Distinguished Alumni Citation

Early in 2009, I received a letter from Dr. Royce Money, then president of Abilene Christian University.  I had known Royce since he was in high school, but I thought it was probably a request for a donation.  It turned out to be something else entirely.

He was informing me that I had been chosen to receive a “Distinguished Alumni Citation” from the University.  At first I thought the letter was probably intended for someone else and sent to me by mistake, but the letter was not a form letter, and it was clearly addressed to me.

Ann was doing laundry at the time.  I handed her the letter, and said, “You need to read this.”  I was so overcome with emotion that I couldn’t say anything else. She thought maybe I’d been notified that somebody had died.

At the 2009 Homecoming event, they presented me with the award, although Royce made it pretty clear that Ann deserved to share the award, and she’s not even an alumnus of the school.  Sometime prior to the presentation, a young student reporter called to interview me for the Optimist, the school newspaper.  She asked, “Why do you think you are receiving this award?” I said the first thing that popped into my mind. “I don’t have the slightest idea.”

I was told that I could designate three people to deliver testimonials, although I was assured that I could probably count on them relating embarrassing stories.  I chose, Bob Hays, my boyhood friend and college roommate, Dr. Keith Boler, a friend from my days in Shreveport, and my son Elliott.  Actually they were all much kinder to me than I expected them to be.   The event was attended by family, friends who had known us in various places, old college acquaintances, and some of my high school schoolmates from Clyde.

Royce called Ann and me to the platform and presented me with a plaque, and Ann a bouquet of flowers.  Ann started to back away, and Royce stopped her.  “He said, ‘Ann there’s a dropoff about two feet behind you.  We don’t want you falling off the stage.’”  He stood there and held her in place through the rest of the ceremony.

It was a remarkable day and one that I’ll never forget.   When things like that happen I always remember something I heard many years ago.  “Praise is like perfume.  It’s nice to hear, but it’s fatal if you swallow it.”