown Library, offers access to next-generation media authoring tools. It represents a first step in exploring a future where libraries no longer serve largely as warehouses for books. Where will it all end up? It’s hard to say. No technology, new or old, can answer all of our educational needs, and each comes with benefits and drawbacks. However, books are on the threshold of another technological revolution, and ACU is poised to play a central role as they move into the digital age. The doorway of opportunity is wide open. 䊱
ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
35
ACU students meet every weekday for for a half hour of devotion, singing and special progams in Chapel. They gather three days a week in Moody Coliseum and in various small-group settings the other two days.
36
Spring 2011
䊹
AC U TO D AY
e university community has met each weekday for Chapel for 104 years B Y K AT I E N O A H G I B S O N
Ask ACU alumni what they miss most about life on campus, and the answers vary. Some tell stories of club socials, Sing Song rehearsals, weekend trips or Spring Break Campaigns to parts unknown. Others reminisce about life in the residence halls or football games at Shotwell Stadium. But almost everyone mentions Chapel. “I’ve encountered alums who, as students, would complain about going to Chapel every day,” says Mark Lewis (’88), assistant dean of spiritual life and chapel programs. “And when they come back to campus – this happens every time, without fail – they say, ‘You know what I miss most about ACU?’” Chancellor Dr. Royce Money (’64) remembers talking to a former student who waxed sentimental over his college days. “He said seriously, ‘Do you know what I miss most about ACU? Chapel,’” Money recalls. “en he paused a second, laughed and said, ‘You know, come to think of it, Chapel was the thing I missed most when I was at ACU!’” “at scenario has played out dozens of times,” Lewis continues. “It’s amazing what a deep spiritual impression
the experience of a daily gathering makes on our students and long-term, on them as alumni. Sometimes an alum will remember a particular day in Chapel that really touched his or her life, but more times than not, the impression is of that practice, that daily rhythm of life in community.” Since ACU’s founding in 1906, daily Chapel has been an important part of its life and community. e first Chapel service took place on the institution’s opening day, Sept. 11, 1906, as Childers Classical Institute – and began with “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” a tradition still continued at Opening Assembly each year. Although the time, place and format have changed through the years (in the 1920s, students attended six days a week at 7:30 a.m.), the heart of Chapel has remained the same. “Chapel provides that daily opportunity for our ACU community – students, faculty and staff – to be in the same place,” says Lewis. “We come together to worship, to celebrate life in Christ, to be formed in our faith.”
Daily Rhythm Every weekday morning around 10:50, a series of hymns begins to chime from the speakers hidden atop the Tower of Light (which soars above Beauchamp Amphitheatre and the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building). ough the music sounds like carillon bells, it’s actually a digital recording ringing out over the campus. Students pour out of buildings and parking lots, climbing out of cars, adjusting book bags, frantically
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
37
“We do Chapel because it’s part of continuing on this journey together, as community. As we wrestle over prayer requests and read the Word, we are together as a community in that experience. ” – MARK LEWIS
texting their friends about where to sit, stopping in the McGlothlin Campus Center to check their mailboxes and greet other students. ree days a week, they head in droves to Moody Coliseum, where the entire campus gathers for prayer, singing, announcements and worship. On Tuesdays and ursdays, students scatter to a variety of locations around campus to meet in smaller groups. But each day, the bells call students to a half-hour of worship that binds the ACU campus community together in a way nothing else does. ACU is one of the largest Christian educational institutions in the United States which still has a daily Chapel service. On many faith-based campuses, Chapel has dwindled to two or three times a week or even disappeared altogether. But at ACU, Chapel is still a daily institution – and it’s mandatory, at least for a certain number of times per semester. Many alumni remember when attendance was taken by means of photographs, back when Moody Coliseum was new in the late 1960s and continuing through the late 1970s. A small team of photographers shot, processed and checked the photos against seating charts. (Some students tried to fool the cameras, propping up coats, hats and open newspapers in empty seats to give the illusion of a person in the seat.) Today, students enter Moody through several sets of glass double doors, walk through the concourse into the coliseum, and swipe their ID cards at electronic scanners near each entrance. Staff members stand nearby, greeting students and keeping an eye out for the “slide and glide” phenomenon (when students try to slide in electronically and then glide out of Moody physically without staying for the entire time). Early birds claim the prime seats on the wooden floor that also serves as the Wildcats’ basketball and volleyball courts, while stragglers often have to climb a few stairs to find an empty seat. If it’s social-club pledging season, several sections overflow with sharply dressed male students wearing ties, or female students wearing long, colorful skirts, sporting pins and carrying notebooks with their club’s logo on the front. At 11 a.m., the bells stop ringing their hymns and chime the hour, as latecomers dash across the campus mall or hurry in from the parking lot. Inside, the student body gets to its feet (with much rustling, shuffling of feet and whispering), and Chapel begins with a greeting, a song or a prayer. “People are pretty rowdy during the first couple of songs,” Lewis admits. “Some people find that frustrating. I used to. I finally had to let that go and realize: Community is so important to us at Chapel, and that’s what’s going on here. at’s a holy thing, a good thing. Students are shaking hands and giving hugs, getting ready to settle in for a few minutes of spiritual Sabbath. ere’s such a joy and excitement in that moment.” Each semester, the main Chapel curriculum focuses on a biblical theme. Fall 2010 centered on Jesus in the Gospel of
38
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
John; this spring, it’s the Book of Proverbs. On Mondays, Chapel speakers share their thoughts on texts and themes from the chosen curriculum, challenging students to apply these words to their lives. “Proverbs is a particularly apt text for Chapel, since it’s written especially for young people coming of age and facing a world of tough decisions and competing voices,” says Dr. Glenn Pemberton (’85), associate professor of Bible, missions and ministry, who helped develop this semester’s theme. “Proverbs addresses a class of young people who are privileged, who could easily settle for enjoying ‘the good life.’ But the text urges them to seek out a life that is good – ethical, just and fair. Proverbs urges all of us to a better way of living, a higher calling.” While many Chapel speakers are ACU faculty and staff members, visitors to campus also take the podium to speak about texts, hot topics and current issues. (For example, TOMS Shoes founder Blake Mycoskie spoke in Chapel this fall during his visit to campus; see story on pages 4-5 and 48-49 for more about Mycoskie’s time at ACU.) Wednesdays, twice a month, bring “Come to the Quiet” – a calm, contemplative service in which students may meditate in their seats or seek out faculty and staff members for prayer. During times of community celebration on campus, such as Sing Song and Homecoming, Wednesday chapels give the ACU community a chance to rejoice together. Each year, the cast of the Homecoming musical performs a scene from the show before Homecoming weekend; Sing Song hosts and hostesses do the same each February. On Homecoming weekend, there’s a special Saturday Chapel service, and alumni crowd into Moody to participate again in the tradition they loved as students. And Fridays, for nearly a decade, have been Praise Days. Led by one of several student praise teams or sometimes by faculty members, students sing a cappella for the entire half hour, a mixture of old hymns and newer praise songs. “I like the consistency of daily Chapel,” says Lindsey Meredith, sophomore pre-health professions major. “No matter what day of the week it is, Chapel is at the same time. And there’s also a sense of spontaneity because Chapel is never in the same place two days in a row.” Although it’s impossible to please everyone, the Chapel team listens carefully to students, using
A student praise team often leads singing when Chapel meets in Moody Coliseum.
AC U TO D AY
䊹
Spring 2011
39
their feedback to come up with new and different ways to engage the campus community. For the past 13 years, the Chapel Office has conducted surveys at the end of each school year, asking students for feedback on themes, speakers, venues, forums, special events and more. One direct result of the survey is the practice of small-group Chapels, now a twice-weekly part of the curriculum.
Breaking It Down: Small-Group Chapels On Tuesdays, students may choose from one of several Campus Conversations, which are breakout Chapels focused around a theme. (Departmental Chapels also meet monthly on Tuesdays, giving students an opportunity to interact with faculty members and fellow students in their academic areas.) ursday is “small-group Chapel day.” Students may form a group around any interest they choose – many campus clubs, sports teams and student organizations have their own small-group Chapels – or gather to study a book of the Bible or other text. “People tend to be more invested when they’re in a smaller group, more focused and participatory,” Lewis says. “While there is value in a large group experience, we also see a value in our students gathering in small groups so they can interact and ask questions or dialogue with faculty and staff members.” In Fall 2010, Dr. Mark Phillips (’88), assistant professor of management, led students in a Campus Conversation focusing on the life of King David, called “A Man with the Heart of God.” “David intrigues me, because he seemed at times to be the best sort of human being, and at other times he was the worst,” Phillips says. “Our study each week looked at one episode from David’s life – familiar ones like his victory over Goliath, and some less familiar ones as well. We usually had 30 or 40 students, and I tried to make the lessons as practical as possible, since I believe Scripture’s main benefit is in how it can change us.” While each small group must have a faculty or staff advisor present at its weekly meetings, many small-group Chapels are run by students, such as Quality Time, hosted by sophomore exercise science major Tucker Mueck. In direct contrast to many Chapel meetings, which focus on singing, prayer, a speaker or group discussion, Quality Time begins with a Bible verse, read aloud by Mueck. en the students sit in silence, praying, meditating
40
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
or simply being present. At the end of the Chapel time, Mueck leads a prayer, and the students are dismissed. “I really try not to have the focus of this Chapel on me,” Mueck says. “I think about a verse to share throughout the week, and I read it to open the Chapel. Once I’ve done that, I sit down and participate in the silence, just like everyone else. “is chapel is different because it’s totally personal,” Mueck adds. “It gives students a chance to turn inward and let God speak to them. Instead of listening to a person, this Chapel gives students the opportunity to wrestle with God.” Whether it’s a hands-off approach like Mueck’s or a more structured method like the “big group” Chapel times in Moody, helping plan and execute Chapel gives students a valuable chance to be involved behind the scenes. “Working in the Chapel Office has given me a greater vision of the university as a whole,” says Luke Baty, graduate student in English and graduate intern for worship. “I’ve been able to interact with faculty and staff in a way I never did before. I get to engage with them more as a colleague than as part of the student-teacher relationship.”
Daily Chapel: Do We Have To Go? “ere is a tension between worship and mandatory attendance,” Lewis admits. “I acknowledge the tension in my Chapel 101 speech at the beginning of each fall semester. at doesn’t mean I have a plan to change anything. I am simply acknowledging that the tension is present. We have students who would be there anyway, and we have students who are there because they have to be.” Right now, full-time undergraduate students must attend Chapel 55 times each semester, or an average of four times per week. (Graduate students are not required to attend daily Chapel, though they are welcome; a weekly Graduate Chapel meets on Wednesdays, in the Onstead-Packer Biblical Studies Building’s Chapel on the Hill.) Students may be granted partial exemptions for conflicting work schedules, student teaching or extenuating circumstances, such as a prolonged illness. Otherwise, the policy is simple and the message is clear: Chapel is an important part of campus life. Be there, as often as you can. “We do Chapel because it’s part of continuing on this journey together as community,” Lewis says. “As we wrestle over prayer requests and read the Word, we are together as a community in that experience. And Chapel allows our faculty and staff members to have some genuine interaction with students outside the classroom. When a faculty member sees a student consistently in the same location, they create bonds there.” Faculty and staff are not required to attend Chapel daily, but their presence is welcomed and encouraged. At the beginning of this semester, ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert (’91), provost Dr. Jeanine Varner, and vice president for student life and dean of students Dr. Jean-Noel ompson sent an email urging the campus community to commit afresh to attending Chapel once a week. Now, on Mondays, most campus offices are expected to close altogether during Chapel so faculty and staff can join students in Moody. (Student workers on campus already leave their offices in time to get to Chapel.) “ere is significant value in our gathering as community
as we begin each work week,” the email message said. Lewis adds, “Faculty and staff are a vital part of the ACU community. When they’re not in Chapel, a part of the community is not there.” For students who need a few extra credits, and for topics requiring more than 30 minutes of discussion, Chapel Forums provide a way to discuss those issues while earning Chapel credits. Several times each semester, usually in the evenings, speakers from on or off campus talk with the student body about important issues, including faith and politics, social issues such as last year’s earthquake in Haiti, and living as a single Christian. Students also can earn Chapel credits by attending events at ACU Summit each September or attending other occasional special events on campus.
Challenges and Distractions: Paying Attention With the benefits of having daily Chapel, and the tension of requiring students to go, come a few aesthetic challenges, most of them related to Moody Coliseum itself. For students and others accustomed to worshipping in churches, or at least in venues not intended for sports, Moody Coliseum poses some challenges. “Moody is a wonderful athletics venue and sports arena, and while I applaud our forefathers for building it and being good stewards, it creates some significant challenges as an environment for spiritual formation,” admits Lewis. For one thing, the coliseum’s round shape allows disruptive students to be not only heard, but seen, by their peers. Whispering, shuffling of feet and louder sounds carry and echo through the room, which has very few soft surfaces to absorb noise. Chairs placed on the floor for Chapel must be removed each day to allow sports teams and exercise science classes to use the space as well. And in the few weeks before Sing Song each February, at least some of the Moody floor is covered by lights, speakers, wires and other staging equipment. To address the issues created by Moody, Lewis has formed the Moody Vision team, a group of students, faculty and staff dedicated to planning and implementing some technological and aesthetic upgrades to the coliseum. e changes will not permanently alter the space or make it unusable for sporting events, but aim to make Moody more conducive to regular worship. “e greatest challenge we face in Chapel is the space,” admits Baty, who is part of the Moody Vision team. “is generation is driven by experiential worship, by media-savvy presentations of information, seasoned with intentionality and authenticity. We try to plan and carry out Chapel with a message relevant to this generation of students, but sometimes it gets lost in the delivery. We are trying to change this.” Other distractions in Chapel stem not from the space, but from the students themselves – and the mobile devices now carried by nearly every student. Even before the advent of the mobile-learning initiative at ACU, which provides each full-time undergraduate with iPhones or iPod touches, many students paid more attention to their cell phones or iPods than to what was happening in Chapel. While hundreds of students participate and pay close attention, there are always some who use Chapel as a time to do homework, scroll through
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
41
text messages, chat with friends or even take a quick nap. Lewis and others admit to growing frustrated with students who pay little attention or even disrupt Chapel. However, as Lewis points out, “I acknowledge these challenges when I’m talking to students about why we do Chapel. And then I say, ‘Do you believe in a God who is so big that He can move through our frustrations and our apprehensions and still do something? Do you believe in that? I do.’” “roughout my time at ACU, chapel has been an exercise in patience, but also an opportunity for growth,” says senior English major Katherine Sinclair. Her feelings about Chapel, like those of many students, have run the gamut, from excitement to frustration to apathy. As a freshman, she loved everything about Chapel; as a sophomore, she felt frustrated and wished for a greater range of small group options. As a junior, she wanted to “get it over with” – i.e. earn her required credits – as quickly as possible, in order to “enjoy going to Chapel without the specter of required credits hovering over my head.” However, as a senior, Sinclair has made her peace with Chapel in its various forms, and plans to attend Friday Praise Days and small-group Chapels this spring, even though as
42
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
a half-time student in her final semester she no longer is required to attend. No matter the format, the setting, the size of the group or the attitude of the students, the Chapel team has one hope: that all their work and planning and study will bring students closer to their Creator and closer to one another. “Chapel is perhaps the one experience all ACU students have participated in since the founding of the university,” says Jen Rogers, director of student ministries. “It provides a time to stop, gather as a community and spend time in worship and reflection. In a world that measures productivity and worth by ‘busyness,’ Chapel says, ‘We are a community who will stop and rest as we gather before God daily.’” “I think it's really important to keep the tradition of Chapel alive and consistent,” says Meredith. “It gives ACU students 30 minutes in their day to sit, relax, worship and hear the Word. It’s also nice to know personally that I’ll be giving at least one part of my day to God.” In one sense, nearly everything has changed about Chapel since ACU was founded in 1906 – and in another sense, nothing has changed. It’s still a daily meeting for the entire student body, a place to hear announcements, see friends, and maybe even meet the love of your life. It’s still a chance for the campus to take a deep breath, to ask questions, to be challenged and encouraged daily. And while Chapel will continue to adapt to changing times, it will be reserved as a time of worship, a time of prayer, and most importantly, a time to be together in community. 䊱
Chapel at ACU has layers of traditions, regardless of venue
Chapel was held in this room (left) on the North 1st Street campus from 1906-29, and in Sewell Auditorium from 1929-68.
Besides being an important daily tradition itself, Chapel has included many traditions through the years. Some Chapel practices have changed or faded over time, but others have endured – and new ones crop up from time to time. Since the 1906 founding of Childers Classical Institute, each school year has begun with an opening Chapel assembly, including the singing of “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.” Today’s Opening Assemblies are more lavish than the early ones – they begin with a procession of faculty in full regalia, marching into Moody as the Big Purple Band plays. The colorful Parade of Flags features the states and nations represented by ACU’s students, faculty and staff, and a special speaker gives a stirring address to open the semester. It all ends with a rousing rendition of “O Dear Christian College,” with lots of hands waving the “WC” hand sign, and then the Big Purple strikes up “March Grandioso” as everyone heads off to class or lunch. (For the past few years, Opening Assembly has been live-streamed on the university’s website, so alumni and others who can’t attend can still watch the ceremonies from afar.) Chapel isn’t all pomp and circumstance – far from it. For years, students impersonated popular faculty members in Chapel around April 1, affecting their styles of dress and speech. Since it was built in 1968, Moody Coliseum has at times been home to a number of Mexican free-tailed bats. Best-selling author Donald Miller, speaking at ACU’s 2009 Summit, referred to one bat as his girlfriend, explaining she must be upset at him since she kept dive-bombing him. And for years, students have been entertained near the holidays with performances from local elementary school choirs. Around Homecoming and Sing Song, Chapel brims over with joyful preview performances from the cast of the Homecoming musical and the current Sing Song hosts and hostesses, respectively. Saturday Homecoming Chapels often feature alumni praise teams and speakers, and always include the presentation of the Homecoming Court. Periodically, on-campus musical and performance groups, such as the step group Shades, share their gifts in Chapel, and when Dr. Steven Moore, assistant professor of English, leads singing, the entire coliseum joins in the hand motions to “Take the Lord With You.” Chapel also has provided a venue for the ACU community to grieve together. On Sept. 11, 2001, hours after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the campus gathered to pray, mourn and sit in silence as a community. When five students from Nigeria were killed in a car accident driving back to ACU from their Easter holiday in 2002, students, faculty and staff met in Moody to share their sorrow. When other students have died, received word of life-threatening diagnoses or learned of the deaths of faculty members, Chapel has become a place of comfort and prayer. At the end of each school year, Chapel attendance tends to thin out, since many students have obtained their required credits. However, it always swells a bit during the last week, as a few seniors share memories from their years at ACU. And on the Friday before finals week each semester, Chapel ends with the unofficial school song, “The Lord Bless You and Keep You.” Students wrap their arms around each other’s shoulders and sing, needing neither sheet music nor the words which appear on the screens up front. By the sevenfold “Amen” at the end, Moody echoes with the voices of the ACU community, who have come through another semester, together. 䊱
– KATIE NOAH GIBSON
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
43
Hilltop VIEW
For the latest, visit acu.edu/news facebook.com/abilenechristian twitter.com/ACUedu
sick. (David Jr. is now overseeing MMDR’s operations on the ground in Haiti.) As winners of the award, they received $10,000 to further MMDR’s work in Haiti and throughout the world. To learn more about the Vanderpools’ relief work, visit mmdr.org.
Vanderpools are Parents of the Year, People magazine’s “Heroes Among Us”
Each year, Abilene Christian honors a different couple whose love and care have made them heroes to their children. This year’s recipients also were honored as heroes by a wider audience: the readers of People magazine. David M. Vanderpool (’82) and Laurie (Stallings ’81) Vanderpool received ACU’s 2010 Parents of the Year Award in Chapel on Sept. 17, 2010. Their son, David Jr. (’10), nominated them for the award, praising his parents’ missional lifestyle and servant hearts. At the same time, the Vanderpools were in the running for People magazine’s annual “Heroes Among Us” award. The Vanderpools won the online reader vote because of their work with Mobile Medical Disaster Relief, their nonprofit organization providing medical care and aid to disaster victims worldwide. Since the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake in Haiti, the Vanderpools and their three children (David Jr., John Mark and Jacklyn) have made nearly a dozen trips there to set up clinics, perform surgeries, and provide medicine and care for orphans and the
QEP focuses campus on research, creativity
ACU’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is part of its 2011 reaccreditation process with the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, but the university intends it to affect every corner of the campus. The long-term comprehensive research literacy initiative is designed to complement ACU’s existing programs to improve the learning environment, strengthen student learning outcomes and support the university’s mission. A cross-disciplinary planning team selected the theme of Pursuit: A Journey of Research and Creative Expression, and University Marketing began a campaign in February to inform students and faculty of the ways they will be expected to contribute and collaborate. For more information, visit acu.edu/qep and blogs.acu.edu/qep.
Season of Caring unites campus effort to help needy people during holiday season
ACU students, faculty and staff are always willing to lend a helping hand, especially during the holidays. In 2010, the university’s first-ever Season of Caring effort partnered with several community ministries to help Abilene’s needy families during the holiday season. “We saw a chance to bring our ACU family together,” said Nancy Coburn, director of service-learning and volunteer resources in the Center for Service and Leadership. “Many of us have been given so much, and this is a great
Abandon the Ordinary
Bound and Determined
BUILDING A DISTINCTIVE LEADERSHIP BRAND IN BUSINESS, FAMILY AND CHURCH
CHRISTIAN WOMEN AND MEN IN PARTNERSHIP
Dr. Richard S. Lytle ISBN 978-0-89112-541-9 • 224 pages abilenechristianuniversitypress.com This book draws on Lytle’s insights from his years in the business world, explaining how to build a leadership brand that stands apart from others. Lytle is dean of ACU’s College of Business Administration.
44
Students prepared boxed meals to share with Abilene families at Thanksgiving.
Spring 2011
AC U TO D AY
By Dr. Jeanene (Perkins-Warren ’74) Reese ISBN 978-0-89112-678-2 • 191 pages leafwoodpublishers.com Reese, associate professor in ACU’s Department of Bible, Missions and Ministry, explores the challenges and rewards of meaningful partnerships between the sexes – in the workplace, at church and at home.
GARY RHODES
David M. Vanderpool M.D. (’82) and his wife, Laurie (Stallings ’81), were honored Sept. 17, 2010, in Chapel.
GARY RHODES
way to give something to our neighbors who are in the grip of economic hard times. The giving blesses them and us.” The month-long initiative combined several projects, emphasizing three ways to get involved: give, donate or volunteer. The ACU community filled a 23-foot truck with food, clothing, household items and toys for Love and Care Ministries’ Mission Thanksgiving, which distributed those items to families in need. Volunteers also collected money to purchase Thanksgiving meals for Abilene families. After Thanksgiving, the generosity continued, as students, faculty and staff donated toys and bikes to several community projects, including Christmas on the Street and Adopt-an-Angel, which both provide children with Christmas gifts. A gift-wrapping room on campus allowed students, faculty and staff to come by and wrap gifts when they had a chance, and a prayer room in the Mabee Business Building provided a quiet place to pray for those in need. For photos, videos and more information about the initiative, visit facebook.com/seasonofcaring.
tian University Report Abilene Chris le-Learning 2009-10 Mobi
䊳
The 2010-11 Mobile-Learning Report reflects on news, research and the latest developments of ACU’s award-winning mobile-learning initiative. Read it online at issuu.com/abilenechristian.
Texas governor, entrepreneurs, Olympian, pianist among campus speakers
• Elise (Smith ’83) Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell Communications Group, spoke at the October 2010 grand opening for Morris & Mitchell, ACU’s new student-run advertising and public relations agency. Mitchell's Arkansas-based agency counts Walmart, Sam’s Club, Tyson Foods, J.B. Hunt Transport Services and the Walmart Family Foundation among its clients. • Earl Young (’62), Olympic gold medalist, was honored Nov. 17, 2010, at a luncheon
on campus. Young, who ran the second leg of the winning 4x400 relay team at the 1960 Games in Rome, spoke in Chapel and met with the Wildcat track and field team. • Haochen Zhang, the 20-year-old winner of the 2009 Van Cliburn piano competition, visited Abilene Oct. 30, 2010. He presented a master class for students from ACU and Hardin-Simmons University before performing with the Abilene Philharmonic Orchestra. • Darbie (Wilson ’03) Angell, founder and designer of Cru Dinnerware, spoke to ACU business students Sept. 28, 2010. Angell, who began designing dinnerware after being put on bed rest during a pregnancy, has products for sale at Dillards; Bed, Bath & Beyond; and Macy’s. • Lark Mason Sr., president of iGavel Auctions and a regular guest on the PBS series “Antiques Roadshow,” spoke Oct. 11-12, 2010, to students in
1.3 million
the Department of Art and Design and College of Business Administration. Mason is a university professor, former vice president of Sotheby’s, and an internationally recognized appraiser. His son and daughter are ACU students. • Dr. Barry Duncan, speaker, author and researcher in the mental health field, led a Sept. 3, 2010, seminar on campus based on his book The Heart and Soul of Change: Delivering What Works in Therapy. Duncan is an expert in the area of treatment outcomes. • Sean Adams (’94), ESPN Austin radio host and former all-America athlete on ACU’s track and field team, spoke at the Career Center’s Oct. 26, 2010, “Career in Sports” event. • Peggy Nelson, wife of PGA golfer and former ACU trustee Byron Nelson, visited campus Sept. 24, 2010, to discuss her new book, Life with Lord Byron, about her marriage to Nelson. She signed copies of the book and spoke at a luncheon hosted by Women for ACU. • Dr. Margaret Mitchell, professor of New Testament and early Christian literature in the Divinity School at University of Chicago, presented the 20th annual Carmichael-Walling Lectures Nov. 9, 2010, at ACU. Her topic was “Looking for Biblical Literalism – in All the Wrong Places.” • Rick Perry, governor of Texas, spoke at an Oct. 19, 2010, event in the Hunter Welcome Center, hosted by the Taylor County Republican Party and the Republican Women of West Central Texas. • Bill White, former mayor of Houston, spoke to contestants April 24, 2010, in ACU’s second annual Springboard Ideas Challenge, sharing his own experiences as an entrepreneur.
students were represented by the more than 540 educators, administrators, technologists, thought-leaders and policy-makers who attended the 2011 Connected Summit at ACU. Seventy-three universities, 87 K-12 schools and 33 corporations – from nine countries and 29 states. See “The Future of Books,”on pages 30-35, one of the topics discussed; page 29; and visit acu.edu/connectedsummit.
182
Number of events hosted in the Hunter Welcome Center in 2010.
10
Number of days in “In the Land of the Bible” trip to Israel this summer, led by ACU vice president Dr. Gary McCaleb (’64), president Dr. Phil Schubert (’91), and Dr. Brent (’86) and Melinda (Stucker ’93) Isbell. Brent is pulpit minister of Abilene’s University Church of Christ. For more information about the trip, call McCaleb at 325-674-2156.
63
BILL ALBRECHT
GARY RHODES
Earl Young won a gold medal in the 1960 Olympic Games while he was a junior at ACU.
ACU BY THE NUMBERS
Number of national team championships won by ACU. The most recent was the 2011 NCAA Division II men’s indoor title, captured by a total of just four Wildcats (see page 50). Only four universities have won more NCAA team championships than ACU, including USC, UCLA and Stanford.
4
of the top 20 papers published in the world of science over the last decade listed faculty and student collaborators from ACU’s Department of Physics, according to a recent study by Science Watch and Thomsen Reuters. ACU’s Nuclear Physics Research Team works on the PHENIX experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, N.Y., the top-ranked research lab in the world. Few undergraduates are allowed to participate, and most are from ACU. For more information, visit acu.edu/physics.
4
Number of consecutive days the campus was closed – an ACU record – by the after-effects of a Jan. 31 ice and snow storm that brought Texas to a near-standstill the first week of February.
The Church in Exile
Head in the Clouds
GOD’S COUNTERCULTURE IN A NON-CHRISTIAN WORLD
By Karen (Gaskin ’93) Witemeyer ISBN 978-0-7642-0756-3 • 368 pages bethanyhouse.com
By Dr. James W. Thompson (’64) ISBN 978-0-89112-273-9 • 156 pages leafwoodpublishers.com Thompson, professor of New Testament in ACU’s Graduate School of Theology, explores the message of 1 Peter as it relates to Christians today. Since Christians are now a minority group in North America, Peter’s words to the “exiles” have powerful relevance for us.
When Adelaide Proctor becomes a governess on a Texas sheep ranch, she never expects to be attracted to the father of her charge. But as she and Gideon Westcott work together to protect his daughter from the schemes of a rich, greedy uncle, she begins to wonder if love will find her. AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
45
Academic NEWS University to begin its own School of Nursing in Fall 2013 Beginning in Fall 2013, students will be able to earn their Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the ACU School of Nursing. Abilene Christian, which for many years has partnered with Hardin-Simmons and McMurry universities to educate students through the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing, will build its own on-campus nursing school, with its own faculty and facilities. “By taking this step, we believe we will be able to create a more distinctive, compelling on-campus student experience – one that will allow us to increase the reach of our nursing program,” said ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert (’91), who notes a critical shortage of registered nurses in Texas and across the nation. “Having our own School of Nursing will enable us to expand our capacity to educate the nurses of tomorrow,” he said. “Through relationships with practicing physicians, dedication to medical missions, and the mentorship of Christian faculty, ACU has been producing health professions students ready to bring healing in the name of Christ,” said ACU provost Dr. Jeanine Varner. “We look forward to building on our experience and expertise in the field of nursing. We appreciate our friends and colleagues at HSU and McMurry who have helped to make the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing a success. Looking to the future, we plan to continue partnering with these schools in other arenas.” While developing the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, the university also intends to begin planning the Master of Science in Nursing and Doctor of Nurse Practitioner degree offerings, to be offered at a later date.
For the latest, visit acu.edu/news facebook.com/abilenechristian twitter.com/ACUedu
For the past 10 years, ACU pre-health professions graduates have been accepted to medical and dental schools at a rate nearly double the national average. For more information on ACU’s pre-health professions programs, visit acu.edu/healthprofessions. 䊱
Mobile-Learning Initiative introduces iPads to classes With e-readers flooding the market, it seems only a matter of time until textbooks are available in digital formats. In Fall 2010, ACU’s mobile-learning team decided to test that possibility in several classes. Students in Dr. Ian Shepherd’s microeconomics class, as well as those in Dr. Rick Lytle’s senior-level marketing course, received iPads with the preloaded digital textbooks for their courses, to use for the semester. Lytle is dean of the College of Business Administration. George Saltsman (’91), executive director of the Adams Center for Teaching and Learning, collaborated with Shepherd, who designed his course around the use of the iPad. “We all believe that at some point in the future, students will get their textbooks digitally,” Saltsman said. “Student learning is very important at ACU, and we want to make sure platforms for learning are as effective as they can be.” Dr. Scott Perkins, coordinator of mobile-learning research, agreed. “The platform for digital learning is in its infancy. The other angle here is for us to be on the ground floor of research,” he said. Shepherd’s class used the iPad in many ways, including a new Blackboard app for group discussions and uploading files. All testing in the class was done with the iPad, and having the digital textbook on the device proved quite convenient. “Generally we do not carry our textbooks with us 24 hours a day, but
Students excel in academic competitions, win scholarships Graduate student Heather Portillo is one of 10 students in Texas graduate social work programs to receive $5,000 in special scholarship awards from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. Portillo wants to become a licensed clinical social worker, providing therapy and counseling for teenagers. Two ACU English majors won awards in the 2010 Conference on Christianity and Literature student writing contest. Sophomore Jordan Smith won second place in the poetry category for his poem “Bulverde,” and Grant Vickery (’10) received an honorable mention in the nonfiction category for his essay, “Things Fall Down.” The ACU speech and debate team won several awards at Bowling Green State University’s debate tournament. Junior Jeff Craig and junior Jared Perkins won
46
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
we do carry our iPads with us,” said Shepherd, associate professor of management. “The iPad makes mobile learning practical,” Shepherd added. “It allows us to be in touch and online all the time. From an economics perspective, it is truly a productivity enhancer and increases the efficiency of learning.”䊱
Gentry, Hamilton invited by Obama to White House briefing On Sept. 9, 2010, ACU professors Dr. Caron Gentry and Dr. Mark Hamilton received a rare opportunity: a chance to go to the White House for a foreign policy briefing. Organized by Dr. Shaun Casey (’81), professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary, the meeting included about 20 leaders from a variety of Christian universities and Christian non-profit organizations, along with a few ministers. The briefing focused on the state of U.S. involvement in Iraq, particularly the draw-down of more than 90,000 troops, and the ongoing war in Afghanistan. “We started a conversation and expressed our concerns, from a Christian perspective, directly to the White House,” said Gentry, associate professor of political science. “For its part, the administration was able to reach an audience it hadn’t necessarily reached out to before.” “We think this will be something repeated from time to time, especially as it becomes clear that the administration needs to reach out to moderates of all sorts,” said Hamilton, associate professor of Old Testament and associate dean of ACU’s Graduate School of Theology. “I think – I hope – this is the beginning of a larger conversation,” Gentry said. “If it stops here, I think it will be very disappointing. It really felt like the administration was seeking our input
their third tournament together, taking first place in the Open division. Junior Matthew Ray and freshman Sam Groom won second place in the Novice division, and all other ACU debaters finished as quarterfinalists. Two teams of students from ACU’s iSchool earned honors at the regional level of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest. The top ACU team, consisting of junior Nigel Bosch and seniors Daniel Tomkins and Tom Prince, took third place in the contest, which included 69 teams from 30 universities. Several ACU advertising and public relations majors stayed cool under pressure at the Texas Public Relations Association’s crisis competition. When asked to create a plan to navigate a crisis on a university campus, ACU’s team, consisting of juniors Preston Watkins, Amanda McVey and Laura Gasvoda, and senior William Moore, took third place.
UNDERGRADUATERESEARCH
Psychology students research impact of media messages
Digital entertainment degree created for ACU’s iSchool For students who are interested in both art and technology, a new degree from ACU could be the perfect combination. The university is now offering a bachelor’s degree in digital entertainment technology through the School of Information Technology and Computing. “This type of degree is becoming popular from the art and computer science perspective,” said Dr. Brian Burton, assistant professor of information technology. After a minor in this area was introduced in Fall 2009, classes filled up quickly, and students began asking for a major to be created. The new degree offers an interdisciplinary approach covering artistic training, storytelling and technological game development. It will equip students to enter the game development field as level designers, technical artists or graphic artists. “Students can start their own game development companies, work with game developers, or take on any of the numerous new media jobs being created daily,” Burton said. “Ultimately, this new degree will prepare our students to make a difference in an industry where Christian leadership is most definitely needed.” To learn more about the new degree and other majors in the iSchool, visit acu.edu/sitc. 䊱
JEREMY ENLOW
and working to address our concerns. They are clearly trying to find common ground within religion communities.” Hamilton added, “It seems important to bring reasoned discourse to this arena because we must live in a pluralistic world, and we need to do so in ways that promote peace rather than conflict.”䊱
This year, when Dr. Jennifer (Wade ’92) Shewmaker, associate professor of psychology, received a grant to study the effects of media messages on adolescents, she enlisted help from her students. Not only are ACU undergrads part of the target demographic for many movies, TV shows and advertising campaigns, their experience assisting Shewmaker with her research has given them valuable experience. “The psychology department is adamant about students being involved in faculty research in preparation for graduate school,” says Brit’ny Spain (’10), now a first-year graduate student and future school psychologist. “Since Dr. Shewmaker dreams big when it comes to research projects, there were plenty of opportunities to help with various stages of the process.” Shewmaker’s first study looked at the variables influencing adolescent responses to media. She and her student team, which included Spain and seniors Jacob Luedecke and Grace Lozano, conducted an exploratory survey with 300 high school students. They looked at the relationship between media use, self-esteem and related variables, such as parental closeness and religiosity. The second study, an expansion of the first, involved conducting qualitative interviews with high school students to explore their perceptions of how family, peer and church relationships impact the way they respond to media messages.
Faculty members receive grants, awards Al Haley, writer-in-residence in the Department of English, won the Elmer Kelton Prize for his essay “Hemingway Summer Jazz.” Deonna (Moore ’86) Shake, instructor of exercise science and health, received the EDGE award from the U.S. Disc Golf Championship for her work in establishing ACU’s new Wildcat Disc Golf Course. Dr. Carisse Berryhill, special collections librarian, presented a paper as part of the 76th World Congress of the International Federation of Library Associations in Gothenburg, Sweden. Judge Jack Pope (’34), namesake of the Jack Pope Fellows Program, has honored Dr. Mel Hailey (’70), professor and chair of political science and the program’s director, with an endowed fund in Hailey’s name. The Mel Hailey Endowed Fund will benefit the Jack Pope Fellows Program.
“People are overwhelmingly responsive to this topic,” Spain says. “I am passionate about choosing research projects with practical implications for clinicians, teachers and parents, and this study certainly meets that criteria.” Although she admits to dreading entering data and running statistics, Spain says she has come to enjoy even those parts of the research process. However, the most exciting part of the process is “what I call the ‘possibility aspect,’” says Spain. “As you read articles, design survey questions and even run statistics, new questions and possibilities for further research studies continue to surface.” All three of Shewmaker’s students have already presented data from these studies at professional or student research conferences. “These students have been a joy to work with,” Shewmaker says. “Their intellectual curiosity, professionalism and passion for helping children are noteworthy, and these qualities make working with them so much fun.” Shewmaker recently received a grant from the Christian Scholars Foundation to continue and expand her research, conducting interviews and surveys throughout Texas and neighboring states. Her students will go on to do their own research, but will carry with them lessons learned from this project. For more information about ACU’s Department of Psychology, visit acu.edu/psychology. 䊱
Dr. David Dillman (’70), professor of political science, received the 2010 Distinguished Service Award from Phi Eta Sigma. Dillman serves as faculty sponsor of Phi Eta Sigma’s ACU chapter. Dr. Monty Lynn, associate dean of the College of Business Administration and professor of management sciences, received the Johnson Award from the Christian Business Faculty Association. Dr. Colleen (Stockburger ’77 M.Ed.) Durrington, dean emerita of the College of Arts and Sciences, was named a recipient of the 2011 Women of Outstanding Achievement Award from the Abilene branch of the American Association of University Women. She previously taught in the Department of Teacher Education and directed the Reading Clinic, and currently serves as an ACU trustee. ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
47
Campus NEWS Education experts praise ACU for innovation, value in rankings of “America’s Best Colleges” With each new school year comes a new crop of awards and rankings from education experts, reaffirming ACU’s place on select lists of universities. ACU was named one of “America’s Best Colleges” for 2011 by U.S. News and World Report. It also is the No. 1 “Up and Coming” university in the West Region, a designation it also received in 2009. ACU ranked 19th in the category of Master’s Universities – West, up one place from 2010. For the second consecutive year, U.S. News ranked ACU second in the Master’s Universities – West category of A Strong Commitment to Teaching, highlighting institutions with “an unusual commitment to undergraduate teaching.” In the Great Schools, Great Prices category, ACU was listed 12th in the Master’s Universities – West category for the third straight year. Also for the second year, ACU made Forbes magazine’s list of “America’s Best Colleges,” placing it in the top 7 percent of American institutions of higher education. ACU and Pepperdine University are the only two colleges on the list affiliated with Churches of Christ. The Center for Student Opportunity, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping low-income students succeed in college, has included ACU in its 2011 College Access & Opportunity Guide. It lists universities likely to provide a supportive environment for firstgeneration college students or collegebound students from low-income families. ACU is committed to helping these students succeed, providing financial aid, academic counseling and other programs to help them navigate their college years.
For the latest, visit acu.edu/news facebook.com/abilenechristian twitter.com/ACUedu
The Chronicle of Higher Education has again listed ACU as a Great College to Work For, highlighting employee satisfaction in areas such as teaching environment, work/life balance for employees and confidence in senior leadership. ACU was recognized in six of the list’s 10 categories, and was also named to the 2010 Honor Roll, placing it among the top 30 four-year institutions in the survey. “Receiving recognition is always exciting, but when that recognition comes from ACU’s own faculty and staff, that is exceptional,” said Wendy (Kay ’96) Jones, director of human resources. For more information about ACU’s honors and awards, visit acu.edu/aboutacu/choice. 䊱
ACU welcomes freshman class dedicated to academics, service In Fall 2010, the number of students enrolled at ACU fell slightly, from a record 4,838 to 4,728. However, the new freshman class is ACU’s fourth-largest ever, and has stronger academic credentials than any in the university’s history. And its students are committed not just to their studies, but to making a real difference in the world. The average ACT score for this year’s freshman class is 24.7, up half a point from Fall 2009 and up a full point from two years ago. ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert (’91) said this year’s test scores are two years ahead of the university’s goal. “We’ll look back on 2010 as the year we increased our standards, began markedly stepping up our academic quality, and in turn, took a big step toward achieving the goals of our 21st-Century Vision,” Schubert said. Graduate enrollment also has risen to a record 922 students, up from last year’s record of 897.
Freshman Class Profile ACU’s Fall 2010 freshman class was the most academically prepared in history. Most hailed from Texas, and the number of them invited to apply for the elite Presidential Scholar award (requiring a minimum ACT score of 27) is climbing each year. Major gains were seen in the average ACT scores of all freshmen, and interest in the Body & Soul Program for students preparing for pre-health professions continues to surge. 48
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
844 freshmen from Texas States with 5 to 22 freshmen States with 1 to 4 freshmen None
Origin of 2010 ACU freshmen by state
More students applied for Fall 2010 admission than ever before, a sign of increasing demand for the education ACU offers. As the university raises the bar academically, it seeks to hold onto its identity as an institution based on faith and servant-leadership. This year’s class came to ACU with a strong track record of community service, as well as a high level of participation in various church and school groups. “These students are a great fit for us,” Schubert said. “They are drawn to our distinctive programs and to our mission. They’re not just here to learn; they also want to serve others.” 䊱
TOMS Shoes founder Mycoskie inspires students’ philanthropy One for One. That’s the guiding philosophy of TOMS Shoes, the shoe company founded by Blake Mycoskie after a 2006 trip to South America. As he befriended children in Argentinian villages, Mycoskie noticed most youngsters were barefoot. Their lack of shoes also prevented them from attending school. On his return to the States, Mycoskie determined to do something about it. Today, he is the “chief shoe giver” for TOMS, which provides a new pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair purchased by consumers. On Sept. 13, 2010, he visited ACU to speak in Chapel about his company’s philosophy, which has led to more than 1 million children receiving free footwear (see pages 4-5). The next day, ACU hosted the biggest Style Your Sole party ever held at a university, complete with live music and enough art supplies to stock a craft store. Students decorated more than 700 pairs of shoes – the most for a single TOMS Style Your Sole event. Most students
INNOVATIVE ACU
Student-run agency gives students valuable experience JESSALYN MASSINGILL
Volunteers worked at makeshift tabletop studios to create custom designs on TOMS shoes for fellow students at the Style Your Sole party.
There’s a new Morris in the Don H. Morris Center. As of Oct. 12, 2010, ACU’s student-run advertising and public relations agency, Morris & Mitchell, is open for business in its new home. Founded in 2008, the agency spent its first two years in a space not much larger than a closet. Now, it has its own home on the building’s first floor, with several desks, wall space to display finished projects, and an adjacent conference room. Elise (Smith ’83) Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell Communications Group, visited campus for the ribbon-cutting and grand opening events in October. Mitchell’s Arkansas-based company was recently named 2011 Small PR Agency of the Year by PRWeek, and Arkansas Business of the Year. She has helped fund scholarships at ACU, and donated money to the renovation of Morris & Mitchell’s new space. While in Abilene, Mitchell spoke to a crowd of students and faculty, as well as the Abilene chapter of the American Advertising Federation and the Abilene Public Relations Organization. She cut the ribbon to officially open the agency, and encouraged students to “look through the turn” and focus on their eventual goals and priorities. Joyce (Williams ’04 M.S.) Haley, instructor of journalism and mass communication, serves as the managing director for Morris & Mitchell. She oversees the agency’s financial aspects, makes sure the students have the necessary tools to do their work, advises on client relations and provides conflict
painted, colored, embellished or appliqued their own shoes, but a few paint-shy ones enlisted the help of art and design majors and other creative students to make their unique pairs of canvas TOMS. Ten other social justice-inspired businesses also set up booths at the party to sell wares benefiting others in need and to engage students in dialogue about their ministries. Among them were Eternal Threads, Hill Country Hill Tribers, Freedom Stones, Wishing Well, International Justice Mission, Mobile Medical Disaster Relief, and Nothing But Nets. During his time on campus, Mycoskie ate lunch with students from the Honors College and spoke to students from the College of Business Administration about his company’s unique mix of commerce and philanthropy. “Giving fills you up in a way that nothing else can, but it doesn’t just feel good; it’s also better for business,” Mycoskie said. “If you build giving into your life, you will be blessed more than you could ever imagine.” During his Inauguration in August (see pages 20-28), ACU’s Dr. Phil Schubert (’91) wore a black pair of TOMS shoes as part of his academic regalia. The new president received a cheer from the crowd of students when he declared, “I think they’re legit.” Schubert added, “We used to buy shoes because of what it did for our feet. But TOMS’ kind of purposeful philanthropy does good things for our hearts.”䊱
23 t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
t
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2007
2008
2009
2010
Presidential Scholar applicants
2009
2008
166
139
24
23.87
0
23.57
179
23.5
t
24
288
253
200
2010
t
365
300
24.5
24.69
468
400
t
25
500
100
resolution. However, she tries to stay in the background as much as possible. This is a student-run agency, with real clients and real challenges, and the student staff handles as many of the highs and lows as possible on its own. “We believe providing students with this hands-on, real-time, professional work experience gives them a clear edge in their job search, especially in the current economic climate,” Haley says. Students in other areas of ACU’s journalism and mass communication department have had hands-on experiences for years: journalism students write for The Optimist, those interested in radio help produce KACU-FM’s National Public Radio programs, and digital media majors work on a variety of projects. But for advertising and PR majors, Morris & Mitchell is the first on-campus opportunity of its kind. Morris & Mitchell has already completed projects for Christian Village of Abilene, the ACU Opera Theatre, the Purple State of Mind video tour, and The Grace Museum. The university students’ easy familiarity with Facebook helps them land work requiring social media expertise to market products and measure data. They are eager for more clients and more opportunities to put the skills they learn in the classroom into practice. The agency’s spirit and vision are perhaps best summed up in its marketing tagline: “Creative Minds. Now Open.” For more information, visit morrisandmitchell.com.
Average ACT score of entering freshmen
118 100
125
150
175
Body & Soul Program enrollment ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
49
Wildcat SPORTS Carpenter’s freshman heroics power soccer team to 17-3 record, LSC title and NCAA playoff berth
JEREMY ENLOW
It usually takes a while for a fledgling program to find its first truly great player. ACU women’s soccer head coach Casey Wilson (’99) found his in only the Wildcats’ fourth season. And if you’re thinking the player in question is a bruising defender or a goalkeeper with a 10-foot wingspan, try again. Andrea Carpenter is an unassuming 5-4 freshman forward from Amarillo who in only one season helped transform the Wildcats from Lone Star Conference afterthought to conference champions and regional powerhouse.
In her first season, Carpenter set ACU single-season records for goals (21) and points (46), marks that also are good enough to register as career records. She was voted the LSC Offensive Player of the Year, first team NCAA Division II South Central Region, Regional Player of the Year, and third team NCAA Division II all-America. Carpenter teamed with second team all-America forward Ashley Holton (14 goals, 32 points) to form one of the most dynamic duos in NCAA Division II. “It’s always tough to predict how any player is going to make the transition from high school to college,” Wilson said. “When (assistant coach) Thomas Pertuit first saw Andrea play, he used words such as ‘quick’ and ‘relentless.’ “We had a good idea that pairing Ashley and Andrea together could open a lot of
WILLIS GLASSGOW
Carpenter (2) and Holton (9) were named all-America.
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
doors for us offensively,” he said. “Andrea puts a lot of pressure on the defense, wins the ball and makes things happen.” Carpenter said she believed she was part of something special from early in her young ACU career. “From the moment two-a-days started, the coaches and the seniors told us how good we were going to be, and it gave all of us so much confidence,” Carpenter said. “When I came here, I had no idea what God had in store for me in Abilene. But after the way the season went with our team success and some personal awards for me and my teammates, I can’t help but feel like this is definitely where I’m supposed to be playing college soccer.” Carpenter helped transform the Wildcats from a team that had just reached the LSC Post-Season Tournament in 2008 and 2009 to conference champions in 2010. Wilson’s team beat both Angelo State and Midwestern State by identical 2-0 scores in the conference tournament to win the first LSC soccer title in its history. The Wildcats fell to St. Edward’s, 4-3 on penalty kicks, in the regional tournament, ending their season with a 17-3 record. “It was awesome to get so far (in 2010),” Carpenter said. “It was really great to see how much it meant to the seniors, especially the ones who had been here from the start of the program. I’m proud that we were able to put that run together and help them accomplish that in their final season.” That run – propelled by Carpenter, Holton and a strong core of six seniors – has only served to whet Carpenter’s appetite for an even longer post-season run in 2011. “We’re going to come back just as strong,” she said. “We are going to miss all of the seniors, but I think we can definitely make a great run next fall. It’s going to be strange to be the team that everyone wants to beat instead of the underdog, but I think it’s a challenge we can definitely meet.”䊱
Wildcats win 63rd national team championship ACU won its 63rd national team title March 12 with only four student-athletes. Amos Sang (mile, 5,000 meters), Ramon Sparks (triple jump), Nick Jones (shot put) and Desmond Jackson (60 and 200 meters) scored 49 of a possible 60 points to win the 2011 NCAA Division II men’s indoor national track and field championship. Despite having zero points heading into Saturday’s final competition, ACU zoomed to the top of the scoreboard, with Sang’s win in the 5,000-meter run sealing the Wildcats’ record 13th NCAA indoor national title. It was ACU’s 53rd NCAA title overall in track and field, more than any other university.
WILLIS GLASSGOW
LSC Coach of the Year McCasland leaves MSU for ACU Grant McCasland, who led Midwestern State University to consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight tournament the past two seasons, was named March 30 as ACU’s new men’s head basketball coach. He replaces Jason Copeland, who resigned after posting a six-year record of 65-96. McCasland’s MSU teams the past two seasons were 56-12. The previous five seasons, he coached Midland College to a 143-32 record, the National Junior College Athletics Association national championship in 2006-07 and another appearance in the national title game in 2008-09. For more information, see acusports.com.
50
For the latest, visit acusports.com and acusports.blogspot.com facebook.com/ACUsports twitter.com/ACUsports
Football team wins record 11 games in regular season en route to another LSC title In late 2009, head football coach Chris Thomsen (’00 M.Ed.) stood before a group of local civic leaders and told them the 2010 ACU Wildcats could be his best-ever team. The Wildcats proved him right, steamrolling their way to ACU’s first 11-0 regular-season football record and winning a second Lone Star Conference title in the last three years. Along the way, the Wildcats thrilled their fans and provided enough great moments to last two or three seasons. Among the highlights:
Gale had a superb season, one that saw him set a school record for touchdown passes in a season (38) on his way to
JEREMY ENLOW
• A season-opening road win over Washburn (Kan.) led by sophomore quarterback Mitchell Gale, who had to prove he was ready to lead the Wildcats; • A 31-24 road win in front of almost 17,000 fans in Kingsville’s Javelina Stadium over Texas A&M-Kingsville in which the Wildcats jumped out to a 21-0 lead and then hung on for the victory; • A 31-28 come-from-behind win over Midwestern State in the Wildcats’ annual Homecoming game at Shotwell Stadium. The back-and-forth affair wasn’t decided until junior Daryl Richardson caught a 10-yard touchdown pass with 2:40 left in the game. The Wildcats sealed it when senior Kevin Washington recovered a fumble with less than one minute to play; • Richardson’s 23-yard touchdown scamper with one minute to play to give the Wildcats a thrilling 41-34 comeback victory Nov. 6 over rival West Texas A&M in Canyon. ACU trailed 27-13 late in the third quarter, but rallied for 28 points in the final 17 minutes to win; and • Celebrating a second LSC title in the last three years on their home field after a 47-17 win over Southwestern Oklahoma State in the regular-season finale.
Runningback Darryl Cantu-Harkless (left) was LSC Freshman of the Year, tackle Trevis Turner (middle) was an all-America NFL prospect, and Mitchell Gale (right) was a finalist for national player of the year.
See bonus coverage at acu.edu/acutoday
becoming one of eight national finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given annually to the top player in NCAA Division II. He will enter his junior season of 2011 as one of the favorites to win the award. “For the 2010 season to be a special one, we knew the quarterback position had to come along, and it did,” said Thomsen, who has led ACU to five straight NCAA Division II playoff appearances. “Mitchell’s work ethic – along with all of the other guys on the roster – was stellar, and that was a big part of his success.” It was that work ethic, character and heart that Thomsen saw in off-season workouts, and what made him so sure 2010 would turn out the way it did. “We had so many great seniors who had gone through battles in this conference and knew how to win games, and our other guys fed off of that. The Midwestern game was obviously a big one because it showed just how much heart and character we had on that team,” Thomsen said. “To keep coming back
against a team like that showed us something, and it gave us the confidence we would need when we played West Texas and fell behind by a couple of scores late in that game.” And while the Wildcats’ season came to a disappointing end with a home playoff loss to Central Missouri in the second round, the 2010 season was still another building block for an ACU program that’s still pretty new at being a national power. “The exciting thing about 2011 is that we’ll have a lot of guys back who know what it takes to win in our league and at the national level,” Thomsen said. “We’ve got a good core of guys who have been through it and who have been patiently waiting their turn. It should make for an interesting season.” Senior wide receiver Edmond Gates was named first team AFCA all-America and invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, where he turned in the second fastest time in the 40-yard dash, raising his prospects for selection in the NFL Draft. 䊱
Sang, Belledant highlight cross country season Missouri Mule Run, and the LSC (ACU’s 20th straight conference team title) and NCAA regional championship Senior Amos Sang was a dominating force for the meets before running to a ninth-place finish and ACU track and field team last spring, and he showed all-America honors at the national meet. no dropoff in that dominance last fall, proving himself Junior transfer Anais Belledant from France proved one of the top distance runners in the nation. nearly as dominant on the women’s team, winning Sang won four individual championships during the three individual titles and helping the ACU women fall cross country season, helping the Wildcats win three to a third-place finish at the LSC championship meet. team championships, a Lone Star Conference title and a Belledant won three individual titles, including the LSC return trip to the NCAA Division II championship meet. and regional crowns, and she and Sang were voted the He began his season with a first-place finish at the LSC Female and Male Runners of the Year, respectively. Baylor Invitational and then won titles at the Central Amos Sang (192) starred during the cross country and indoor track and field seasons. ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
51
Sports ROUNDUP Basketball
July 2010, earning a spot March 21-26 in the PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla.
• Mack Lankford, a freshman from Weatherford, was the second leading scorer in the Lone Star Conference South Division. She was named Freshman of the Year and first team all-LSC, and second team Daktronics all-Region. • The women’s team finished 11-16, but nearly upset the LSC North Division’s top team, Northeastern State, in the first round of the LSC Post-Season Tournament. • Senior Preston Davis was honorable mention all-LSC.
Track and Field • Amos Sang entered the NCAA Division II indoor championships (see page 50) as the top-ranked athlete in the 5,000 meters and No. 3 in the mile, while Desmond Jackson was No. 2 in the 200 meters and No. 3 in the 60 meters. Ramon Sparks was No. 2 in the triple jump and Nick Jones was No. 7. • The Wildcats figure to be even stronger during the outdoor season, where their strength in the throws will be a big boost to their conference and NCAA title hopes. Also, the men’s team will get national champion hurdler Andrew McDowell back for his final season of eligibility.
Baseball
BRANDON McKKELVEY
• ACU head coach Britt Bonneau is back at ACU for his 15th season at the helm of the Wildcats’ program. He carried an overall record of 592-249-1 entering the season, and won his 600th career game in early March with a victory over Texas A&M International. • ACU returns several key performers from last year, including NCAA Division II all-America performers in senior center fielder Aaron Oliver and senior pitcher / DH Will Calhoun, as well as senior pitcher / third baseman Cameron Watten, senior outfielder Cameron Bankston, senior pitcher Zach Sneed and junior pitcher Aaron Lambrix.
Tennis Mack Lankford
Golf
Senior-powered volleyball team reaches 27-6, regional semifinals
52
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
Alex Carpenter
• First-year head coach Bobby Reeves has the Wildcats playing solid softball in the early part of the season. ACU carried a 14-13 overall record into its first Lone Star Conference South Division series of the season, March 11-12 against Eastern New Mexico. • The Wildcats have been led by transfer Megan Brigance (.418, three home runs, nine RBI), senior outfielder Melissa Mendoza (.381, two home runs, 11 RBI) and transfer third baseman Valentia Nabayan (.359, six home runs, 18 RBI). Junior Brittany Rexroat (8-2, 3.55 ERA) has anchored the Wildcats’ pitching staff. 䊱
work by our senior class really paid off. It was so good to see those young women achieve the goals they set for themselves.” Namely, reach the regional tournament and do some damage once there. ACU won a combined 55 matches in 2008 and 2009, but was left out of the regional tournament. The Wildcats, though, made up for that in 2010, knocking off Truman State, 3-2, in the first round of the tournament before losing to Washburn, 3-1, in the regional semifinals. Seniors Shawna Hines, Ijeoma Moronu and Jordan Schilling left their mark on the program, leading the Wildcats to a 97-35 record in their four seasons together. “We will dearly miss those seniors,” Mock said. “They always will hold a special place in my heart. Their leadership helped the 2010 team set the bar for what this program can achieve and laid the groundwork for future success. I’m looking forward to watching our underclassmen and incoming freshmen build on the success of last season.”䊱
WILLIS GLASSGOW
After two seasons of believing they had been unjustly left out of the NCAA Division II South Central Region volleyball tournament, the ACU Wildcats did something about it in 2010. For the most part, they won games they were supposed to win, dominating lesser opponents and living up to their pre-season billing. And even though they didn’t make a third straight trip to the Lone Star Conference Post-Season Tournament championship match, what they did during the regular season was enough to earn their fourth bid to the NCAA Division II regional tournament, and first since 2006. “The (2010) season was one of our most successful, and I’m proud of the effort they put forth every single day,” said head coach Kellen Mock (’05), who led ACU to a 27-6 record in 2010 and is 115-46 in five seasons. “The years of dedication and hard
Softball
DYANN BUSSE
• Head coach Mike Campbell (’91) returns two of the top golfers in NCAA Division II in defending individual national champion Cyril Bouniol and last year’s NCAA Division II Freshman of the Year, Alex Carpenter. Senior Tyler Sheppard gained invaluable experience last summer by qualifying for the U.S. Amateur. • After finishing third against a strong field in their first tournament of the spring in Florida, the Wildcats won the St. Edward’s Invitational in early March to get their season off to another strong start. • Carpenter picked up where he left off last fall, winning the individual championship at each of the Wildcats’ first two tournaments to run his school-record streak of championships to a remarkable six. He won the prestigious 104th Southern Amateur Championship in
• Both the men’s and women’s teams of head coach Hutton Jones (’81) are off to their usual strong starts with the sixth-ranked women’s team at 9-3 through mid-March and the 13th-ranked men’s team at 7-4. • The women’s team is led by seniors Jaclyn Walker, Lauren White and Natalie Friend; junior Cassie Carver, and sophomores Julia Mongin and Hannah Kelley. • The men’s team is led by senior Bryan Joiner; juniors Eldad Campbell, Jake Hendrie, Nick Plum and John Strha; and freshman Hans Hach.
In 2010, Shawna Hines was voted all-America, and LSC Defensive Player of the Year for the third time. She led the nation in blocks in 2009 and finished second in 2010.
W1
GOLD MEDALLION SOFT FOLD PORTFOLIO Leather portfolio from Mundi® includes 50-sheet 8.5” x 11” note pad, an inside front cover pocket, card pockets and pen loops. $35.99 W2
GOLD MEDALLION PORTFOLIO Leather portfolio from Mundi® includes 50-sheet 8.5” x 11” note pad, an inside front cover pocket and card pockets. $29.99
Show Your True Colors
with high-quality Wildcat merchandise designed just for alumni!
TO ORDER bookstore@acu.edu or call 800-444-4228 campusstore.acu.edu
W3
T-SHIRTS 100% cotton T-shirts from Champion® in black, white, purple or graphite. S-M-L-XL-XXL $16.99
SWEATSHIRT BLANKETS
W5
80% cotton purple or graphite sweatshirt blankets from MV® Sport measure 54” x 84”. $28.99
W4
ACU GOLFING SET Pewter set includes (clockwise from left) Divot tool, cap clip, money clip and removable double-sided ball markers $29.99 AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
53
A CU TODAY BONUS COVE RAGE
Wide
Open By Grant Boone
BC1
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
JEREMY ENLOW
The story behind Edmond Gates’ transformation from walk-on to all-America player, plus a look back at the Wildcats’ amazing Fall 2010 sports seasons
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
BC2
A
father and son
stand at opposite ends of the dirt road, the sky as cloudy as the memories each has of the other. Separated for nearly two decades by bad decisions and squandered opportunities, they are suddenly separated by no more than two steps. en, a full embrace, empty of judgment or scorn. Unconditional love. Relationship restored. ink you’ve heard this one? ink again and think fast. is story isn’t from the Judean countryside but a farm-to-market road outside Abilene. And this family reunion isn’t about a son returning home. It’s a modern-day parable about a Prodigal dad and a merciful son who refused to become a statistic and instead amassed them for himself on the football field. e author of these plot twists is Edmond “Clyde” Gates, a cat-quick wide receiver with a knack for landing on his feet. And while his story rings of a Texas tall tale, it is 100 percent true and in certain chapters, stranger than fiction.
* * * e road to Vernon turns sharply north where Texas Highway 283 splits off 277. It rises immediately after the fork and continues to climb, little by little, past the bait shops along Lake Kemp and on into the town whose still-dwindling population is now less than 11,000 – a couple thousand fewer than 30 years ago. Once inside the city limits, life is even more uphill, especially if you’re from the north side. e black side. South of Highway 287, west of Main Street and north of Wilbarger, it is composed of a handful of city blocks, for decades populated primarily by the roughly 10 percent of Vernon that is African-American. e homes are modest and old and, in some cases, falling down around them. e neighborhood is linked together by dirt roads or streets that have only in recent years been paved. Edmond Gates and his father, Edward, ran these streets as kids but in different directions and in very different definitions of the phrase. Edward entered kindergarten in 1970, just a half-dozen years after the blacks-only Booker T. Washington school closed and the Vernon schools integrated. Blacks were welcome by law only. “My teacher didn’t like us (black kids),” Edward says. “She made us sit in the back of the room and told us we’d never amount to anything. She said the best we could ever hope to be was, like, a waiter.” But waiters didn’t make the kind of money to buy nice cars and fancy clothes like the young men Edward knew who ran the streets, gambling, stealing and selling drugs. Why wait when you can run? Why take orders when you can give them? “I never had hope that I could be anything other than that,” he says. JEREMY ENLOW
BC3
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
So he made crime his career and quickly climbed that ladder, enough to make a name – or at least a nickname – for himself all over north Texas and Oklahoma: Clyde, as in the legendary Texas outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. By the time 16-year-old Yudy Scott fell for Edward Gates and gave birth to Edmond in June 1986, Edward’s own legend as a criminal was growing, along with an addiction to drugs. “What drugs didn’t I take?” Edward answers when asked what hooked him. “I preferred cocaine, but I took everything. And I drank alcohol. at messed me up. You’ve heard the expression ‘honor among thieves?’ I know some people don’t believe that’s true, but it is. I never sold drugs to kids or stole from people who
Edmond Gates’ calling card – his speed – and improved hands and route-running helped him emerge as one of the top wide receivers in college football in 2010.
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
BC4
JEREMY ENLOW
JEREMY ENLOW
BC5
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
In his final game as a Wildcat, Gates caught six passes for 117 yards and one touchdown in ACU's 55-41 loss to Central Missouri in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
In four seasons, Edmond Gates went from raw athlete to one of the greatest offensive threats in ACU history. He finished his career third in catches (157), second in yards (2,885) and tied for first in touchdown receptions (27).
didn’t have a lot. But when you do drugs, you get paranoid.” It was that chemical dependence, he says, that fueled his killing of a man in Wichita County, Texas, on Independence Day 1992. He went to prison with a first-degree murder conviction and a 20-year sentence. Yudy, still only 22 at the time, and 6-year-old Edmond were sentenced to life without Edward. But Yudy chose not to punish Edward further. “He got us into trouble,” Yudy says but quickly adds, “I forgave him for everything. And I taught that to Edmond.” e son listened. Rather than holding a grudge against his absentee father, young Edmond instead clung to the hope that one day they’d be reunited. “He’d always tell me, ‘I’m coming home real soon. Obey your mother and stay out of trouble.’ And my mom, being the good mother that she is, taught me to do what’s right,” says Edmond, “to stay in school and be respectful of others.” Edmond took his father’s advice as well as his nickname, Clyde. Everything else came from his mother. She had help. It doesn’t take a village to raise a child when you have a family the size and strength of the Scotts. e family first came to Vernon in the 1930s, back when the town was booming with opportunities to raise cattle and other crops. To raise her firstborn, Yudy leaned heavily on four family generations. Her grandmother, Helen, served as the matriarch, offering spiritual guidance. Yudy’s mother and aunt – twin sisters Vera Jo and Verna Jo – teamed up to provide encouragement and financial support as best they could. For a time, Yudy shared a home with her older sister, Shelia. And Shelia’s boys, Bernard Scott and Shaylom and Daryl Richardson, were Edmond’s best friends. In time, all four boys would run the football fields of the Lone Star Conference in ACU uniforms. On the streets of Vernon, the older three – Ber Ber, Shay Bo and Clyde – were simply trying to outrun each other, and maybe pick up a couple of bucks in the process. “ey’d always ask me after school if they could race for two dollars,” recalls the Richardson boys’ uncle, Floyd, who played for Vernon High in the mid-1980s with ACU head coach Chris omsen. “Shay Bo won at first, but then Clyde got faster.” So fast, in fact, that his mother couldn’t catch him. Yudy laughs hard remembering, “He was always fast. Like when I’d tell him to clean up the house and he didn’t want to do it, he’d try to leave out the door. I’d try to catch him, but he’d run over to my mama’s house.” Edmond was fast enough to outrun trouble, too. When he was scared by something he saw or heard, he often ran up the block to the Wood Street Baptist Church to sit on the steps and pray. Around age 10, he began hanging out at Rock Creek, a playground and slab of concrete on the corner of Dawson and Antelope. It doubled as the neighborhood basketball court – complete (at the time) with 12-foot high rims to keep contestants from slam-dunking them off the backboards – and de facto drug store. Edmond saw people buying and selling illegal narcotics “literally every day,” but the only thing he shot was hoops. “Night and day, I was out there grinding,” Edmond says. “People thought I was going to the NBA because I could always dribble with both hands.” Edmond kept both hands and his nose clean, even as his peers in Vernon were getting sucked into the vicious cycle of drugs and crime. He poured himself into basketball, dreaming of one day receiving his father’s blessing. “Even though I knew it couldn’t happen,” Edmond says,
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
BC6
JEREMY ENLOW
“I always hoped I’d see him up in the stands or after the game and have him tell me later, ‘Good game.’ ” e dream would come true but in a sport and a city he could have never imagined.
* * * Edmond Gates’ road from high school basketball to the highest level of NCAA Division II football was serpentine, even as he tried to stay on the proverbial straight and narrow. When cousin Shaylom went to play football at Tyler Junior College, Edmond tagged along in hopes of making the basketball team as a walk-on. He would play one season for the Apaches as a backup guard. And while he never gained a scholarship, Edmond grew by six inches and gained two close friends, Shaylom’s football teammates Johnny Knox and Courtney Lane. Knox and Lane caught the attention of ACU’s omsen with their playing ability. Edmond couldn’t catch omsen’s attention at all. e two had first met when omsen was offensive coordinator at Wichita Falls High, which Bernard Scott attended as a senior. But that was several years (and inches) earlier. “He came up to me,” omsen recalls, “and said, ‘Hey, Coach, remember me?’ I said, ‘I’m sorry I don’t.’ He said, ‘I’m Clyde.’ I couldn’t believe how much he had grown.” ey would soon meet again on another recruiting visit. But like the encounter in Tyler, omsen was there to see someone else. He took one of his ACU assistant coaches, Desmond Gant (’04), to Vernon in 2007 to sign Bernard, who had just helped Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, win a junior college national championship. In the house the cousins shared on Lamar Street, Edmond stayed in the background listening to the coaches just as closely as if he was the one being recruited. “e first time I met him, he didn’t say much,” says Gant, a fiery evangelist in coach’s sweats – a veritable T.D. Jakes, if T.D. stood for “touchdown.” (And in fact, Gant has since left coaching for seminary to prepare for a life in full-time ministry.) “e thing that stood out to me most,” Gant remembers about that first meeting with Edmond, “was that he was very respectful. I could tell he was a young man with a lot of potential.”
BC7
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
But in which sport? “Coach Gant said, ‘You ought to come play football,’” Edmond recounts. “‘You look like you could be a good receiver.’ I told him I played basketball.” In fact, Edmond had only played football in ninth grade, taking direct snaps from the center and running as fast as he could until someone caught him. But by 2007, he was running low on options. His time at two-year Tyler Junior College was over. His girlfriend from Childress was pregnant. Staying in Vernon would have meant exposing himself again to the temptations he had so resolutely resisted. Little Clyde needed only to say the word and he would have been set up by the neighborhood’s criminal element to follow in his father’s footsteps. “at was when the temptation was the hardest,” Edmond says. “It would’ve been so easy to fall into that life.” Instead, he again took the long way. As it turned out, the ACU coaches successfully recruited Bernard; and Bernard recruited Edmond to join him in Abilene for what amounted to a family reunion. Not only did those two enroll at ACU in the summer of 2007, Shaylom transferred in from Tyler with Knox and Lane where they were joined by Bernard and Shaylom’s cousin, Aston Whiteside, a bruising fullback and defensive end who had just graduated from Vernon High. Two years later, they would be joined by Daryl. Edmond was the only who wasn’t there to play football. Turns out blood is thicker than basketball. “I came to ACU to hoop,” Edmond says. “But Bernard told me I should play football, so I did.” Little did omsen know. e coach had seen Edmond around campus that summer but didn’t expect to see him where he did shortly before August camp began. “I was walking past the equipment room and did a double take. I looked in there and saw Clyde trying on helmets. I said, ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘I think I’m going to play football. I was like, ‘Were you planning on telling me?’” omsen had cause for concern, and not just because Edmond hadn’t played football since his freshman year of high school. “I didn’t really know anything about him,” omsen says. “I needed to find out what kind of kid he was. I asked him if he was a troublemaker. He said, ‘No, coach, I’m
JEREMY ENLOW
Edmond Gates originally dreamed of playing in the NBA, but a chance meeting with ACU coaches during their recruitment of Gates' cousin, Bernard Scott, pushed him toward a career in football.
AC U TO D AY
䊹
Spring 2011
BC8
a good kid. I’ve never even been to the principal’s office.’” omsen decided to give him a chance. It didn’t take long for him and the other coaches to realize what they had. “He’s just so fast. Coach Collums (offensive coordinator Ken Collums) and I figured if nothing else, we could give him the ball and let him run,” omsen says. Good plan. Edmond didn’t play in ACU’s first two games that year. And there was nothing about his first career catch in the third game – an 8-yard reception for a first down in the first quarter against Southeastern Oklahoma State – that would suggest a star had been born. What happened over the following 10 weeks did. ree carries for 30 yards on end-arounds – plays designed for him to line up as a receiver, go in motion and take a handoff from the quarterback – and a 38-yard catch in game four. Two weeks later, his first career touchdown on a 29-yard run. e week after, a pair of touchdowns – one running, one receiving – against Angelo State. en came the Oct. 27 game against Tarleton State. Having already lost twice that season, ACU needed to win its last three games, beginning with the one in Stephenville, to make the playoffs. With the score tied at 14 late in the first quarter and ACU at its own 27-yard line, Collums called Edmond’s number. e play was designed for him to run right and, if stopped, to simply run out of bounds. omsen should’ve known better. “He hadn’t played football enough to realize if nothing’s there, you just take your couple of yards and go back to the huddle,” omsen recalls. “Instead, he reverses field and heads back left, and we’re screaming, ‘No! No!’ All the sudden, he flew right past me and the other coaches on the bench, down our sideline and into the end zone. We looked at each other and said, ‘What was that?’” What it was, was a 73-yard touchdown and the first inkling JEREMY ENLOW
BC9
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
that Edmond could be not just a gimmick but a game-changer. Later in the half, he showed his speed and inexperience again. Collums called for a halfback pass. Bernard took a pitchout and rolled to his left where he stopped and lofted a perfect pass downfield to a wide-open Edmond, who caught it in stride for 66 yards. Yet with no one anywhere near him, Edmond ran out of bounds at the Tarleton 7-yard line. “He’d had about five of those energy drinks,” omsen says, “not realizing how strong they were. After he made the catch, he just ran out of bounds because he blacked out.” e Wildcats went on to beat Tarleton, 70-63, in what seemed like an Xbox game played in Memorial Stadium. ACU racked up an absurd 715 yards of total offense; incredibly, the cousins from Lamar Street in Vernon accounted for 542 of them. Bernard scored six touchdowns on 283 yards rushing and caught five passes for another 54. Edmond had the 73-yard touchdown run, the 66-yard catch, and another 77 yards in kickoff returns. For good measure, Shaylom, a defensive back, even had three tackles. ere they were: Ber Ber, Shay Bo and Clyde, like they’d done a thousand times, running as fast as they could. Together, they were part of an ACU team that won 10 games, including the Wildcats’ first in the postseason in 30 years. e beginning of Edmond’s football career meant his college basketball days were over. “He’d come out to play with us a few times before the season started,” former ACU men’s basketball coach Jason Copeland recalls. “Phenomenal athlete. Good jump shot. But by the time the football season was over, we had already started our season without him. Besides, one of the football coaches told me, ‘is kid might be able to make some money playing on Sundays.’” e potential Gant saw in Edmond was being realized, on and off the field. “He reminded me a lot of myself,” Gant says, “because of his
situation of not growing up around his father. He was a young man who would really cling to godly men like Coach omsen and the rest of the staff. Clyde really bought into the vision that God had given coach omsen.” Within a few short months, Edmond’s life had changed as quickly as he could run. He had a new university, a new sport, a new son he was helping raise and a new group of men encouraging him to run in the right direction. “On Friday nights, the coaches would talk about stuff other than football,” Gates says. “ings like what it means to be a good husband and father and about what manhood really is.” Over the following three years, Edmond would evolve from all-around athlete to All-America, one of the top five receivers in Wildcat history and a respected leader on a team that produced unprecedented success at ACU. Edmond and his fellow freshmen of 2007 – a hodgepodge of white guys from the sticks, black guys from the inner city and a little bit of everything in between – united to become the winningest class in ACU history: 41 victories, including two undefeated regular seasons, four straight playoff appearances and as many Lone Star Conference championships (two) as the university had earned in its 34 previous years in the league. “Playing at ACU has been one of the best things to have come in my life,” says Bryson Lewis, a linebacker from Dallas who was part of the first full class recruited by omsen. “Coaches here are like that guidance away from home.” Linebacker Casey Carr came from tiny Canadian, Texas, as a walk-on who eventually earned a scholarship and, in December 2010, his college degree. “Coach omsen is the kind of coach you dream of playing for, the kind you willingly go into battle for, the kind you would die for,” says Carr. “He accepted nothing less than the best from us.” For now, their best ranks as the best in total wins in ACU
history. And to think that record-setting football class would be led by a kid who simply followed his cousins and one last hoop dream to Abilene. But then again, to know Edmond Gates is to be routinely and pleasantly surprised by him. Ask the ACU professor who told omsen he didn’t think Edmond would make it in his class. Edmond did make it, and the “it” was a B. Ask the equipment manager who in 2008 gave the No. 8 jersey to Edmond, one of the fastest players ever to wear an ACU uniform, a year after it had been worn by a player named Turtle (Conner). Ask his teammates who parted into two sections on the practice field for a series of warm-up drills and watched in amazement as Edmond burst between them with a perfectly executed full gainer – a complete forward flip of his body. Ask the back judge officiating the game between ACU and East Central University in September. He watched Edmond elevate to make a catch in the back of the end zone, get carried out of bounds in midair by a defender but somehow manage to land first on his right elbow, which cradled the ball, just inside the back line for a touchdown. Ask the opposing coach, Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Bo Atterberry, who took his post the same year Edmond came to Abilene and, not coincidentally, has yet to beat ACU. What does he remember about Edmond? “I remember seeing him in the end zone a lot,” Atterberry says. Ask Edmond’s quarterback for the last two years, Mitchell Gale, whose fourth quarter pass to tight end Ben Gibbs in the West Texas A&M game this season was snared instead by Edmond, who dashed down the sideline for a tying touchdown. Ask omsen about the final play of that same game in Canyon, Texas. With the Wildcats clinging to a perfect season and a 41-34 lead, the Buffaloes were down to one last desperation heave to the end zone. What better time, Edmond
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
BC10
thought, to play his one and only defensive down in four years at ACU? He talked omsen into it and, as the final gun sounded, emerged above a sea of hands and swatted the ball harmlessly to the turf. Ask those who recently saw him participate in December Commmencement. Exactly 50 years after the late ACU Bible professor Dr. Carl Spain (’38) challenged the university’s segregationist admission standards, a poor, black student with tattoos, dreadlocks and blindingly white TOMS shoes became the first in his family to earn a college degree. e player who for four years thrilled ACU fans by how fast he ran, drew one last cheer on the Moody Coliseum stage simply by walking. Ask those who were hanging with him after graduation. ere with ACU vice president Dr. Gary McCaleb (’64) and his wife, Sylvia (Ravanelli ’67), who for three years often shared their dinner table with Edmond, were Yudy and Aunt Shelia and Edmond Jr. (“Dude”) and Shay Bo and other friends and family from Vernon and beyond. And Edward. Two months before Commencement, Edmond received a surprise of his own. He got word that his father, after serving 18 years of a 20-year murder sentence, would soon be a free man. Even better, he would be released at the French Robertson Unit, just a few miles east of the ACU campus. e two had kept up with each other, communicating over the telephone and through Edmond’s press clippings. “Hearing about what he was doing at ACU made me strive to get out and be what I can be,” says Edward, who had already taken steps toward that goal by completing his high school degree, taking college courses and committing his life to God while incarcerated. Still, because his family could rarely afford the cost of traveling, it had been nearly 15 years since Edmond had seen his father with his own eyes, and that was only during a brief visit while Edward was jailed in Denver. But on Oct. 20, Edmond made the 10-minute drive from his apartment on the ACU campus to French Robertson for what would be the greatest reception of his career. He was deliriously tired from a sleepless night in anticipation of the reunion. But who needs to sleep when a dream is coming true? Finally, a little after 10 a.m., the father and the son who years before had taken opposite paths strode toward each other, smiling. Ten days later, Edmond’s secret prayer was answered. After leading ACU to a 33-20 victory over Angelo State with six catches for 124 yards and a touchdown, he looked up in the stands and found his father. Good game.
* * * For the hundreds of NFL hopefuls, such as Edmond Gates, the road to football’s Promised Land comes with no guarantees, only hope. Which is no different than how Edmond has lived the first 24 years of his life. Like Joshua and Caleb in Canaan, Edmond’s former teammates, Bernard Scott and Johnny Knox, have scouted out the giants of professional football and told him he can make it. “ey can teach you how to be a better blocker, a better route runner,” says Bernard, a running back and kick returner for the Cincinnati Bengals, “but they can’t teach speed, and speed is what he’s got. is league loves speed.” Which is why Knox went from potential draft pick to fifth round selection of the Chicago Bears. He brought the 2009 NFL
Combine to a standstill when he ran an unofficial 4.25 40-yard dash, the fastest time that year. But he wasn’t the fastest player on his college football team. “Me,” Edmond answers quickly but not boastfully when asked which of the two are faster. “Clyde’s faster,” omsen confirms. “ey used to race when they were both here.” e old saying goes, “You don’t really know a man until you’ve been a mile in his shoes.” Edmond now knows at least 40 yards worth of Knox. Using the same pair of shoes his former ACU teammate used at the Combine two years ago, Edmond ran a 4.37 at this year’s event in February. It was the second fastest time of any participant, tied for the best mark by a wide receiver and by far the speediest of anyone nursing a leg injury. at’s right. With the entire NFL world watching either in person or on NFL Network’s live coverage, Edmond Gates ran a 4.37 40 with one groin tied behind his back. At ACU’s Pro Day on March 21, Gates further impressed doubters, including scouts from 17 NFL teams who came to Abilene to watch him work out. He improved on his mark in the standing broad jump, now just one inch behind Julio Jones of the University of Alabama, the Combine leader in that event. Edmond’s agent, Vann McElroy, played 11 years in the NFL. He is helping his client navigate the choppy waters of this new voyage. Edmond’s appearance in the most prestigious of the college football all-star games, the Senior Bowl, was cut short because of the same injury that lingered at the Combine. But Edmond’s ability to run through pain solidified, according to multiple scouts and observers, his status as a possible second- or third-round pick in the NFL Draft, which begins April 28 in New York. McElroy believes what Edmond has run from is just as important as how quickly he got there. “He had to make some decisions early on in his life that most don’t have to make,” McElroy says. “I think he’s mature for his age.” Mature enough to see beyond the bright lights and big stage of the NFL. Regardless of where football leads him, Edmond has a bigger dream to help revitalize his neighborhood and city, to give young kids on both sides of Vernon hope that they can have a future past the preordained. Who better? Even when older generations told kids in Vernon to stay with their own kind, Edmond was always the Pied Piper, extending a hand of friendship to people of different backgrounds and leading them into relationship with one another. e story of Edmond Gates seems to have at a thousand points been hanging by a single thread, the weight of one wrong move threatening to drop him into the life he’s tried so hard to escape. Maybe that’s why he didn’t become a wide receiver so much as it became him. at position demands you run the play the right way, even if you’re not rewarded. Your peers are running drug routes? You run drag routes. Your father is convicted of first-degree murder? Be your family’s first degree-holder. “I just want to give all honor to God,” Edmond says, “and follow Christ. I know He’s going to lead me right.” Perhaps, right into the NFL to complete this eye-popping end-around of a young man’s life, or maybe right back to his old stomping grounds to help reverse the fortunes of kids at risk. Wherever God leads Edmond Gates, you get the feeling one way or another, he’ll get there. Fast. 䊱 Scouts from 17 NFL teams came to campus to evaluate Gates at ACU’s Pro Day, including “Mean” Joe Greene of the Pittsburgh Steelers (third from left), a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
BC11
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
ES GARY RHOD
GARY RHODES
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
BC12
Senior midfielder Kendall Cooper
J
ust four years after the first women’s soccer match in ACU history, the Wildcats emerged as a Lone Star Conference and NCAA Division II South Central Region powerhouse. Behind the inspired play of freshman Andrea Carpenter and junior Ashley Holton – along with a stingy defense led by goalkeeper Elliott London – the Wildcats won the 2010 LSC tournament, advanced to the regional semifinals and finished with a record of 17-3-1. Freshman Andrea Carpenter led ACU in scoring with 21 goals and was named first team all-region.
JEREMY ENLOW
BC13
JE
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
Ashley Holton, a junior forward, scored 14 goals and was named second team all-America.
JEREMY EN LOW
EREMY ENLOW
AC U TO D AY
䊹
Spring 2011
BC14
Sophomore midfielder Julie Coppedge was third on the team with five goals and 19 total points, helping the Wildcats score 54 goals on the season. (INSET) Senior midfielder Courtney Wilson was one of four original Wildcats still on the 2010 team. Unfortunately for Wilson, a knee injury cut her final season short.
OW WILLIS GLASSG
JEREMY ENLOW
BC15
Spring 2011
䊹
AC U TO D AY
The Wildcats celebrated their first LSC women’s soccer title win in 2010. ACU outscored its opponents (Angelo State and Midwestern State) 4-0 in two LSC tournament matches. JEREMY ENLOW
Despite their penalty-kicks loss to St. Edward's in the 2010 regional semifinals, the future of ACU women's soccer is bright. The Wildcats return the core of their team in 2011 and should be among favorites to win conference and regional championships.
JEREMY ENLOW
AC U TO D AY
䊹
Spring 2011
BC16
The ACU men's cross country team has been the dominant force in the Lone Star Conference for two decades, and the men won their 20th straight conference title in November 2010. Senior Amos Sang (kneeling at bottom right) won his second straight individual conference title and was named LSC Runner of the Year. Sang went on to win the regional championship and a ninth-place finish at the national meet to earn all-America honors. His teammate, Cleophas Tanui (kneeling, left) finished third at the conference meet to help the Wildcats win the team title.
DANIEL GOMEZ
BC17
Spring 2011
䊹
AC U TO D AY
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
BC18
Senior Romain Rybicki finished sixth at the Lone Star Conference championship meet to help ACU win the team title.
WILLIS GLASSGOW
Senior Cleophas Tanui capped his Wildcat career in 2010 with a third-place finish at the LSC championship meet.
WILLIS GLASSGOW
BC19
Rachel Belcher helped the Wildcats to a third-place finish at the LSC championships.
WILLIS GLASSGOW
Spring 2011
䊹
AC U TO D AY
Anais Belledant, a junior, won the LSC and NCAA Division II South Central Region women’s titles.
WILLIS GLASSGOW
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
BC20
D
despite a loss in the LSC Post-Season Tournament semifinals, the Wildcat volleyball team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament. ere, they beat Truman State (Mo.) before falling to Washburn in the semifinals. ACU finished 27-6, including 13-1 in the LSC regular season.
BC21
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
JEREMY ENLOW
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
BC22
Sophomore Kalynne Allen was fourth on the team in kills with 213 in 2010.
DANNY MEDLEY
Senior setter Ijeoma Moronu – who finished her career No. 2 in ACU history in assists – was an all-LSC and all-region selection in 2010.
WILLIS GLASSGOW
BC23
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
The Wildcats won eight of their nine home matches at Moody Coliseum in 2010.
Senior middle blocker Shawna Hines finished her career as one of the greatest players in ACU history: second in blocks and the Wildcats’ only two-time all-America selection.
JEREMY ENLOW
JEREMY ENLOW
WILLIS GLASSGOW
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
BC24
Senior linebacker Kevin Washington (55) led the Wildcats in tackles in 2010 with 78 and was an all-Lone Star Conference and all-region selection.
BC25
Spring 2011
䊹
AC U TO D AY
F
or the Wildcats, 2010 was one for the ages: their first 11-0 regular-season record and second Lone Star Conference title in three years. Sophomore quarterback Mitchell Gale was a finalist for national player of the year, and the 11-1 Wildcats were ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation in early November. ACU is one of only five universities to make the NCAA Division II football playoffs in each of the past five seasons.
JEREMY ENLOW
The Wildcats’ enthusiastic fans helped ACU rank 12th in NCAA Division II in home attendance in 2010. JEREMY ENLOW
AC U TO D AY
䊱
Spring 2011
BC26
Redshirt freshman Darrell Cantu-Harkless was pressed into duty at running back in 2010 after an injury to Reggie Brown, and responded by earning all-conference honors.
W JEREMY ENLO
Sophomore Mitchell Gale emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in NCAA Division II in 2010, throwing for an ACU single-season record 38 touchdowns and leading the Wildcats to their first 11-0 regular-season record. Gale was one of nine finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy, given annually to the top player in NCAA Division II football.
JEREMY ENLOW
BC27
Spring 2011
䊹
AC U TO D AY
Senior fullback Emery Dudensing became a major offensive force in 2010, catching 26 passes, including six for touchdowns. He was first team all-LSC South Division for the third time, and voted all-region.
JEREMY ENLOW
AC U TO D AY
䊹
Spring 2011
BC28
Senior wide receiver Kevin Johnson provided electric performances to the Wildcats’ kick return game. ACU head coach Chris Thomsen was voted LSC South Division Coach of the Year for the fourth time in six seasons. JEREMY ENLOW
JEREMY ENLOW
Junior running back Daryl Richardson led the Wildcats in rushing touchdowns for the second straight season, finishing with seven.
JEREMY ENLOW
BC29
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
JEREMY ENLOW
Senior defensive back Drew Cuffee was fourth on the team in tackles (41) and had one interception and broke up two passes in 2010. (LEFT) Junior center Matt Webber (61) anchored one of the top offensive lines in the country. The Wildcats allowed just 21 sacks in 12 games.
JEREMY ENLOW
AC U TO D AY
䊹
Spring 2011
BC30
JEREMY ENLOW
JEREMY ENLOW
BC31
Spring 2011
䊱
AC U TO D AY
Junior defensive end Aston Whiteside (here sacking Tarleton State quarterback Casey Page) is one of the dominant defensive forces in NCAA Division II. He was voted LSC South Division Defensive Lineman of the Year for the second straight season and earned all-LSC all-region and all-America honors.
JEREMY EN LOW
AC U TO D AY
䊹
Spring 2011
BC32
EX PERIENCES 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 three times a year. Because of printing deadlines, your news could be delayed by one issue. Births and adoptions: Please indicate whether the addition to your family is a boy or girl. Marriages: Remember to indicate the date and place of your marriage. In Memoriam: A member of the deceased’s immediate family should submit this notification. Please include class year for all ACU exes in the family.
The class years ending in “6” or “1” will celebrate reunions at Homecoming 2011. The class of 1961 will celebrate its Golden Anniversary on campus April 13-15, 2011.
MARRIED John E. Charles and Eugenia (Bennett) Cook, March 8, 2010. John’s first wife, Janis Charles, died in 2004. 2234 Royal Drive West, Chandler, TX 75758. john_charles2001@yahoo.com
1980 Dr. Heather Green Wooten has received two book awards for her book, The Polio Years in Texas: Battling a Terrifying Unknown. The awards are the T.R. Fehrenbach Book Prize and the Ottis Lock Book of the Year. 306 Lago Vista, Kemah, TX 77565. hwooten7758@yahoo.com
MARRIED
1949 Mary Louise (Starns) Stain lost her husband, Charles Allen Stain, July 13, 2010. They were married for 62 years. He also is survived by a daughter, Sandra (Stain ’71) Smart; a son, Gary Stain (’73); five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. 4733 W. Dengar Ave., Midland, TX 79707. mls1219@yahoo.com
1954 Norma (McMurtry) Hill earned her doctoral degree in biblical studies from the Theological University of America. She is a retired Plano ISD school administrator. 1708 Dublin Road, Plano, TX 75094. nkhill3@verizon.net
1959 Gene Shelton is retired from the Shelton Construction Co. He enjoys gardening and sharing his harvest with those in need. 2359 F.M. 779, Mineola, TX 75773.
1960 Leon and Marilyn (Murdaugh) Wood celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Aug. 20, 2010. They also toured Israel and Jordan in March 2010 with a group from LCU. Leon has been retired from the Texas Department of Transportation for 10 years, and Marilyn has been retired from teaching first grade for 16 years. They attended their Golden Anniversary Reunion at ACU in April 2010. 5307 Randolph Road, Amarillo, TX 79106. lmwood@suddenlink.net
1962 Dr. Joe Cash has retired after teaching English for 48 years, 38 of them at McNeese State University. He and his wife, Lydia, plan to retire in West Texas. 1030 Pujo St., Lake Charles, LA 70601. thecashes@gmail.com
1963 Virginia Reynolds May lost her husband, Leon, on May 28, 2010, after a long illness. 202 Parkview Circle, Harlingen, TX 78550. vrmay@swbell.net Nancy Smith retired April 2, 2010, after 42 years of service to the government. She worked for U.S. Magistrate Judge William Sanderson for 31 years. 8502 Bellingham, Dallas, TX 75228. nasmith60@hotmail.com
1967 MARRIED Dr. David Foyt and Candace Baker VanSciver, May 29, 2010, in Redwood City, Calif. 2386 15th St., San Francisco, CA 94114. bombadil2@bigplanet.com
1968 Robert Dobson celebrated 40 years with Gulf Power Company on Aug. 3, 2010. He currently works as a lighting representative. P.O. Box 12883, Pensacola, FL 32591. rpdobson@southernco.com
1974 Jeff Smith earned his Ph.D. in nursing science from Texas Woman’s University. His research centers on the conversion to electronic nursing documentation. 3416 Hasland Drive, Flower Mound, TX 75022. traumacode@gmail.com Judge Steve Smith became chair of the judicial section of the State Bar of Texas at its annual meeting Sept. 21. 3840 Cedar Ridge Drive, College Station, TX 77845. judgeslsmith@suddenlink.net
MARRIED Eugene Edens and Susan (Bell ’80) Adkins, Sept. 18, 2009. Eugene is retired and works as an independent consultant in agriculture management. Susan has retired from teaching to work in church ministry. P.O. Box 956, Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
Melissa (Daniels) Butler and Michael D. Nelson (’82), July 10, 2010, in Conroe. 5831 Cinnamon Creek Circle, Houston, TX 77084. mellienel2010@yahoo.com
1981
Reunion: Homecoming 2011
Paul Waggoner is the senior vice president and CFO of Johnson Products Company. 2610 Allen St., #1604, Dallas, TX 75204. waggoner@texas.net
1985 Nancy Tallant earned her M.Ed. from Lamar University in May 2010, along with a principal’s certificate. 1610 Clearbrook Drive, Allen, TX 75002. nancy@getjp.net Beth (Looper) Dalton earned an Ed.D. in educational leadership from Tarleton State University in May 2010. 4207 Oriole Court, Granbury, TX 76049. bdalton62@windstream.net
1987
1975
Peggy Higginbotham has moved from Texas to work as a recovery support specialist and case manager in outpatient services for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. 2015 Tarkington, Tahlequah, OK 74464. peggyhigg@hotmail.com Elizabeth (Crawford) Beaulieu was named 2010 Arizona Multi-Housing Association Volunteer of the Year in June. 8525 E. Ramona Madera Lane, Tucson, AZ 85747. beaulieu1@cox.net
BORN
1988
To Jim and Heather (Merritt) Fulbright, a girl, Alexandra Grace, July 30, 2010. Jim works with students diagnosed with psychosis or autism. He is a senior member of the Executive Board of Education Austin. 8100 Shiloh Court, Austin, TX 78745. jwf@mail.com
Tom Gosser, sergeant first class, is the detachment sergeant and disbursing manager for the 1130th Finance Detachment in Smyrna, Tenn. 107 Riverside Drive, Centerville, TN 37033. tom.gosser@us.army.mil
1976
To Mark (’86) and Connie (Hill) Hughes, a girl, Peyton Iva, May 20, 2010. She is their eighth child and seventh daughter. Mark is the golf pro at Nutcracker Golf Club, and Connie homeschools and writes a mommy blog at smockityfrocks.com. 8506 Kingsley Circle, Granbury, TX 76049. smockityfrocks@yahoo.com
Reunion: Homecoming 2011
Pam Jones retired from teaching in June 2010 after 34 years, serving 22 of them in the Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. 2102 Maplewood Trail, Colleyville, TX 76034. pam.jones1@att.net
MARRIED Paul Sternberger and Lia (Wood) Turner, March 17, 2009. 24 Monterey Drive, Trophy Club, TX 76262. liaturner@gmail.com
1977
1964
54
Hillsboro, TX 76645. sadkins1507@sbcglobal.net Jim and Melinda Hodges, June 2008. Jim’s first wife, Bonnie, died in May 2007. 20615 Fairway Meadow Lane, Spring, TX 77379.
Dan Wilson, M.D., an ophthalmologist in San Angelo, recently released his first book, Supernatural Marriage. He and his wife, Linda, lead marriage conferences worldwide with Supernatural Marriage Ministries. 911 Live Oak St., San Angelo, TX 76901. lasiktx@yahoo.com
BORN
1990 Jason and J. Jaye (Hackney) Van Sickel run a multimedia production company. Jason has been nominated for seven Emmys and won four. 1204 E. 16th St., Plano, TX 75074. boopsie_la_la@hotmail.com
1992 BORN To Timothy and Denis’ (McGinnis) Thomas, twin sons, Andrew and Zealand, May 10, 2010. Denis’ is an
ACU NEWSMAKERS
1993
Judge Jack Pope (’34), former Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, received the first Lifetime Achievement Award given by the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas. Judge Steve Smith (’74), current chair of the Judicial Section, presented the award. Pope is founder and Pope and Smith namesake of the Jack Pope Fellows program at ACU, which encourages students from all disciplines to pursue careers in public service.
BORN To Doug and Kim (Bartee ’95) Neece, a boy, Bennett Lee, April 29, 2009. They have three other children. 3 Griffin Circle, Albany, TX 76430. To Paul (’91) and Deborah (Brown) Schulze, a girl, Elizabeth, Nov. 11, 2009. 14309 Terisu Lane, Austin, TX 78728.
1994 Christie (Thompson) Gibson is the AVID coordinator and teacher at Wedgwood Middle School in Fort Worth. She also teaches family and consumer sciences. 5154 Winifred Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76133. scammer91@yahoo.com Enrique Elizondo is retired. He and his wife, Emily Carlile, have a new address. 269 Whispering Wind, Georgetown, TX 78633.
BORN To Matthew and Laura (Mark) Bentham, a girl, Astrid Rebecca Norris Mark, July 5, 2010. 481 A Caledonian Road, London, UK. To Dan and Amy (McNamara) Tarnowski, a girl, Piper Jane, April 12, 2010. The family lives in Kerrville. To Donald and Shelley (Thompson) Vinson, a boy, William “Will,” June 4, 2010. 1430 Steeplebrook Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666. shelley_vinson@sbcglobal.net
Former Wildcat all-America distance runner Gilbert Tuhabonye (’01) received his U.S. citizenship this spring after years of hard work. He operates a running club, Gilbert’s Gazelles, in Austin. He has written a book, This Voice in My Heart, about his experiences escaping genocide in Burundi.
ADOPTED By Christopher (’95) and Amy (Huntington) Anderson, a girl, Lillie Hannah Wenyu, Dec. 15, 2009, from China. She was born Jan. 10, 2007. 8304 Campeche Bay Place, Round Rock, TX 78681.
BORN To David and Jennifer (Kildow) Sutera, a boy, Tanner Remington, Feb. 18, 2010. 6769 Wild Stream Drive, Frisco, TX 75035. sutera@grandecom.net
ADOPTED By Mike and Dena Johnson, a boy, Aaron Ro, born April 18, 2007, on April 21, 2010. He is their sixth child. 1328 S. 232nd St., Des Moines, WA 98198. dena@denajohnsoncounseling.com To Miles and Angelica (Lowe) Sharkey, a boy, Jack Alexander, March 20, 2009. 23936 Barona Mesa Road, Eamona, CA 92065. angelicasharkey@hotmail.com
1996
Reunion: Homecoming 2011
BORN To Jeff and Ronda (Barloon) Brooks, a boy, Jackson Wyatt, Dec. 6, 2009. 6510 Lake View Lane, Sachse, TX 75048. To Tucker and Michelle (Boston) Love, a girl, Ava Jane, March 9, 2010. They have two other daughters. 3857 Pinebluff Lane, Rockwall, TX 75032. michelle_mama@yahoo.com To Jeffrey and Amy (Daugherity) Warren, a boy, Henry Scott, May 6, 2010. They also have a daughter, Katie. 2702 Old English Court, Euless, TX 76039. jeffrey.warren@yahoo.com To Brad and Robin (Rye) Mowchan, a girl, Milan Kate, July 10, 2010. 5218 Sandy Grove Drive, Kingwood, TX 77345. robinmowchan@hotmail.com
1997 MARRIED Derick Jungmann and Janis Tidwell, April 8, 2010, in Austin. Janis earned her master’s degree in educational administration from Concordia University in May 2010. 730 Bush Drive, Allen, TX 75013. jan_jungmann@lovejoyisd.net
BORN To Jason and Amy (Webring) Lytle, a girl, Emersyn Marlee, Dec. 2, 2009. 3939 Grayling Lane, Round Rock, TX 78681. jasonlytle11@yahoo.com
STEVE BUTMAN
1995
Nancy Miller (’60) has retired after serving for 40 years at Christian Homes and Family Services in Abilene. She worked at Christian Homes as a social services caseworker before becoming president, a role she held for 32 years. Since 2005, she has served as president emeritus. Miller was honored with fundraising dinners in Abilene, Tyler and Fort Worth. On Nov. 4, 2010, Riverside Church of Christ in Coppell, Texas, sponsored a concert by the Vocal Majority to raise funds for an ACU music scholarship in honor of alumnus Phil Gage (’78). Gage and his daughter, Rachel, were killed in a car accident in April 2010. e concert raised more than $25,000 for the Gage Family Vocal scholarship. Mike Willoughby (’86) has been named president of PFSweb, an international provider of e-commerce solutions based in the Dallas area. He joined the company in 1999 and has served in several roles since then. Dr. Charlie Marler (’55), professor emeritus and senior faculty of journalism and mass communications, was honored with a Native American blanket presented by Dr. Teresa Lamsam (’86), one of the department’s honorees Oct. 7, 2010, at the annual Gutenberg Dinner. Lamsam, a member of the
DANIEL GOMEZ
assistant professor at Lindsey Wilson College. 183 Red Lane, Gray, TN 37615. denisannthomas@yahoo.com To Lance (’93) and Lauri (Galyon) Malone, a boy, Trent Alan, Jan. 28, 2009. 6608 Glen Dale Drive, Arlington, TX 76017. llgmalone@juno.com
Osage Nation, is an Marler and Lamsam associate professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and director of its Native American Studies Program. Dr. omas ompson (’85) was named a 2010 Fellow in both the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America. ompson is professor, department chair and J.A. Love Endowed Chair in the Department of Plant and Soil Science at Texas Tech University. Dr. Steven Charles (’76), a pharmacist in Oswego, Kan., recently received the Bowl of Hygeia Award from the Kansas Pharmacists Association. e award honors a pharmacist with an outstanding record of community service. Dave Smith (’05), director of operations for KACU-FM, won the 2010 NASW/Texas Media Award of the Year. e award recognizes a person who makes a significant contribution in the field of social work. Smith created a seven-part interview series with social workers which aired on KACU in March. Rebecca (Reynolds ’91) McMillon is the new head of St. John’s Episcopal School in Abilene. McMillon has worked as a teacher and administrator at the school for more than a decade. Jay Duty (’04) has been named chief operating officer of North Hills Hospital in North Richland Hills. He previously served in a similar position at Denton Regional Medical Center. David Rogers (’64), recently retired, was honored Jan. 2 for 44 years of service on the ministerial staff of Heritage Church of Christ in Fort Worth. Dr. Heather Green Wooten (’80) won the 2009 T.R. Fehrenbach Book Award from the Texas Historical Commission for her book, e Polio Years in Texas. Dr. Robert D. Hunter (’52), vice president emeritus of ACU, received the 2010 Rotarian of the Year Award for District 5790, which includes Abilene. Jeff Boyd (’83) has been appointed general counsel to Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Boyd was formerly a senior partner at ompson & Knight, LLP, and also is a member of the Texas Supreme Court Rules Advisory Committee. ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
55
BORN TO BE A WILDCAT
Haelyn Avery Rogers, daughter of Mark (’03) and Jenn (Barker ’03) Rogers of Abilene, Texas.
The Alumni Association will send a FREE Wildcat BabyWear T-shirt 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. All will appear on the alumni Web site at acu.edu/alumni and the best will be printed in EXperiences. Call 800-373-4220 for more information.
Isabella and Isaac Anaya, daughter and son of Juan and Brenda (Diaz ’99) Anaya of Pearland, Texas.
Leonard Nowakowski, son of Edward and Cheryl (Johnson ’03) Nowakowski of Crystal Lake, Ill.
Lofton Rains Wood, son of Elliott (’07) and Cherry (Mayfield ’07) Wood of Nashville, Tenn.
Kyndall Graves, daughter of Jason (’00) and Jacquie (Rose ’02) Graves of Lewisville, Texas.
Will Tidmore, son of Dr. Taylor (’99) and Heather (Watts ’99) Tidmore of Abilene, Texas.
Alexis Paige Branch, daughter of Jared (’04) and Samantha (Baggett ’04) Branch of Houston, Texas.
Paisley Grace Schmidt, daughter of Nicholas (’06) and Gaylen (Glasscock ’07) Schmidt of Midland, Texas.
Julianna Grace Belcher, daughter of Nic (’02) and Ashley (Parks ’01) Belcher of Allen, Texas.
Carter Beck, son of Jeremy and Sarah (McMindes ’05) Beck of Keller, Texas, and Grace Beck, daughter of Micah and Lori (Tanner ’02) Beck of Fort Worth, Texas.
Kade Cornell, son of Karlton and Anna (Almand ’03) Cornell of Euless, Texas.
Berkley Schmidt, daughter of Erich (’06) and Ginna (Glasscock ’07) Schmidt of Midland, Texas.
Jude Garrett Thompson, son of Chris (’05) and Jenny (Fullerton ’05) Thompson of San Antonio, Texas.
Graham James McCord, son of Evan (’05) and Annalee (Luttrell ’02) McCord of Houston, Texas.
56
Logan and Nathan Kammerdiener, twin sons of Todd (’04) and Natalie (Drachenberg ’03) Kammerdiener of Porter, Texas.
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
Libby Lewis, daughter of Ricky (’01) and Allison (Bradfield ’01) Lewis of Fort Worth, Texas.
Dylan Robert Dries, son of Dan and Sara Dawn (Bills ’01) Dries of Missouri City, Texas, and Jackson Thomas Newhouse, son of Ryan (’05) and Laci (Bills ’05) Newhouse of Frisco, Texas.
Matthew Clark Stone, son of Bryan (’02) and Courtney (Bellomy ’03) Stone of Farmers Branch, Texas.
Avery Emerson Lee, daughter of Jared (’03) and Stephanie (Wakley ’03) Lee of Austin, Texas.
Ava Kate Jarrett, daughter of Justin (’00) and Aubrey Jarrett of Abilene, Texas.
Charley Richelle Boozer, daughter of Ryan (’02) and Hilary (Katterich ’01) Boozer of Hurst, Texas.
Rayana Prince, daughter of James and Cherese (Archie ’03) Prince of Wichita Falls, Texas.
Jay Garrett Patterson, son of Clint (’04) and Laura (Trammell ’04) Patterson of Hale Center, Texas.
Elisa Lilymae Salcedo, adopted daughter of Danette Salcedo (’00) of Moreno Valley, Calif.
Cash Garrett Carpenter, son of Shaun and Adriane (Anz ’01) Carpenter of San Antonio, Texas.
Seth Perry, son of Greg (’84) and Jana Perry of Nashville, Tenn.
Preston Myles French, son of Cole (’06) and Jeanette French Harper Belle Hughes, daughter of Brent (’01) and Erika (Treat ’01) Hughes of Frisco, Texas. of Frederick, Md.
Levi Douglas Dishman, son of Ty and Charis (Dillman ’02) Dishman of Austin, Texas.
Curtis Michael Tittsworth, son of John Mark and Laura (Sadler ’01) Tittsworth of Burleson, Texas.
John Augustus Stegemoller, son of Josh and Hilary (Stewardson ’00) Stegemoller of Brownwood, Texas.
Juliet Hejl, daughter of Luke (’01) and Sara (Martin ’01) Hejl of Fort Worth, Texas.
Elisa Saab, daughter of Maher (’07) and Maria (del Pinal ’06) Saab of Fort Worth, Texas.
Kinley and Ansley Pittenger, twin daughters of Jason (’07) and Katie (Roseberry ’08) Pittenger of North Richland Hills, Texas.
Holt Bradley Booker, son of Jason (’00) and Leigh Ann (Hess ’02) Booker of Dallas, Texas.
Holden Levi Hughes, son of Darren (’96) and Marla (LaRoe) Hughes of Murphy, Texas.
ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
57
SERVING YOU ADVANCING ACU To help foster relationships with alumni and future students, ACU has assigned personnel from its Advancement and Admissions offices to major markets in Texas. A university relations manager (URM) focuses on establishing relationships with churches and schools, an admissions counselor (AC) reaches out to future students and their parents, and an advancement officer (AO) assists prospective donors who can 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 vision.
DALLAS AREA Doug Fair • URM 214-208-9625, doug.fair@acu.edu Craig Rideout • AC 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 craig.rideout@acu.edu Ben Gonzalez • AC – Collin, Denton, Wise, Parker, Hood and Johnson Counties 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 ben.gonzalez@acu.edu Kayla Stringer • AO 325-674-4972, kayla.stringer@acu.edu Don Garrett • AO 325-674-2213, don.garrett@acu.edu
FORT WORTH AREA Brent Barrow • URM 817-565-4827, brent.barrow@acu.edu David Dietrich • AC – Tarrant County 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 david.dietrich@acu.edu Lance Rieder • AO 325-674-6080, lance.rieder@acu.edu
HOUSTON AREA Carri Hill • URM 713-582-2123 • carri.hill@acu.edu Lauryn Lewis • AC 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 lauryn.lewis@acu.edu Eric Fridge • AO 713-483-4004, eric.fridge@acu.edu
AUSTIN / SAN ANTONIO AREA Tunisia Singleton • URM 512-450-4329 • tunisia.singleton@acu.edu Robert McCall • AC – Austin, Belton, Temple, Waco 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 robert.mccall@acu.edu John Mark Moudy • AC – San Antonio, South Texas 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 johnmark.moudy@acu.edu Don Garrett • AO 325-674-2213, don.garrett@acu.edu Lance Rieder • AO 325-674-6080, lance.rieder@acu.edu
WEST TEXAS AREA Kat Burns, Associate Director of Admissions 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 kathryn.burns@acu.edu Mark Rogers • AO 325-674-2669, mark.rogers@acu.edu
ABILENE AREA Jennifer Rasco • AC 325-674-2650 / 800-460-6228 jennifer.rasco@acu.edu
58
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
To Jared and Betsy (Brednich) Gowens, a boy, Carson Jared, Jan. 29, 2009. They also have a daughter, Kate (2). 429 Emerald Creek Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76131. betsygowens@yahoo.com To Rob and Lacey (Hogue ’98) Conner, a girl, Sadi Blayne, Aug. 22, 2009. The family lives in Coppell.
ADOPTED By Mark and Valerie (Hays) Felty, two boys, Tristan (3) and Lucas (2), April 9, 2010. 11413 Henderson Drive, Frisco, TX 75035. vfelty@yahoo.com
1998 Johny Garner is now an assistant professor at Texas Christian University. He and his wife, Lindsey, have a new address. 224 Clearwood Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76198. johnygarner@yahoo.com
BORN To Shane and Denee Price, a boy, Avery, April 9, 2010. 12804 Peach Tree Way, Euless, TX 76040. shane.price@southernwealth.com To Daniel (’99) and Laura (Richardson) Altman, a boy, Franklin Daniel, Oct. 25, 2009. Daniel began a private practice as a psychologist in May 2010. 2405 Elliott Ave., Mansfield, TX 76063. To Wade and Kelly (Enright) Strzinek, a boy, Will Cullen, April 15, 2010. 1401 Clark Springs Drive, Keller, TX 76248. strz@flash.net To David and Dr. Jeanie (Monzingo) Smith, a boy, Eli Monzingo, Jan. 14, 2010. 165 Roper Road, McRae, AR 72102. jsmith17@harding.edu To Jose and Charlotte (Fulps) Hernandez, a boy, Ayden Miquel, April 18, 2010. 737 Fairview Ave., Seagoville, TX 75159. cdh74@sbcglobal.net To Aaron and Carrie (Kerr ’99) Starck, a boy, Austin Presley, Oct 28, 2010. 360 D Promontory Lane, Wauconda, IL 60084. acstarck@gmail.com
1999 Zane and Jodi (Smith) Williams have a new address. 801 Baker St., McKinney, TX 75069. jodilanee@yahoo.com
BORN To Scott and Alison (Bennett) South, a girl, Chaynee Wryn, Oct. 19, 2010. 234 Lollipop Trail Abilene, TX 79602. ssouth@compasstx.com To George and Sidney (Schuhmann) Levesque, a girl, Julia Michelle, July 15, 2010. 534 Sayles Blvd., Abilene, TX 79605. abilenejungle@suddenlink.net To Justin and Julie (Thigpen) Grimsley, a girl, Jordan Kaylene, June 13, 2010. 3762 Hollow Creek Road, Fort Worth, TX 76116. julie_anne48@hotmail.com To Cody and Chesley (Smith ’00) Walton, a girl, Emerson Layne, Sept. 24, 2009. 3616 Homestretch Court, Keller, TX 76244. cwalton2323@yahoo.com To Elvin Boirie and Darlene Haynes, a boy, Blake Lucas, June 2, 2010. 361 Beaumont Highway, Lebanon, CT 06249. darlene_haynes@yahoo.com To Aaron (’98) and Lorrie (MacLeod) Dickerson, a boy, Hudson MacLeod, Aug. 20, 2010. 6524 Chilton Drive, North Richland Hills, TX 76182. aaronandlorrie@att.net To Tripp and Sara (Cornutt) Boucher, a girl, Caroline Elisabeth, July 9, 2010. 9653 Fieldcrest Drive, Dallas, TX 75238. saraliles@sbcglobal.net To Clinton and Susan (Bates) Brashear, a girl, Eden Hollis, Dec. 31, 2009. 720 Live Oak Lane, Highland Village, TX 75077. sjb95u@hotmail.com To Drew and Heather (Young) Herron, a boy, Hudson Ryan, June 25, 2010. 909 Desert Bluff, San Antonio, TX 78258. heather.m.herron@gmail.com To Grant and Kendra (Bridge) Garrett, a boy, Asher Gryffin Knox, Aug. 25, 2010. 15701 Landing Creek Lane, Roanoke, TX 76262. grantandkendra@yahoo.com
2000 Jacob and Melissa (Sheldon) Ristau have moved to the Dallas area. Jacob is a visiting assistant professor in communication design at the University of North Texas. Melissa has a freelance public relations business. 1808 Murphy Court, Aubrey, TX 76227. jacobandmelissa@mac.com
BORN To Stuart and Melissa (Murdaugh) Herzog, a girl, Amelia Laine, March 13, 2010. 1824 Caddo Lake Drive, Allen, TX 75002. To Gary (’01) and Kimberly (Mahaffey) Bones, a boy, Ethan Carter, Jan. 16, 2010. 1139 Seminole Trail, Carrollton, TX 75007. To Rob and Candice Singleton, a girl, Audrey Lynn, May 5, 2010. They have another daughter, Maddie. The family lives in Richardson. rob.singleton27@gmail.com To Andy and Amy (Forest) Bowman, a girl, Sarah Jane, May 15, 2010. 1020 Huntwood Lane, Charlottesville, VA 22901. forest.bowman@gmail.com To Marcus and Jamie (Vinzant) Weatherall, a girl, Alexis Emmaline, June 3, 2010. 2405 Tanglewood Drive, Grapevine, TX 76051. To John and Rebecca (Bubert) Wagner, a girl, Jenna Grace, June 5, 2009. 4690 Highway 317, Belton, TX 76513. To Chris and Tiffany (Endsley) Newton, a boy, Noah Christopher, April 9, 2010. Chris completed a fellowship in musculoskeletal radiology and joined Southwest Radiology in Houston. 6818 Alden Court, Sugar Land, TX 77479. tiffany.newton@gmail.com To Zack (’97) and Tami (Tate) Pruett, a girl, Carly Lanee, March 27, 2010. 2600 Winfield Drive, Plano, TX 75023. tam.pruett@yahoo.com To T.K. and Lauren (Bloxom) Stohlman, a girl, Summer Lauren, April 16, 2010. 2253 Forest Hollow Park, Dallas, TX 75228. laurenstohlman@gmail.com To John and Lindsay (Legler) Shuttlesworth, a girl, Emily Ruth, Feb. 25, 2010. 1901 Tulane Drive, Richardson, TX 75081. lindsay.shuttlesworth@ey.com To Jared Jackson (’01) and Kristy Bordine, a boy, Franco Desmond Christmas Bordine-Jackson, May 27, 2010. 317 Kimberly Drive, Austin, TX 78745. To Caisson and Tiffany (Sublette) Hogue, a boy, Greyson Gage, Oct. 10, 2009. 174 Avonshire Drive, Summerville, SC 29483. tiffandcaisson@hotmail.com To Roderick and Kamara (Tate) Cox, a girl, Ryleigh Grace, Feb. 17, 2010. 8413 Greenfield Drive, Frisco, TX 75035. kamaratcox@yahoo.com To Tim and Melissa (Lindsey) Russell, a girl, Brooklyn McCarty, and a boy, Tayden James, twins born Feb. 18, 2010. 8708 Muir Drive, Keller, TX 76244. timmelruss2003@yahoo.com To Joshua and Hilary (Stewardson) Stegemoller, a boy, John Augustus “Gus,” Jan. 20, 2010. Hilary is the district representative for U.S. Congressman Mike Conaway. 8675 C.R. 225, Brownwood, TX 76801. To Manuel and Barbara (Blasingame) Carneiro, a girl, Maeleigh Cate, Sept. 15, 2010. The couple were married June 20, 2009. They have moved from Boston to Abilene, where Manny works for Davis-Kinard. 2226 Old Ironsides, Abilene, TX 79601. barblasin@gmail.com
ADOPTED By Danette Salcedo, a girl, Elisa Lilymae, Nov. 20, 2010. She was born July 29, 2009. Danette is a bilingual speech-language pathologist for the Pomona Unified School District. The family also has a new address. 26081 Iris Ave., Unit C, Moreno Valley, CA 92555. dsalcedo2000@hotmail.com
2001
Reunion: Homecoming 2011
Luke and Sara (Martin) Hejl have a new address. 4500 Ranch View Rd., Fort Worth, TX 76109 shejl@photocardcafe.com
MARRIED Ben Martin and Becky Homsher, Aug. 20, 2010. Becky now works for Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. 2491 S. Corona St., Denver, CO 80210. beckymartin4@yahoo.com
BORN To TaKory and Terrienna Cullins, a boy, Trey, Nov. 13, 2010. They have another son, TaKory II. 1726 Hickory Creek Lane, Rockwall, TX 75032. terriennawillie@netscape.net To Matthew and April (Boise) Buckner, a girl, Brooklyn Victoria, Nov. 24, 2010. 15725 Ringdove Court, Roanoke, TX 76262. aprilsbuckner@yahoo.com To Robert and Lauren (Webster) Hance, a girl, Magdalene Kay, Oct. 21, 2010.
To Landon and Jill (Henderson) Horton, a girl, Lucy Mae, May 12, 2010. 400 Tucson Court, Plano, TX 75023. To Sean and Kristy (Savage) Burks, a boy, Kieran Thomas, June 8, 2010. 1235 Overland Crossing, Alpharetta, GA 30004. kristy.burks@gmail.com To Geof and Amanda (McKinney) Vickers, a girl, Paige Brooks, April 25, 2010. 1701 Hickory Bark Lane, Nashville, TN 37211. amanda.vickers@cmt.com To Wes Sutton and Nicholle Barcelo-Sutton, a girl, Amelia Jane, May 15, 2010. 3408 Snowblossom Court, Pearland, TX 77581. nnsutton16@yahoo.com To Stacy and Lori (Evans ’02) Dow, a boy, Eli Kade, April 1, 2010. 826 E.N. 10th St., Abilene, TX 79601. sldowcj5@att.net To Trey (’02) and Vanessa (Pate) Logue, a boy, Sawyer Clinton, July 25, 2010. 5509 Petunia Drive, McKinney, TX 75070. vslogue@gmail.com To Benjamin and Anne (Killion) Bass, a boy, Isaac, June 22, 2010. 3206 Oakfield St., Fayetteville, AR 72704. To Dan and Sara (Bills) Dries, a boy, Dylan Robert, Aug. 2, 2010. The family has moved. 3807 Pimlico Point, Missouri City, TX 77459. saradb14@yahoo.com To Aaron (’00) and Kimberly (Calkins) Watson, a boy, Jack, Nov. 5, 2007, and a girl, Jolee Kate, Nov. 23, 2009. They have another son, Jake (4). 4257 Oldham Lane, Abilene, TX 79602. kjcwatson@yahoo.com To Ryan and Lisa (Parker) Maloney, twins, Eleanor Grace and Luke Ryder, Sept. 1, 2010. 509 Sweetwater Drive, Weatherford, TX 76085. To Jared and Tina Dipprey, a boy, Hudson Michael, April 17, 2010. 234 Creek Bend Drive, Poolville, TX 76487.
2002 Justin Wardlaw was a backup quarterback for the Dallas Desperadoes, formerly of the Arena Football League. He continues to run his business, Helicopter Tours of Fort Worth. 8991 Bazzel Road, Fort Worth, TX 76132.
BORN To Brazos (’01) and Katherine (McGuire) Condra, a girl, Avonlea Joy, June 7, 2010. 602 Lynn Ave., Lufkin, TX 75904. To Joey and Lena (Guerrero) Rodriguez, twin girls, Lola Ruth and Mila Susana, Nov. 1, 2010. 5228 Lake Grove, Grand Paririe, TX 75052. lenarodriguez@yahoo.com To John and Jaime (Lawson ’03) Stratton, a girl, Kara, May 20, 2010. 3207 Chino Valley Court, Missouri City, TX 77459. To Beau and Jill (Hancock ’06) Davis, a boy, Tyce Douglas, May 20, 2010. 3852 Chimney Rock Drive, Denton, TX 76210. youth@singingoaks.org To Chad (’00) and Macy (Pope) Missildine, a girl, Molly, July 15, 2010. P.O. Box 33214, Fort Worth, TX 76162. mmiss@sbcglobal.net To Brian and Tracey (Harper) Shepherd, a girl, Harper Kate, April 22, 2010. 937 Scotia Drive, Allen, TX 75013. tracey.shepherd@sbcglobal.net To Justin and Emily (Pendleton) Livingston, a boy, Cole Michael, Dec. 26, 2009. 133 Greenbrier, Burlington, IA 52601. elivingston27@yahoo.com To Keith and Angela (Gorhum) Rohlack, a girl, Haddie Laura, Oct. 7, 2009. 4312 E. Cordoba Circle, Georgetown, TX 78628. rohlack605@gmail.com To Jason (’00) and Leigh Anne (Hess) Booker, a boy, Holt Bradley, April 8, 2010. 11407 Coral Hills Drive, Dallas, TX 75229. nbleigh80@yahoo.com To Blake and Katy (Wilson ’08) Encalade, a girl, Grace Merritt, June 15, 2010. 2308 Eaton Drive, McKinney, TX 75035. blake_encalade@yahoo.com To Daniel and Casey (Lankford) Westmoreland, a boy, Brady Cole, March 19, 2009. 2148 Sylvan, Abilene, TX 79605. cwestmoreland@tcec.com To Michael and Brooke (Perkins) Hall, a girl, Julia Kate, March 31, 2010. They have another daughter, Audrey Grace. 14636 Southern Pines Drive, Farmers Branch, TX 75234. brookeandmichael@gmail.com To Chris and Kelly (Harris) Baker, a boy, Riley Alan, Aug. 21, 2010. kellybaker2003@gmail.com To Tim and Erin (Prescott) Berg, a boy, Braxton Timothy, Sept. 2, 2010. 6608 Brookshire Trail, North Richland Hills, TX 76182. erinkprescott@charter.net
2003 BORN To Donald and Katie (Legler) Longley, a boy, Ethan Hezekiah, March 1, 2010. They have another son, Coleman. 1513 Roanoak Drive, Abilene, TX 79603. kcl99a@acu.edu To Zach and Dr. Melissa (Weaver) Nieland, a girl, Shelby Jane, Oct. 27, 2010. 15 Viewpointe Lane, Asheville, NC 28806. theprophecy@gmail.com To Dr. Justin and Allison (Brackeen) Brown, a boy, Evan Brackeen, Dec. 14, 2009. 1038 McCabe St., Pittsburgh, PA 15201. alliebrown03@yahoo.com To Marshall and Amanda McCain, a boy, Kelton Marshall, March 1, 2010. Marshall is the chief information officer at Frac Tech Services. 3229 Silent Creek Trail, Hurst, TX 76053. To Steve (’02) and Renae (Moore) Cates, a girl, Alaina Hope, May 25, 2010. 1181 Pleasant Oaks Drive, Lewisville, TX 75067. renaecates@gmail.com To Colt and Kristen (MacKenzie) McCook, a boy, Caleb Trent, July 3, 2010. Colt teaches and coaches basketball in Gail, and Kristen is a stay-at-home mom. P.O. Box 32, Gail, TX 79738. kem99b@yahoo.com To Jarod and Ruth Jackson, a girl, Elizabeth Hope, April 28, 2010. 10412 Black Forest Lane, Fort Worth, TX 76140. TX_Elmo@yahoo.com To Adam and Katie (Epps) Lacey, a girl, Lily Kate, March 5, 2010. 1219 Hillcrest Drive, Euless, TX 76039. lacey.katie@gmail.com To Casey (’02) and Kristen (Trout) Cooper, a boy, Micah Harrison, April 28, 2010. 7510 Sheldon Road, Amarillo, TX 79119. kmcooper129@hotmail.com To Tyron (’04) and Dorie (Peterson) Lofton, a boy, Mathias Jacob, June 8, 2010. 387 Fire Willow St., Grand Junction, CO 81504. poohbeardap@yahoo.com To Toby and Amanda (Crawford) Williford, a girl, Aubrey Jewell, March 18, 2010. 4820 Larkin Road, Fort George G. Meade, MD 20755. amanda.williford@us.army.mil To Scott and Heidi (Weaver) Schlemmer, a girl, Eden Georgia, July 2, 2010. Heidi earned her M.S. as a nurse anesthetist in 2009. 1514 Silas St., Sweetwater, TX 79556. heidiweaver32@hotmail.com To J. Brandon and Katie (Hodges) Ford, a boy, Knox Thompson, May 24, 2010. They have a new address. 16206 Kelley Green Court, Cypress, TX 77429. kah99a@hotmail.com To Jason (’04) and Chaney (Knight) Gipson, a boy, Garrett Knight, Dec. 18, 2009. 19431 Sara Lane, Flint, TX 75762. chaneyknight@hotmail.com To Kenneth and Sarah (Wilson) Nembu, a boy, Nathan, July 20, 2010. The couple were married Aug. 22, 2009, in Abilene. Sarah received her master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner from Texas Woman’s University in December 2009. 7124 Mesa Verde Trail, Fort Worth, TX 76137. sj_dubb@yahoo.com To Chris and Christina (Anderson) Maloney, a girl, Adeleine Sharon, Aug. 26, 2010. 13021 Lauren Lane, Lindale, TX 75771. christina_maloney@att.net To Keith (’05) and Mindy (Mahaffey) Clark, a boy, Carson Robert, Aug. 2, 2010. 690 Edgefield Drive, Hohenwald, TN 38462. mindyaclark@gmail.com
2004 Courtney (McInnis) Parrott is a digital sales manager for the Advertiser Media Network. Her husband, Josh, recently won four writing awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. 211 Titan Drive, Lafayette, LA 70508. parrott_joshua@yahoo.com
MARRIED Nick Scott and Leslie Espinoza (’03), July 17, 2010, in Abilene. 913 Meadow View Drive, Richardson, TX 75080.
BORN To Jeremy and Cari (Leavell) Reedy, a boy, Jackson Guy, March 23, 2010. 1610 Beretta Drive, Abilene, TX 79602. cmreedy@gmail.com To Brian and Jewelie (Rombach) Smith, a girl, Lillie Rose, Jan. 13, 2010. 1704 Idaho, Las Cruces, NM 88001. jewelie_rombach@yahoo.com To Robert and Samantha (Baggett) Branch, a girl, Alexis Paige, Jan. 4, 2010. 15326 Meadow Village Drive, Houston, TX 77095.
To Joey and Callie (Brown) Peacher, a boy, Josiah James, Dec. 22, 2009. 5509 Outley Drive, Mobile, AL 36693. To Ben and Holly (Watts ’01) Grant, a girl, Allie Elizabeth, Feb. 24, 2010. The family has moved back to Abilene, where Ben is an attorney and Holly is a social worker. 2134 Continental Ave., Abilene, TX 79601. ben.holly@sbcglobal.net To Jonathan (’06) and Erin (Bricker) Cogburn, a boy, Noah William, June 9, 2010. 1938 Mimosa Drive, Abilene, TX 79603. To Kenny and Jennifer (Guess ’03) Rigoulot, a boy, Grayson Benjamin, March 9, 2010. Kenny is the pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Pampa. 1825 Evergreen St., Pampa, TX 79065. kjrigoulot@yahoo.com To C.C. and Kimberly (Dickerson ’06) Massey, a boy, Austin Wayne, April 6, 2010. C.C. has completed his orthodontic residency at Baylor College of Dentistry. 6114 77th St., Lubbock, TX 79424. kimberlymassey84@gmail.com To Clint and Laura (Trammell) Patterson, a boy, Jay Garrett, Dec. 7, 2009. 1376 C.R. 180, Hale Center, TX 79041. laura.patterson@hotmail.com To Casey (’03) and Kasey (Lane) McCollum, a girl, Clare Jeannine, Nov. 10, 2009. 774 E.N. 11th St., Abilene, TX 79601. To Ryan and Claudia (Stockstill) Porche, a boy, Kaden Malachi, June 26, 2010. 821 Allen St., #913, Dallas, TX 75204. ryan.porche@gmail.com To Ryan Parrish (’00) and Billy Aaland-Parrish, a boy, Braddock, Feb. 7, 2010. 3921 W. Illinois Ave., Midland, TX 79703. bj_aaland@hotmail.com To Keith and Kimberly (Dowdy) McSpadden, a girl, Brooke, June 11, 2010. 136 Country Club Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15235. kimberlymcspadden@gmail.com To Alan and Kyla (Brown) Muns, a girl, Micah Aniston, Sept. 2, 2009. 24 Lyncrest Drive, Galveston, TX 77550. denae82@yahoo.com To Charles and Alexandra (Campbell ’07) Jones, a girl, Hazel, July 29, 2009. 3900 Swiss Ave., #817, Dallas, TX 75204. 5iveblades@gmail.com
2005 MARRIED Adam Crouch and Kristin Carter, April 10, 2010. 7922 North Glen Drive, #3046, Irving, TX 75063. BORN To Benjamin and Gena (Robinson ’04) Lazcano, a boy, Donovan Zane, Dec. 17, 2010. P.O. Box 295, Cherokee, TX 76832. To Mark and Tara (Conder ’04) Rich, a boy, Jaxon Elliot, May 28, 2010. Mark is the new manager of endowment investments at the Kimbell Art Foundation. 2528 Goldenrod Ave., Fort Worth, TX 76111. To Shane and Amber (Cardot) Davies, a girl, Aspen Taylor, March 18, 2010. 833 Healing Water Trail, Abilene, TX 79602. arc00b@acu.edu To Brad (’07) and Anna (Dismang) Collier, a girl, Audrey Mae, May 27, 2010. 8790 Wildrye Circle, Parker, CO 80134. annacollier2@gmail.com To Javier and Crystal (Contreras) Herrera, a boy, Jonah Enzo, June 8, 2010. 4699 Fossil Vista Drive, #3201, Haltom City, TX 76137. herrera.crystal@gmail.com To Casey and Lindsey Armstrong, a boy, Taos Crawford, April 22, 2010. P.O. Box 698, Panhandle, TX 79068. cl.armstrong@hotmail.com To Austin and Cassie (Teague) Henley, a boy, Elijah “Eli” Chase, Dec. 17, 2009. 10146 Shadyview Drive, Dallas, TX 75238. achenley@sbcglobal.net To Chance and Janaye (Batiste) Wideman, a girl, Kinslee Jordan, Jan. 11, 2010. The family lives in Abilene. c_jwide@hotmail.com To Brett and Jodi (Driggers) Unger, a girl, Micah Leigh, Aug. 4, 2010. Both Jodi and Brent teach and coach at Springdale Har-Ber High School and at Hellstern Middle School. 365 Ketch Court, Springdale, AR 72762. brettunger@gmail.com To Derek (’04) and Mary (Foster) Riedel, a boy, Gavin Joseph, Aug. 10, 2010. 5307 Stormy Breeze, San Antonio, TX 78247. mary.riedel@gmail.com To Lantz and Jessica (Turner) Howard, a girl, Kennedie Danyelle, May 22, 2010. 2816 Fair Timber Way, McKinney, TX 75071. ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
59
JESSALYN MASSINGILL
2010 HOMECOMING (LEFT) Brandon Bolden (’12), Danielle Bryan (’11) and Hailey Mueck (’11) march with the SHADES step team in Saturday morning’s parade around campus.
JESSALYN MASSINGILL
(TOP RIGHT) Ko Jo Kai’s Rebekah Dillon (’13), Tara Holland (’13), Hannah Kelley (’13) and Hannah Thompson (’13) paraded as Legos. (RIGHT) A climbing tower attracted adventurous kids at the Homecoming Carnival. BELOW) A crowd of 13,486 cheered the Wildcats to a 31-28 win over Midwestern State in Shotwell Stadium. JESSALYN MASSINGILL
JESSALYN MASSINGILL
STEVE BUTMAN
STEVE BUTMAN
ACU president Dr. Phil Schubert (’91) accepted the Reunion Class Gift from Dale Freeman (’65).
JESSALYN MASSINGILL
David Allen Sprott (’00) and his wife, Jenna, attended the Reunion Celebration.
STEVE BUTMAN
Kern Rasco (’80) and his wife, Christie (Calhoun ’77), and daughter Jennifer (’09) and son Jason (’13).
Jessica Ellison (’11) was crowned Homecoming Queen at halftime of Saturday’s football game.
GARY RHODES
Dr. John Bailey (’57) was honored as Outstanding Alumnus of the Year at a Sunday afternoon luncheon in the Hunter Welcome Center.
GARY RHODES
60
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
Saturday night was capped by a fireworks display over Faubus Fountain Lake, while bands played at JamFest.
To Joshua and Melissa (Lusk) Bell, a boy, Carter Wilson, Nov. 11, 2010. 5801 Red Drum Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76179. yer_talkin_gibberish@yahoo.com
2006
Reunion: Homecoming 2011
MARRIED Todd Genteman and Juliette Piwiec, Oct. 10, 2009, in Nashville, Tenn. Todd is part of the leadership at August Gate, a church plant in the Soulard area of downtown St. Louis. 1820A S. 9th St., St. Louis, MO 63104.
BORN To Gary and Lisa (Hollingsworth) Vaughn, a girl, Kara Louise, Oct. 15, 2010. 60 Pinewood Drive, Logan, UT 84341. lisa@lisaanddusty.com To Myles and Tami (Gorsline) Rowe, a boy, Adam Hartley, Jan. 15, 2010. 408 Clear Springs Court, McKinney, TX 75070. To Aaron and Christi (Walker) Patton, a boy, Eli, Oct. 1, 2009. 607 Greenside, Baird, TX 79504. To Erich and Ginna (Glasscock ’07) Schmidt, a girl, Berkley Addison, Nov. 19, 2009. 3500 Woodhaven, Midland, TX 79707. To Nicholas and Gaylen (Glasscock ’07) Schmidt, a girl, Paisley Grace, Feb. 17, 2010. 4202 Downing, Midland, TX 79707. To Chris (’04) and Kayla (Dooley) Wilcoxson, a girl, Lily Bryan, July 21, 2010. 3564 Verbena Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45241. kwilcoxson@bellsouth.net To Evan and Kimberly (Hitt) Hardegree, a boy, Dylan James, Jan. 30, 2010. Evan graduated as valedictorian of his class at Texas A&M University College of Medicine in May 2010. The family moved to Rochester, where he is doing a residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic. 4878 10th Street N.W.,
Rochester, MN 55901. evan.hardegree@gmail.com To Matthew and Kay (Norton) Vollans, a boy, Carter Matthew, June 1, 2010. 303 Marcella Lane, Sedro-Woolley, VA 98284. kayvollans@hotmail.com
To David (’06) and Kelley (Fike) Young, a girl, Fiona Leigh, Jan. 27, 2010. They were married April 18, 2009. 2065 Lea Court, Apt. B, Holloman AFB, NM 88330.
2007
2008
MARRIED
Jenna Gillit is a third-grade reading teacher at Buffalo Elementary School in Buffalo, Texas. 247 N. Main Street, Oakwood, TX 75855. jgillit@gmail.com
Josh Bunch (’06) and Lauren Bell, May 31, 2008, in Dallas. 6404 Paradise Valley Road, Fort Worth, TX 76112. laurenkbunch@gmail.com Jordan Gay and Calli Turner (’06), Nov. 15, 2008, in Lubbock. 5405 91st St., Lubbock, TX 79424. jpg02c@gmail.com Ryan Dowdy and Kelly Busch, June 5, 2010, in Pittsburgh, Pa. 4200 Mozart Brigade Lane, Apt. V, Fairfax, VA 22033.
MARRIED Justin McNeese and Kathryn Barkley, July 17, 2010. 3549 Cedar Run, #202, Abilene, TX 79606. kbark1085@yahoo.com BORN To Trent Hunter and Sarah Roper-Hunter, a girl, Heidi Korinne, Jan. 18, 2010. They also have a son, Graham. 817 Race Street, Baird, TX 79504. ser02b@acu.edu To David (’10) and Kristen (Turner) Ayres, a girl, Ava Kate, Oct. 19, 2009. They were married Aug. 9, 2008. 836 Vista Lane, Abilene, TX 79601. kdt02a@acu.edu
BORN To Christopher (’08) and Julia (Armke) King, a boy, Andrew Glenn, March 26, 2010. 1741 N. 3rd, Abilene, TX 79603. To Christopher and Breanna (Howard ’09) Whiteley, a girl, Chloe Renee, Jan. 5, 2011. 9600 Constellation Blvd., Apt. 6109, Fort Worth, TX 76108. chriswhiteley@mac.com To Timothy and Melissa (Cain) Palmer, a girl, Addison, Sept. 20, 2009. 4319 Edgehill, Wichita Falls, TX 76306. To Seth and Amy (Walker) Patterson, a girl, Jillian Rae, March 1, 2010. 12265 S.W. Greenwood Street, Beaverton, OR 97005. amypatterson85@gmail.com To Travis and Lindsey (Lankford) Roby, a boy, Ty Lankford, Feb. 25, 2010. 3214 Boyd Ave., Midland, TX 79705. lindseyroby@yahoo.com
2009 MARRIED Cody Robinette and Jenna Messer, June 26, 2010, in Abilene. 2141 Bunker Hill Circle, Plano, TX 75075. jsm04a@acu.edu
BORN To Cody and Megan (Clark) Forsberg, a girl, Addison Grace, April 13, 2010. 3209 Bridlegate Drive, Arlington, TX 76016. mmc02b@acu.edu
IN MEMORIAM 1938
1941
Geraldine McCaleb “Gerry” Shultz, 93, died Aug. 6, 2010, in Abilene. She was married to Col. V.M. “Dutch” Shultz for 62 years, and together they served tours in more than 30 locations during his 30-year Army career. Gerry also served as a Red Cross volunteer at the Dyess Air Force Base Hospital for 20 years. She was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by three sisters, Maxine Hill (’38), D’Nola Holding (’44) and Robbe Baldwin; two sons, Landon Shultz and George Shultz (’73); eight grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Sanford Rodgers Thompson Sr., 88, died Feb. 18, 2010. He was born April 1, 1921, in Quanah, Texas. He married Elizabeth Maurice Stratton (’43) while they were students at ACU. He worked for Dow Chemical for 43 years. Sanford was an elder for nearly 40 years and served on various community boards and organizations. He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, a brother and a great-grandson. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; two daughters, Sandra Pybus and Donna (Thompson ’73) Willbanks; a son, Dr. Rodger Thompson (’67); 10 grandchildren, eight of whom attended ACU; and 24 great-grandchildren.
1939 Melvin Earl Gililland Jr., 92, died April 24, 2010, in Cedar Hill. He was preceded in death by his wife, Charlexa (’40), and is survived by a son, Melvin “Earl” Gililland III (’70); a daughter, Karen (Gililland ’70) Victory; and six grandchildren. Mary Kathryn Lovelady Maples, 93, died July 30, 2010, in Ponca City, Okla. She was born Jan. 8, 1917, in Bowie and graduated from high school there. She worked as a legal secretary in Haskell and married Carl Maples on April 15, 1939. He preceded her in death. She is survived by two daughters, Kay (Maples ’63) Lyons and Karen (Maples ’66) Ellison; a son, Rodney Maples (’70); 10 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.
She was born July 5, 1920, in Mangum, Okla., and met her husband, Michael A. Celli, D.C., when they both worked for the Navy in World War II. She is survived by two daughters; four grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
1944 Richard Hugh Whitaker, 88, died July 30, 2010, in Abilene. He was born Jan. 8, 1922, in Post City, Texas, and grew up in San Angelo. He married Donna Jayne Kercheville (’43) in 1945. He earned a master’s degree from Hardin-Simmons University and taught English, psychology and social work at ACU. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jayne, and is survived by two sons, Bo Whitaker (’70) and Bill Whitaker (’77), and three grandchildren.
1942 Louise Woosley James, 88, died June 13, 2010, in Rockwall. She was born March 4, 1922, in Brazoria, Texas, and graduated from high school in El Campo. She married Robert James (’42) in 1942. She worked as a civilian secretary at Lubbock Army Air Field, co-owned a cafe with her husband in Abilene, then became a homemaker. She was a member of the University Church of Christ in Abilene and of Women for ACU. She was preceded in death by her husband, and is survived by two sons, Larry James and Robert James (’81); a brother, Harold Woosley (’54); and two grandchildren. Metta “Maxine” Celli, 90, died July 24, 2010.
1945 William D. “Shorty” Lawson, 87, died Aug. 7, 2010, in Goodlettsville, Tenn. He was born Aug. 26, 1922, in Centerville, Tenn. He graduated from Lipscomb University in 1943 and received a master’s degree from ACU. He taught and coached at Abilene High School, then served in athletics administration for the Abilene ISD for 41 years. He married Norma Jean Stewart in 1998. Shorty is survived by three sons, Jimmy Lawson (’69), Don Lawson (’74) and Dr. Bobby Lawson (’80); a brother; two sisters; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Baker
ACU Remembers: 103-year-old Baker and 104-year-old Palmer
PAUL BRYAN
Martha Miller Palmer, 104, died Dec. 15 in Houston. Born in Corsicana, Texas, in 1906 – ACU’s founding year – she attended Abilene Christian on its North First Street campus with her older sister, Louise, and graduated in 1931 with a degree in home economics. She married A.B. “Swampy” Palmer in 1935, and worked as a dietician in the Houston Independent School District. Among her survivors are two daughters, Nancy (Palmer) Edelmon and Diane (Palmer) Andrews; five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
KIM RITZENTHALER
Hattie Bentley Baker, 103, died Oct. 7, 2010, in Fort Worth. A 1928 graduate of ACU, she was born Sept. 19, 1907, and married Forrest M. Baker (’27) in 1928. She worked in several fields during her lifetime, including teaching, accounting, operating family-owned movie theatres, and helping build bombers during World War II. She is survived by a daughter, Grace Baker Pennington; a son, Bert Baker; six grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
ACU TODAY
䊱
Palmer
Spring 2011
61
1948
1955
Roy E. Wilson, M.D., died May 10, 2010. His wife, Sue Oliver Wilson, died March 6, 2010. They were married on Thanksgiving Day 1941, in Zellner Hall on ACU’s campus, and shared 68 years of marriage. They are survived by a daughter, Dr. Judy (Wilson ’73) Davis; two sons, Edward Wilson and Dr. Dan Wilson (’77); four grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Glen Keenon, 75, died Dec. 25, 2009, in Huntsville, Ala. He was born Aug. 10, 1934, in Perry, Okla. and spent his childhood in Atoka, but graduated from Abilene Christian High School in 1953. He served in the Army after graduating from ACU and later earned his master’s degree from the University of North Alabama. He taught school in Morgan County, Ala., for 31 years and preached at churches in Alabama, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. He is survived by his wife, Mary Keenon; a daughter; two sons; a sister, Nona Sue (Keenon ’55) Sheerer; and five grandchildren.
1949 Billie “Jo” Reagan Johnson, 82, died Oct. 11, 2010. She was born Dec. 8, 1927, in Brownwood and graduated from Brownwood High School and then ACU. She married Dr. Lowell Johnson (’49) Aug. 8, 1950. He survives her, as do four sons, Paul Johnson (’77), David Johnson (’79), Scott Johnson and Dr. Robert Johnson (’85); 12 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son, Patrick Johnson. Wanda Davis Potts, 82, died Oct. 21, 2010, in Lubbock. She was born July 3, 1928, in Acuff, Texas, and married J.B. Potts Aug. 5, 1948. He preceded her in death. She is survived by four daughters, Emily Ratcliff, Karen Lehnen, Lisa (Potts ’82) Cobb and Mary Jane (Potts ’90) Poormon; a brother; a sister; eight grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
1950 Joseph Robert Snyder, 84, died Oct. 13, 2010, in Odessa. He was born Oct. 25, 1925, in Victoria and served as a radar operator on the U.S.S. Wren in the Pacific theater during World War II. He married Loyce Ruth Weathers (’50) in 1951. He worked as an analytical chemist and served as a part-time minister and preacher for several West Texas congregations. He is survived by his wife; a son, John Snyder; and a grandson.
1951 John Carl Brogdon, 81, died Aug. 2, 2010, in Pasadena, Calif. He was a property tax expert who served many years as Los Angeles County’s deputy assessor and was active in local politics. He is a native of Valdosta, Ga., who also earned a master’s degree from the University of Arizona. Dr. Malcolm Usrey, 80, died July 16, 2010. He was born in Shamrock, Texas. After graduating from ACU, he earned a Ph.D. from Texas Tech University, and taught English at ACU for several years. He then taught in the Clemson University English department for nearly 30 years. He is survived by his wife, Katie (Cummins ’58) Usrey; a daughter, Bettye Lackey; and four grandchildren. Richard Floyd Daughtry, 80, died Oct. 24, 2010. He was born Dec. 22, 1929. He attended Freed-Hardeman before transferring to ACU, and was a minister in the Church of Christ for 60 years. Richard is survived by his wife, Verna Vaughan Daughtry; two daughters, Dawn (Daughtry ’76) Wylie and Debra (Daughtry ’81) Bomar; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
1952 James Alfred “Jack” Norris, died Nov. 12, 2009, of a brain tumor. He is survived by his wife, Peggy (Hays ’55) Norris; three daughters, Debra (Norris ’79) Mason, Dee (Norris ’81) Vaughan and Dixi Montooth; a sister, Lena (Norris ’51) Armstrong; and five grandchildren. Morris Owen Campbell, former superintendent of Aldine ISD, died Sept. 11, 2010. Among survivors is his wife, Katherine Monette Campbell (’51). Blake Malcolm Sickles, 79, died Oct. 11, 2010. He was born April 9, 1931, in Winfield, Kan. He served in Korea for two years and returned to ACU to earn a master’s degree in administration. He married Maxie Audine Sickles (’55) June 30, 1956. Blake was a teacher and principal until his retirement in 1985. He is survived by his wife, Maxie; a son, Scott Sickles (’80); a daughter, Roberta (Sickles ’83) Meyer; a sister, Allene (Sickles ’51) Forsyth; and six grandchildren. Bettye G. Sanders, 79, died June 17, 2010. She was born Dec. 2, 1930, in Breckenridge, Texas, and attended ACU and Texas Christian University. She married Charles W. Sanders June 1, 1951. They lived in Texas, Nebraska and New Mexico, where Charles worked in the oil business. He survives her, as do a son, Stephen Sanders (’79); a sister, Louise Ballard (’43); and two grandsons.
62
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
1956 Dr. Harold Odes Forshey, 76, died May 20, 2010, in Tucson, Ariz. He was professor emeritus of comparative religion at Miami University, where he taught courses in the Hebrew Bible and the archaeology of the ancient near East from 1966-2003, and served terms as chair of the Department of Comparative Religion and as associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. He also worked as a field archeologist in Israel and Jordan, and was a trustee of the American Center for Oriental Research in Amman, Jordan. He earned a master’s degree from ACU in 1961, and a bachelor’s of sacred theology and a doctorate of theology from Harvard University. He is survived by his wife, Carol; daughters Suzanne Wubbena of Statesboro, Ga., and Elizabeth Mideiros of La Verne, Calif.; and four grandchildren.
1957 Delward Gage, 82, died March 22, 2010. He was born Jan. 22, 1928, near Pritchett. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War and married Jean Marie Johnson on June 15, 1946. She preceded him in death, as did a son. He is survived by two sons; two daughters; eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Barbara Sue Scott, 75, died Aug. 8, 2010. She was born June 12, 1935, in Abilene and lived there most of her life. She was a longtime member of the Highland Church of Christ. She was married to Ray Scott for 42 years; he preceded her in death. She is survived by two sons, Tim Scott (’79) and Phillip Scott (’83); two daughters, Donna Rizzuto and Connie (Scott ’84) Johnson; a brother, Jack Hill (’55); five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
1960 James Delta “J.D.” Barnett, 77, died Sept. 13, 2010. He was born Sept. 14, 1932, near Woodward, Okla. He married Beverly Jo Demuth on June 3, 1958. He preached in Nebraska, New York and Colorado, and did mission work in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Jamaica. J.D. was preceded in death by his parents; a brother; and two sons, Jay Barnett and Ronald Barnett (’94). He is survived by his wife, Beverly; three daughters, Melanie (Barnett ’81) Rankhorn; Tammy (Barnett ’82) Driskell and Quayla (Barnett ’94) Hope; a sister, Velma Edwards; a brother, Herman Barnett (’51); and 10 grandchildren.
1965 Alice Olivia Partridge, 90, died June 30, 2010. She was born Sept. 26, 1919, and earned an undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University. She then earned graduate degrees from ACU and The University of Texas at Austin. She was an educator for 42 years and also worked as a librarian. She was preceded in death by her husband, Herbert Partridge, and is survived by three daughters, four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
1966 Richard D. Williams, M.D., 65, died May 28, 2010. He was born Oct. 7, 1944, in Wichita, Kan. He earned his M.D. from Kansas University School of Medicine. He served at several medical centers and universities as chair of urology and assistant professor. He also cared for patients at the Hospital Lumiere in South Haiti for more than 20 years. Richard is survived by his wife, Beverly (Ferguson ’67) Williams; a daughter; his parents; three sisters; and two grandchildren.
1968 Dr. Leslie Arnold “Les” Jones died Nov. 18, 2005,
after a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn (Novak ’72) Jones.
1972 Mary Elizabeth Ferguson Pricer, 63, died Oct. 13, 2010. She was born Sept. 3, 1947, in Stephenville. She married Grady Foy Pricer (’69) Dec. 30, 1969. He survives her, as do her parents; three brothers, Oliver Ferguson Jr. (’67), James Ferguson (’78) and David Ferguson; a sister, Rebecca (Ferguson ’73) Weyandt; two daughters; and two grandsons.
1973 Randall Alan “Randy” Willis, 59, died Sept. 20, 2010. He was born June 6, 1951, in Sanger and graduated from high school in Plainview. He married Jackie Daniels on May 26, 1973. He worked as a band director for 36 years. Randy is survived by his wife, Jackie; his father, Earl Willis; a daughter, Brandi (Willis ’03) Schreiber; and a sister, Sandra (Willis ’68) Isler.
1975 Vicki Lynn (Hawkins) Varvel, 55, died Dec. 3, 2009, in Hearne, Texas, She was born May 31, 1954, in Flint, Mich., and graduated from high school in Springdale, Ark. She earned an M.S. in physical therapy from the University of Central Arkansas. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Tracy Varvel (’76); three sons, Trent Varvel, Dr. Kyle Varvel (’05) and Adam Varvel; her mother; a brother; and a sister.
1976 Judge Michael S. Line, 56, of Ruidoso, N.M., died May 6, 2010, in Lubbock. He was born Oct. 30, 1953, in Snyder. He attended The University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech Law School. He is survived by his wife, Karan Line; two daughters, Robin Peterson and Carrie Line; a son, Tyler Line; and his mother, Marie Line. Carey Winston Pettus, 66, died April 26, 2010. He was born June 19, 1943, in Graham. He worked in law enforcement for 30 years and also was a rancher. He is survived by his wife, Sherry Pettus (’63); a daughter; his mother; two brothers; and a granddaughter.
1977 Melanie Jo Codrick, 54, died April 9, 2010, in Abilene. She was born Sept. 30, 1955, in Alameda, Calif., and grew up in Mount Holly, N.J. She worked for 22 years as a practice manager for Dr. Charles Taylor. She was preceded in death by her parents and a niece. Among survivors are a twin sister, Cindy Adams (’77); another sister, Marilyn Russo; four nephews; and two nieces. Myrna Gale (McCreary) Powers, 55, died Aug. 21, 2010, in Dallas, of a viral infection. She had accepted a job as the new principal of Abilene Christian Elementary School just before her death. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Stephen Powers (’77); three sons, Brad Powers (’06), Scott Powers (’08) and Trent Powers (’11); her parents, Bill and Ro McCreary; and two brothers, Mike McCreary (’71) and Larry McCreary (’73).
1980 Jack Colley, 62, died May 16, 2010. He directed the DPS Texas Division of Emergency Management. He worked with the DPS for 12 years, coordinating disaster relief for Hurricanes Ike, Rita and Katrina. Jack served in the Army from 1970-97, retiring as a colonel. He is survived by his wife, Patricia K. Colley.
1981 Jeryl Neff, 54, died Oct. 6, 2010. She was born Aug. 26, 1956, in Lima, Ill., and graduated from Shawnee High School. She played volleyball and ran track at ACU, and earned her master’s degree from Dayton University. She taught and coached sports at several colleges before starting her own coaching business. Jeryl is survived by her mother, Jeanne Kennedy Neff; her twin sister, Sheryl Neff (’80); and two brothers, Daniel Neff and Donnie Neff.
1982 Byron Laney Robertson, 49, died May 28, 2008, in Plainview. He was born Jan. 2, 1959, in Plainview to Clara (Laney ’49) Robertson and Fred Robertson.
He worked as a banker and a farmer. He is survived by his parents and a sister, Dr. Susan Devine.
1985 Robert W. “Bob” Mathis Jr., 47, died Sept. 24, 2010. He was born in Athens, Texas, and graduated from high school in Gardner, Mass. He worked as a warehouse manager for Schwan’s. Bob is survived by his parents, R. Wayne and Doris Mathis; four brothers, Gary Cox, Troy Mathis, Stephen Mathis (’93) and Paul Mathis (’97); a grandmother, Pauline Smith; his former wife, Elizabeth Curran; and 18 nieces and nephews.
1986 Bodie Brandt, 47, died June 11, 2010. He was born Feb. 12, 1963, and graduated from Iowa Park High School. He co-owned a business with his father and also worked in the oil fields. He married Toni Gaye Wolfe. She survives him, as do his parents; a sister; and other relatives. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Sierra Brandt. Todd Alan Nance, 46, died Sept. 25, 2010, after a two-year battle with cancer. He was born Jan. 23, 1964, in Dallas and studied computer programming at ACU. He also made guitars as a hobby. Todd is survived by his wife, Kristen M. Nance (’87); his parents, Doyce and Judy Nance (’61); and two sisters, Doyce (Nance ’84) Straetker and Dana Nance (’90).
1993 Trudi Jan Kuhn Cao, 38, died May 11, 2010, in Fort
Worth. She was born Dec. 9, 1971, in Irving, to Don Kuhn (’67) and Marilyn (Vinson ’67) Kuhn. She married Hai Cao (’02) Sept. 12, 1998, in Burleson. Her parents and husband survive her, as do two daughters, Mailee and Tamiah Cao, and a sister, Vicki (Kuhn ’92) Stone.
1999 Cayce Gene “Joe” Bagby, 63, died Oct. 2, 2010, of a brain tumor. He was born Aug. 29, 1947, in San Angelo and graduated from high school in Eden. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas and served in the Army for two years. He married Paula Ruth Bagby (’73) in April 1973. He worked as an insurance agent, a preacher and then a missionary in Thailand, and earned his master’s degree from ACU. He is survived by his wife, Paula, and two daughters, Joy (Bagby ’05) Sembrick and Hope (Bagby ’05) Schitosky.
OTHER FRIENDS Winnie Ruth (Rogers) Cagle, 84, died June 20, 2010, in Abilene. She was born April 6, 1926, in Waco and grew up in Big Spring, where she married Howard Cagle. She worked at ACU for 32 years and was instrumental in forming Women for ACU. She is survived by her husband, Howard Cagle; a daughter, Becky (Cagle ’76) Douglass; a son, Terry Cagle (’79); three sisters; four grandchildren, Michelle Chaney (’02), Paul Douglass, Courtney (Cagle ’08) Drysdale and Carlee Cagle; and three great-grandchildren.
Paul James Verett, 94, died Aug. 30, 2010, in West Lafayette, Ind. He was born Oct. 17, 1915, in Montague County, Texas, and married Argie Hillin June 25, 1938. Paul worked as a plumber and electrician at ACU from 1952-70, when he and Argie moved to Medina and worked with Medina Children’s Home. They returned to Abilene in 1980 and he worked at ACU while she earned a teaching degree. Paul is survived by his wife; two sons, Gary Verett (’62) and Jay Verett (’63); a daughter, Pauletta (Verett ’64) Smith; and other relatives. Walter Clarence “Boat” Boatwright, 104, died Aug. 16, 2010. He was born Oct. 22, 1905, and attended Draughton Business School in Abilene and ACU, then worked for Phillips Petroleum and later as a civilian pilot instructor for the Army. He married Orpha Montzella Thorn on March 2, 1929. She preceded him in death, as did his parents; two sons; and a brother. Among survivors are two grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; two great-great-granddaughters; and other relatives. Vivian Elaine Sallee Moyers, 86, died July 17, 2010. She was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred Moyers (’43). She is survived by two daughters, Monica (Moyers ’68) Harper and Louise (Moyers ’79) Bailey; a son, Bart Moyers (’83); eight grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Dr. Gerald Lynn Moore, 71, died Feb. 11, 2010. He was a member of the music faculty at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., for nearly 40 years. He is survived by his wife, Barbara (English ’61) Moore; two sons, Scott Moore and Brent Moore; and two grandsons.
ACU Remembers: Decker, Duncan, Estes, Faubus, Morris, Nicholson and Woodward William “Bill” Decker (’49), 84, died Nov. 13, 2010, in Abilene. He was born July 20, 1926, in Wichita Falls and attended ACU before leaving to serve in the Navy during World War II. He returned to ACU after the war ended and earned a B.A. in Greek New Testament. He later earned a master’s degree in the same field from Butler University. He married Mary Jo “Jody” Carter in 1949. Bill began teaching at ACU in 1955 as an instructor and barracks supervisor, before beginning 10 years of service as a full-time assistant professor in the Bible department. He also served as director of P.R. and development from 1968-72, worked in the estate planning office from 1973-79, then returned to the Bible department, where he taught Greek and New Testament studies until his retirement in 1990. He was a longtime elder at University Church of Christ. He is survived by his wife, Jody (’50); three daughters, Roma Jo (Decker ’73) Freeman, Lisa (Decker ’79) Webb, Cindy (Decker ’81) Isenhower; a son; Maj. Bill Decker (’78); 13 grandchildren; and a sister, Vera Boatright. Patsy (Powell ’46) Duncan, 84, died Dec. 2, 2010. The first woman to serve as a vice president at ACU, she was born Dec. 5, 1925, in Archer City and earned a B.A. in dramatic arts from ACU and an M.Ed. from West Texas A&M University (1955). Patsy taught school in various Texas districts and held various offices in the Texas State Teacher’s Association in the 1970s and 1980s, including serving as TSTA president from 1971-72. She joined the ACU staff in 1985 as an estate planning counselor, serving in several roles before being appointed vice president for development in August 1989. She wed John Duncan (’46) on Aug. 17, 1947, and they had been married 33 years when he died in 1982. Duncan is survived by two daughters, Diane Duncan (’74) and Nancy Jo (Duncan ’78) Diaz; two sisters, Peggy (Powell ’51) Blanton and Charlotte Powell (’61); three brothers, Joseph Powell (’55), Robert Powell (’59) and Ben Powell (’68); three grandchildren; and many other relatives. John L. Estes Jr., D.D.S. (’48), 87, died Oct. 25, 2010, in Abilene. He was born Aug. 23, 1923, in Elmdale, Texas, and graduated from Clyde High School. He served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps and finished his undergraduate education at ACU. He married June Linn
(’48) in 1947. After he graduated from the University of Texas Dental School in Houston in 1956, he and June returned to Abilene, where he practiced dentistry for 54 years. His children later joined the practice, making it Estes Family Dentistry. John and June took many medical mission trips to Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala and Zambia, raising funds for a hospital in Namwianga. He served as an elder at University Church of Christ and on the boards of various civic organizations in Abilene. He is survived by his wife, June; two sons, Dr. John L. Estes III (’73) and Jay Estes (’80); two daughters, Jill (Estes ’74) Bailey Hoebelhenrich and Dr. Jane (Estes ’82) Weatherbee; two brothers; two sisters; 12 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Dr. A. Overton Faubus, 96, died Aug. 1, 2010. He was born July 3, 1914, in Fort Worth and grew up in Waco. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Arkansas. He joined the ACU business faculty in 1952, and was named chair of the business department in 1969. He retired in 1985 as professor emeritus, but continued to teach and consult. Faubus is known as the patriarch of the College of Business Administration. He received many awards from the university for his dedication to educating students in COBA. Faubus also served as an elder and minister at various churches, most recently as an elder at the Hillcrest Church of Christ. Faubus married Annie Cochran Oct. 29, 1939. They were married for 51 years before her death in 1990. He married Delfa Dee Yancy on Sept. 29, 1991, and she died Jan. 1, 2010. He is survived by a daughter, Ann (Faubus ’65) Griggs; a son, Don Faubus (’68), D.V.M.; two stepdaughters, Billye Wilkerson and Peggye Pullias; seven grandchildren, all of whom attended ACU; and 26 great-grandchildren. Don Thomas Morris (’91), 44, died Nov. 5, 2010, in Abilene. Born May 10, 1966, in Abilene, he was the grandson of ACU president Dr. Don H. (’24) Morris and his wife, Alberta (Allen ’26). He attended Lamar University and Oklahoma University before earning a B.A. in journalism from ACU, serving as managing editor of The Optimist and captain of the golf team. He married Robyn Reynolds (’90) March 25, 1989. He worked at ACU from 1991-95, serving as director of public relations from
1992-95 before leaving to become owner of the Tommy Morris Agency in Abilene. Among survivors are his parents, Tommy (’55) and Martha (Smith) Morris; three sisters, Marka (Morris ’78) Riddle, Melinda (Morris ’80) Stewardson and Patti (Morris ’82) Ensor; his wife; and four daughters, Emma, Michael Ann, Caroline and Katherine.. Novice L. “Nick” Nicholson, 84, died Sept. 29, 2010, in San Antonio. He was born Dec. 3, 1925, in Farmersville, Texas, and graduated from Greenvillle High School. He served in the Navy from 1944-46 while attending Arkansas A&M and Rice universities. He was a first-team all-Southwest Conference guard for the Owls in 1945, before playing two more seasons at Rice as a civilian, including in the 1948 Orange Bowl. He earned a B.S. degree in physical education (1948) and a M.S. in education (1952) from the University of North Texas. He married Helen Terry (’63) in 1952. He taught biology and coached football in Brazosport High School before serving as ACU’s head football coach from 1956-61. In 1962, he began a 35-year career as a life insurance underwriter. Nicholson was a deacon and elder at Abilene’s University of Christ. Among survivors are his wife; twin daughters, Carol (Nicholson ’78) Nelson and Cheryl (Nicholson ’78) Lucas; a son, Lee Nicholson (’86); and five grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers. Robert R. “Bob” Woodward, 83, died Aug. 30 in Kerrville. He was born July 13, 1927, in Houston and served in the Navy during World War II. He became a successful rancher and businessman, and authored a series of commentaries on the New Testament. Bob and his mother, Grace Logan Woodward, gave anonymous donations to countless churches and children’s homes. In 1998, Bob established the Grace L. Woodward Memorial Endowment Trust at ACU in honor of his mother, who died in 1997. The $26.5 million gift is the largest in ACU history. Bob is survived by his wife, Mary Woodward; four daughters, Beverly Carole (Woodward ’73) Starr, Barbara Jeane White, Bobbie Woodward Jones and Bethe Marie Deal; two stepsons, Tom Soyars and Bill Soyars; eight grandchildren; six stepgrandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. ACU TODAY
䊱
Spring 2011
63
Second GLANCE By Dr. Charlie Marler
Undying Gratitude Dr. Charlie Marler (’55) is professor emeritus and senior faculty of journalism and mass communication. He writes about the World War II experiences of Dr. Heber Taylor, his journalism professor in 1951-55. Taylor was one of four 10th Armored Division vets honored in June with the Luxembourg Legion of Honor for their unit’s heroic liberating acts during the Battle of the Bulge.
JEFF TAYLOR
The Kieffers also shared a domesticated rabbit with the medics as a Christmas meal. “This was an act of courage on their part. If the Germans had retaken Bascharage, even briefly, they would have exacted a terrible revenge,” Taylor says. The short holiday respite bucked up the medics’ spirit. Soft-spoken, gentle journalism professor Dr. Heber Taylor “The winter of 1944-45 was historic not only for the Bulge,” saluted the grave of “Old Blood and Guts” George S. Patton III says Taylor, “but for the brutal cold. We had to work night and in June 2010 at the American Cemetery in Hamm, Luxembourg. day in subarctic conditions.” “That moment was emotional and profound,” says Taylor, Trier, the oldest city in Germany at the northern tip of the whose 10th Armored Division was esteemed by General Patton, Moselle-Saar Triangle, fell, and on March 1 the 10th Armored a feeling he didn’t extend to all divisions of his 3rd Army during crossed the Saar River on a Roman bridge. Most bridges had the southern sector of World War II’s Battle of the Bulge. been blown by fleeing Germans, but a drunken Nazi major Taylor, now 86, went to Europe in June for the 65th failed to do his duty to the Trier bridge. anniversary of Germany’s ejection from the Moselle-Saar U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower suggested to Patton Triangle and Luxembourg. In Moutfort, Luxembourg, he and that the 10th might need more armored help at Trier, but it had three other 10th Armored Division survivors were surprised and already fallen. Patton bragged on the Tiger Division and asked pleased when the Luxembourg Legion of Honor was bestowed Eisenhower “if he wanted to give Trier back,” said Taylor. upon them because they “had helped throw the Germans out.” In April, Taylor was operating a radio alone in a truck in Afterward, “people came up to the old vets and cried,” a village deep in Germany. After a couple of hours, an elderly says Taylor’s son, Jeff, who accompanied his father to Europe. woman approached Taylor with an object hidden in her hand. A 20-year-old Tennessean, Taylor first arrived in the “It was probably the only fresh egg I had to eat,” says Taylor, treacherous Moselle-Saar Triangle on Nov. 19, 1944. Germany “until the end of the war.” had annexed the Moselle area in northeast France in 1940, The 10th then earned its “Ghost Division” reputation as it brutalized its citizens and conscripted its youth dashed southeastward through Heidelberg, to fight for Germany in Russia. “The Germans Stuttgart, Ulm and on to the Austrian border, could not trust them,” says Taylor, “to be loyal advancing “swiftly . . . in the trust that the on the Western Front.” medics will care for the wounded,” according In late 1944, German dictator Adolf Hitler to Terrify and Destroy. The toll of such combat ordered his generals to hold the triangle at all was steep. In 124 days, 710 men of the 10th costs and to finagle a way out of a crushing Armored died. The Tigers had 4,697 battle defeat in the Battle of the Bulge, which and 3,694 non-battle casualties for a total of included Luxembourg. 8,381, reportedly 78.5 percent of the division’s The Allies saw the triangle in northeastern authorized strength. Helen Patton, the grandaughter of France, Luxembourg and Germany as the key Finally, in the mural-festooned Olympic the late Gen. George S. Patton, uses to controlling the industrial Saar Basin and city of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the 10th her smart phone to take a photo of as a gateway to Munich and Berlin. The Armored enjoyed a summer of R&R among Dr. Heber Taylor in Yutz, France. north-running Moselle and Saar Rivers formed the Bavarian Alps. On July 14, Taylor turned the vertical legs of the triangle, and the latest part of a corner and almost ran into Patton. They exchanged salutes, Hitler’s Siegfried Line, the Switch Line, formed its bottom. and the general gave the medic “a nice smile,” says Taylor. The Siegfried Line was pooh-poohed in a British ditty of Sixty-five years passed; each year was celebrated by the the time. “We’re going to hang out the washing on the Siegfried inhabitants of the Moselle-Saar Triangle and Luxembourg. Line,” sang the Allies during their liberating advance across Unbeknown to Taylor, the French Moselle area and Luxembourg France, “if the Siegfried Line’s still there …” began to plan an all-out 2010 “salute” together. Taylor handled 80th Medical Battalion Morse Code Commemoration promoters invited all survivors of the messages from a radio mounted in a halftrack. The 10th Division, 10th, 80th and 90th Infantry Divisions to remember the 65th known as the “Tiger Division,” was a part of Patton’s 3rd Army, anniversary of German eviction. Taylor – founding chair of a division the general described in November 1944 as “looking ACU’s Department of Journalism and Mass Communication in fine and moving right into action, with beautiful discipline.” 1956 and a former Fulbright scholar – relished the opportunity The 10th Armored went into action Nov. 8 at Metz, France, to return. The 10th Armored’s five veterans and about 50 other a Roman fortress city that had not been captured since Caesar’s veterans represented thousands. Their French hosts pressed troops left. Metz fell to several United States infantry divisions them with gifts and visits to Metz, Thionville and Moufort, as well and the Tiger Division. Taylor crossed the flooding Moselle as to a number of battlefields, monuments and Patton’s grave. River Nov. 19 on a pontoon bridge at Malling, France. After Patton’s granddaughter, Helen, sang Glenn Miller’s the Metz success, his medical battalion was assigned to Battle “There’ll Be Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover” to them of the Bulge action in southwestern Luxembourg. at an American-like Army camp at Yutz, France. And at Terville, During Christmas week of 1944, Taylor and the driver of France, Taylor helped a fellow vet lay a wreath at the tomb of a their halftrack found themselves in Bascharage, Luxembourg, 90th Division soldier. He also met with the Kieffers’ children where Antoine and Anna Kieffer lived. The couple befriended and granddaughter, his constant friends since the terrible conflict. them and brought them into their home. “It was the first time When Taylor looks at the reverse side of his Legion of Honor that I had slept on a real bed since my deployment,” says Taylor. Medal, it reads, “Thank You America for Our Liberation.”䊱 64
Spring 2011
䊱
ACU TODAY
What does it mean to be exceptional? Uncommon. Extraordinary. First-class. It’s a word that defines ACU in many ways – the education we provide, the students we prepare, the faculty and staff we employ, the friends and donors who provide encouragement and resources. ACU promises an exceptional education, an exceptional focus on Christ and an exceptional preparation for students to be servant-leaders advancing God’s kingdom in this world. How do we maintain that level of education? With your help, of course! For decades, the university has relied on the generosity of alumni and friends to maintain the excellent standard of Christian education you’ve come to expect. Your gifts of all kinds – annual gifts, endowment gifts and gifts of estate and other assets to e ACU Foundation – help provide the edge to keep ACU exceptional. is is why we’ve changed the name of the Annual Fund to the Exceptional Fund, which affects every student on campus by allowing the university to provide more scholarships, to offer more faculty incentives, to invest money in critical new programs on the cutting edge. ACU is doing great things – exceptional things – and gifts to this fund make them possible. Won’t you join us in this exciting work? To learn more about the Exceptional Fund and how you can be a charter member of our newest giving societies, please call Rendi (Young ’83) Hahn at 325-674-2394. For more information about estate gifts, ways to endow your Exceptional Fund gifts, or to create a legacy, contact e ACU Foundation at 325-674-2508 or 800-979-1906.
Giving Societies at ACU To honor those who support our students with their gifts, we offer four giving societies: • LK 2:40 – A reference to Luke 2:40, charter members of this newly created society give $20 or more each month – $240 annually – to ACU, preferably through the Exceptional Fund. • ACU Centurions – ose who give at least $100 annually to ACU – preferably to the Exceptional Fund – can become charter members of this new society. • e President’s Circle – Our highest-level society honors those who exhibit leadership with their gifts of $1,000 annually or more. • e Heritage Society – Membership in this group is reserved for endowment benefactors or those who have made ACU part of their estate planning.
Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Abilene Christian University
Abilene Christian University ACU Box 29132 Abilene, Texas 79699-9132 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
C O M I N G U P Wildcat Preview Day ........................................................................ April 25 National SAT Test Dates ......................................................... May 7, June 4 May Commencement ....................................................................... May 14 National ACT Test Date .................................................................... June 11 June Passport ...............................................................................June 26-28 August Commencement ............................................................... August 12 facebook.com/abilenechristian
facebook.com/ACUsports
August Passport ...................................................................... August 21-23 Welcome Week ....................................................................... August 22-26 105th Annual Opening Assembly ................................................. August 29 105th Annual September Summit ..................................... September 18-21 Homecoming ......................................................................... October 13-16 December Commencement ..................................................... December 17 twitter.com/ACUedu
twitter.com/ACUsports GARY RHODES
Connecting with Woz Apple Inc. co-founder and computer pioneer Steve Wozniak (right) shared his thoughts about the future of technology and education Feb. 28 at ACU’s Connected Summit. Dr. William Rankin (left), director of educational innovation and associate professor of English, engaged Wozniak in a wide-ranging discussion attended by more than 2,000 in Moody Coliseum. See page 29 for more coverage.