The Optimist
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise
    • Policies
    • Staff Contacts
    • Jobs
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos
  • Features
  • Print Edition
    • The Pessimist
    • Special Projects
  • Police Log
  • Classifieds
You are here: Home / News / School selects parents of year: Panel chose winners from group of nine submitted essays

School selects parents of year: Panel chose winners from group of nine submitted essays

September 1, 2004 by Sarah Carlson

By Sarah Carlson, Copy Editor

When flowers arrived at their Fort Worth home at the beginning of August, Suzy Jeffrey said her husband, Morton, thought there had been a mistake. The Jeffrey’s anniversary was Aug.1, and she said he thought the gift must have been belated.

“I personally was proud that he remembered our anniversary was Aug 1,” said Suzy Jeffrey jokingly.

The flowers were in fact sent to the Jeffreys to tell them they were chosen as ACU’s 2004 Parents of the Year. They will be awarded a plaque by Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, in Chapel on Sept. 24 with a reception in the Sowell Rotunda in the Biblical Studies Building immediately following.

Samantha Adkins, coordinator of alumni projects, said nine sets of parents were nominated in the spring through two-page essays submitted by their children, and every letter received was good.

“All were wonderful letters,” Adkins said, “and we felt very blessed reading all of them.”

A committee comprised of representatives from around campus read the essays and chose the winner. Members of the committee were Adkins; Jim Holmans, executive assistant to the president; La Shae Sloan, director of Student Multicultural Enrichment and Student Services; and Jana and Mark Hanner, co-presidents of Wildcat Parents.

Andy Jeffrey, senior integrated marketing and communication major from Fort Worth, along with his two sisters and brother, all ACU alumni, nominated his parents.

“They’ve done so much for me, I’m always looking for ways I can bless them and give them honor,” Jeffrey said. “I saw the flyer I just knew it was something my parents would be eligible for.”

Jeffrey’s wrote of the love his parents have always shown him and his friends at ACU, as well as their spiritual guidance and encouragement.

“They have always modeled God’s unconditional love for his children,” Jeffrey said in his letter. “At no point in my twenty-one years have I ever doubted their love.”

Sam Jeffrey, ’00, Becky (Jeffrey) Brooks, ’96, and Kelly (Jeffrey) Vaughn, ’92 wrote of being rocked to sleep as children to “O Dear Christian College” and learning of the mission of ACU early on in life.

“The encouragement that I received from my parents taught me an incredible lesson, that ACU would reinforce later on in life, that the only boundary to what I could accomplish in life was the extent to which I allow God to work through me,” Sam Jeffrey said in his letter.

Suzy Jeffrey said it was not only an honor to be chosen as Parents of the Year, but to have had all her children nominate her and her husband.

“At first it was just an incredible honor just to hear about it,” Suzy Jeffrey said, “and then it was a couple of days later when we got to read what they had sent…and that was just a really humbling thing to read. If nothing else in life happens, just reading what they wrote was an honor, an honor for my husband and I both.”

Suzy Jeffrey was in Benin, West Africa where her daughter Kelly is a missionary. She was speaking at a conference or renewals for women missionaries called “Come Before Winter.”

She has taught classes at Lectureship and been a guest speaker in one of Dr. Jeanene Reese’s ministry classes for women.

Parents do not have to be ACU alumni to be nominated for Parents of the Year, Adkins said. She said the parents need to demonstrate support for the children and the university, and that does not necessarily mean financially.

Morton and Suzy Jeffery have attended Homecoming and Sing Song for decades and, Suzy Jeffrey said they plan to attend in the future after Andy Jeffrey graduates.

“One of the joys of it is we now have five grandchildren and another one on the way,” Suzy Jeffrey said.

“One of the joys would be coming and watching them in Freshman Follies and watching them in Sing Song.”

Filed Under: News

Other News:

  • Provost adopts new policy for emeriti faculty

  • Demolition begins on Sherrod residential apartments

  • ACU Gives exceeds goal, raises over $919,000

About Sarah Carlson

You are here: Home / News / School selects parents of year: Panel chose winners from group of nine submitted essays

Other News:

  • Provost adopts new policy for emeriti faculty

  • Demolition begins on Sherrod residential apartments

  • ACU Gives exceeds goal, raises over $919,000

Follow us online

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Optimist on Twitter

Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
ashleyh1607 Ashley Henderson @ashleyh1607 ·
3 Jun

My second year at ACU was full of opportunities that grew me as an individual and a journalist.

In my first year as editor in chief of @acuoptimist, we published six print issues, filmed a 3-hour live election show, and revamped our newscast, all while producing news weekly.

Reply on Twitter 1929734328445178254 Retweet on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Like on Twitter 1929734328445178254 1 Twitter 1929734328445178254
Retweet on Twitter The Optimist Retweeted
optimistsports Optimist Sports @optimistsports ·
2 Jun

The Optimist reached out to ACU Athletics, who provided the following statement.

Reply on Twitter 1929676060947632336 Retweet on Twitter 1929676060947632336 1 Like on Twitter 1929676060947632336 1 Twitter 1929676060947632336

Optimist on Facebook

The Optimist

12 months ago

The Optimist

Video

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

The Optimist

2 years ago

The Optimist
"Ending my college education early was always the plan for me, but the things that I have been able to see, experience and examine about ACU’s community were not. I have found immense growth in ACU over the past three and a half years, but ACU still has a long road to climb if it wants to keep catering to students as the world changes around them." To read more of this article visit acuoptimist.com or click the link in our bio. #acu #abilenechristianuniversity #privatechristianuniversity #collegestudentopinion #acuopinion ... See MoreSee Less

Photo

View on Facebook
· Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email

Videos

Optimist Newscast Feb. 28, 2024

Our top stories today include a recap of The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, the ... [Read More…]

  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 21, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Feb. 14, 2024
  • Optimist Newscast Jan. 24, 2024

Latest Photos

  • Home
  • About
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Policies
    • Advertising Policy
    • Letters to the Editor and Reader Comments
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Multimedia
    • Videos
    • Photo Galleries
  • Features
  • Advertise
    • Paid Advertisement
  • Police Log

© 2025 ACU Optimist · All Rights Reserved