Abilene Christian College - Prickly Pear Yearbook (Abilene, TX)

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the rail lines in Kansas and when the “Iron Horse” was pushing west- Old Abilene Town includes about 20 buildings full of historical and collector’s items. Among those items are a horse-drawn hearse, antique cars, a steam tractor, old farm equipment, wagons, buggies, pianos and a hanging scaf- After a visit to Old Abilene Town you may want to “rough it” for a while yourself in Abilene State Recreation Area. Located in the extreme western part of North Central Texas just 19 miles south- west of Abilene, this area is part of a large region of Texas once inhabited by Tonkawa and Comanche Indians. The Indians are gone today, however, and the park offers facilities for picnicking, camping and swimming. When the “roughing it” is over and it’s time to get back to some civilization, the closest place to go is the rustic little village of Buffalo Gap. The town got its name because of the thousands of buffalo that moved through the pass long before the region was settled. Today the main attractions in Buffalo Gap are the Forts Trail Country Store (with its popular candy counter with jar after jar of penny candy — the kind your great- grandmother used to get when she was a little girl) and the Buffalo Gap Steak House, which offers a menu with numerous selections (sorry, no buffalo steaks). Culture in Abilene? Oh, it may not be the kind you’re accustomed to at home...it may not be what you’d find in Dallas or New York City...and it may take some getting used to, but there’s plenty of a special brand ofculture to be found in the Key City and surrounding areas (even though some of those college students from out of town, notorious for their complaining, may never admit to finding a bit of culture here). Yep, a lot of the Lone Star State’s most typical culture can be found right here in Abilene...because the Key City combines the urban and the cowboy with a unique flair. Cindy

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operation. All of the proceeds, ex- cept those used to pay one store manager, are “put back into the community” through aid to needy folks who are referred to St. Vin- cent’s by Call for Help. Merchandise in the store comes “entirely from Turning to yet another kind of culture — one that fits in well with the stereotyped Texas resident — we find the West Texas Fair. Held at Taylor County Coliseum during the second week in Sep- tember each year, the fair has as its primary purpose the “promotion of agriculture and horticulture education in the Big Country.” And you thought it was just a bunch of 4- H exhibits with a rodeo and carnival thrown in for good measure, didn’t you? Well, the fair does include all of those things and more — horse and livestock shows, country-western entertainment, a tractor pull, food booths and exhibits for the hobbies and handiwork of those who are a bit past the 4-H age. The fair is a favorite for many reasons. Kids of all ages, including college students, love to take in the carnival with all of its whirling, thrilling, dizzying rides and its frustrating, ‘ ‘try-your-skill-at-this” games with the stuffed animal prizes that few are lucky enough to And almost everyone, whether or not they like the rides and games, enjoys watching the “carnies.” It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is that makes these people so in- the kind of lifestyle that would allow them many years ago to give away one of their babies as a door prize (at least that’s what some of the records for the fair indicate). Whatever this uniqueness stems from, it definitely (Some cpeopfe fave saicfSlfifene cfoesn b fiave mucf. Wub aftetu vou spemfa jew rears few, voiu Iearn (few’s a fot lo cfo. Ot’s jusb a cfifferetfb fratuf” of cuftuw. CaTheV?ife of the “carnies' everyone, however. i ordinary lytathreea b service the troops usually did small lies ' isn't for jobs escorting supply trains and Most of us other parties that might be in danger J t iary kinds of of Indian attack. The fort was culture and Abilene doesn't fail us abandoned in April 1854 because of hereedher. complaints of an inadequate water Abilene also offers outdoor en- supply, and it was used for a short tertainment of history and time after that as a home station for relaxation for life in the Big Coun- a Butterfield si try, such as Fort Phantom Hill and Today ohly OM Abiiene Town (for the history about a dozen cmmneys remain buffs) and Abilene State Recreation standing (the fort once housed five Area (for the outdoorsmen among companys of infantry), but the “Located jus. .0 miles north of Stflt 0™“'tilene's 't°op Abilene on Farm Road 600, we find recreational sites the lonely ruins of Fort Phantom Another page in history and part Hi»- This fr°ntier army fort was of this city’s heritage is Old Abilene established in 1851 by Major J.J. Town, east of Abilene on Interstate Abercrombie by orders of Major 20. This historical tourist attraction General Persifor F. Smith as part of lets you see it like it was when the western chain of about 35 forts in buffalo roamed the surrounding the state. areas, when cattlemen drove herds of longhorn cattle through town to In the days when the f

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“Home Away from Home” Where can you get fresh, homemade bread, or sing and drink hot chocolate around a fireplace? Where can you find out someone’s favorite comedian, card game or cookie? Home, of course. And home-away- from-home. Several ACU faculty and staff members and Abilene residents open their homes regularly for students to eat, interact with others, discuss plans, and just relax and feel atDr!john Willis, professor of Bible, and his wife open their home to students almost every Sunday night. An average of 40 students gather for an evening meal provided by the Willis’, an interaction group exer- cise and a devotional. The Willis’ enjoy it because they get to know the students better and the students enjoy it because they get to know each other better. Dr. Don Garrett and his wife also have students in their home almost every week for Sunday lunch, and they always have a full table. The discussions are typical of family discussions — lively and loud. “They’re all kind of our family,” said Garrett. To complete the home at- mosphere, Mrs. Garrett always serves homemade bread which she prepares on Saturday morning. Dewby Ray, director of alumni campus activities, tries to have students in her home every week. “I love the involvement,” says Dewby. The Rays typically have a group of freshmen over early in the semester. Then every Thanksgiving and Christmas, they entertain a group of students who don’t go home. Throughout the year, they invite groups of students they work with. Why? Dewby says the only way you can get to know students is to work with them on a special project or have them in your home. Harold Lipford, regional director of development, and his wife Jeanette, an instructor of music, frequently have students in their home who share needs or aims for the school and themselves.Both the Lipfords and the Rays have an “open door policy” in which students are invited to come in and use the homes at certain times during the week to cook, sew, wash clothes or just relax. Vice President and Mrs. Robert Hunter have also entertained several groups. Mrs. Hunter told of one occasion when a Sing Song group came to practice in their home, and police were called to straighten the parking situation because cars were parked all over the street. “They’re all kind of our family.” 1 Don Garrett Assistant Dean Gary McCaleb and his wife try to get a mix of students in their home. He said this gives new students an opportunity Lewis, professor of Bible, said they have anywhere from 1 to 30 students in their home at a time. Mrs. Lewis said they enjoy it because the students are “an in- spiration.” Mrs. Lewis told of one amusing incident when a student left their home to pick up his girlfriend at another professor’s home. He said he wasn’t sure where to go but that he “walks by faith and not by sight.” As he spoke these words, he opened the door and backed into the closet, which was next to the front door. Students usually pop into the home of Roy Shake, associate professor of biology, whenever they want to. Mrs. Shake says she enjoys college students because they are fun to be around. Others just need someone to listen to them — so the Shakes do. But the real reason they have students in their home, she said, is because they have six children of their own, and she hopes “someone else would care about them enough to give them a home-away-from- This page: Mickey Lee, Dewby Ray and Debbie Davis discuss activities. Opposite page, clockwise: Dita Keesee enjoys a Willis’. Gary McCaleb talks with Cathy Cobb. Guests share food and fellowship at the Ray's.