At an expanded 96 pages, ACU Today’s new Spring-Summer 2019 issue has begun hitting mailboxes and should prove to be a keepsake for Wildcat fans looking back at historic runs by the men’s and women’s basketball teams last season.
Award-winning photographer Jeremy Enlow, whose images grace our magazine every issue, spent Gameday with both teams as they made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament back in March. “A Tale of Two Seasons” recollects the men’s team playing the University of Kentucky during the Midwest regional in Jacksonville, Florida, and the women’s team playing a first-round game later that week in Waco with top-ranked Baylor University.
Other featured content in this issue:
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Michael Blanton (left) and his two tribute speakers from the Alumni Day Luncheon: Amy Grant and Stephen Mansfield (’88 M.L.A.) Learn more about iconic Nashville music producer Michael Blanton (’74), the university’s 2019 Outstanding Alumnus of the year, in a profile by Cheryl M. Bacon (’77) that includes tribute reflections by recording star Amy Grant. Other alumni award winners – Young Alumnus of the Year recipient Kara Wilson Garcia (’07) and Distinguished Alumni Citation winners Katie Coldwell (’00), Doug Ferguson (’83) and Lara (Seibert ’06) Young – are profiled by Sarah Carlson (’06) and Deana (Hamby ’93) Nall.
- “The Difference-Maker” offers a retrospective on the life and leadership of the late William J. Teague (’52), ACU’s ninth president who died last November. Teague’s visionary planning and effective fundraising forever changed the future and the landscape of his alma mater.
- Grant Boone (’91), longtime radio/TV voice of the Wildcats, authors “Game Changer,” a review of the amazing new facilities at ACUTV, where students gain invaluable experience producing their own shows plus national broadcasts of Wildcat games for ESPN. Their state-of-the-art facilities – Mankin Control Room and the Doug and Jayne Orr TV Studio – in the Don H. Morris Center have impressed prospective students and network executives alike. Scott Delony (’06) and Enlow provide photography.
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The quiet philanthropy of Kay Onstead and her late husband, Robert, has helped many ACU students through the years. “Finishing Touch” offers a look at the Onstead Science Center with story by Carlson and photography by Enlow. Completion of the facility caps the $95 million Vision in Action initiative made possible by the construction of three science buildings and two stadiums at ACU.
- Ira (’56) and June (Brown ’56) Hill were ACU’s 2018 Dale and Rita Brown Outlive Your Life recipients. They are profiled in this issue by writer Dawn (Treat ’89) Cole. Ira was a longtime Abilene Christian trustee and the couple has devoted many years to shaping African Christian College in Swaziland, Africa. Kudos to photographer Greg Kendall-Ball (’06 M.A.) on the photography.
- Get your tickets early because Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is sure to draw big crowds to the Abilene Convention Center for a memorable Homecoming Musical treat. Learn more about Homecoming weekend’s biggest activities, which feature reunion class luncheons catered by The Shed Market, a big football game vs. Stephen F. Austin in Wildcat Stadium, and Saturday night’s dessert reception for reunion classes and annual fireworks show.
The thoughtful philanthropy of Houston’s Kay Onstead is the subject of our Second Glance essay by Dr. Cheryl Mann Bacon (’76). The generosity of Kay and her late husband, Bob, has changed the lives of many ACU students for more than three decades.
Watch this blog for insights into major stories from this issue, and enjoy the online edition here: