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With Wildcat Stadium’s second season about to begin, the cover story of ACU Today’s new Spring-Summer 2018 issue offers a retrospective of the inaugural year of a game-changing athletics venue for Abilene Christian University.

“Game On” provides a look at ACU’s first season at Anthony Field through the camera lenses of talented photographers Jeremy Enlow, Kim Leeson, Scott Delony (’06) and Paul White (’68).

The Wildcats of head coach Adam Dorrel kick off their 2018 season Saturday at 7 p.m. in Waco in the first football game ever played between ACU and Big 12 Conference member Baylor University. Fox Sports Southwest will televise the historic meeting and you also can listen in on 98.1 The Ticket. The team’s home opener is Sept. 8 against former Lone Star Conference rival Angelo State University.

Other featured content in this issue:

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  Award-winning Dallas business leader April (Bullock ’96) Anthony makes history this fall as the first woman to chair ACU’s Board of Trustees. She’s also the university’s 2018 Outstanding Alumna of the year. A profile of her by Dr. Cheryl M. Bacon (’77) is followed by those of other alumni award winners: Serge Gasore (’09) as Young Alumnus of the Year and Distinguished Alumni Citation winners Sharon (Johnston ’84) Epps, Greg Feasel (’81) and Branden Gibson (’04). Writers include Sarah Carlson (’06), Katie (Noah ’06) Gibson and David Ramsey (’81).

• In “Harvey’s Holy Place,” writer Sarah Carlson looks at the ways alumni Lee McLeod (’94), Carrie (Teague ’88) Hill, and Azzie (’06) and Ashlee (Smith ’06) Beagnyam helped Houston-area residents recover from an historic hurricane last August. The Beagnyam family had an all-too-personal experience with the epic storm while Azzie toiled long hours as a firefighter for the South texas city of Pearland. A longtime friend, Jennifer (Townsend ’98) Frye, facilitated a life-changing gift for the Beagnyams via a generous family in South Carolina. Carlson is communications coordinator for ACU’s Advancement Office.

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  ACU social clubs are blessed with a small cadre of dedicated alumni who live in Abilene and have dedicated many years to help shepherd clubs such as GATA, Sigma Theta Chi, Ko Jo Kai, Galaxy, Frater Sodalis and Sub T-16. In “It’s Not Greek to Them,” writer Wendy (Waller ’01) Kilmerexplores the motivation that keeps Sylvia (Ravanelli ’67) McCaleb, Bobbie (McCullogh ’88) Dickson, Karen (Osborn ’66) Sharp, Betsey (Bolin ’85) Craig; Gary Linn, D.D.S. (’83); Tim Yandell (’85), Gayla (Geiger ’65) Pope, Amber (McElyea ’96) Peck and Larry Henderson (’73) wearing their club’s colors and mentoring young Wildcats through life-changing relationships. A sidebar profiles how young alumni such as David (’03) and Amanda (Peepes ’00) Pittman have balanced a growing young family with sponsor duties.

• Dr. Lynn (’90 D.Min.) and Carolyn Anderson, ACU’s 2017 Dale and Rita Brown Outlive Your Life recipients, are profiled by writer Dawn (Treat ’89) Cole. Lynn was the longtime popular minister of Highland Church of Christ while the couple lived in Abilene for 17 years in the 1970s and ’80s.

• A preview of Homecoming activities, which feature reunion class luncheons on The Quad (rather than dinners), allowing alumni to spend time together after Chapel and before heading to Anthony Field to cheer for the Wildcats in their football game against Nicholls State.

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  “May the circle be unbroken” is the title of our Second Glance essay, which reminds readers of the role the Legacy Program fills in connecting generations of graduates to their alma mater while building loyalty and school spirit.

Look for the expanded 96-page print edition in your mailbox soon, watch this blog for insights into major stories from this issue, and enjoy the online edition here.