By Blake Penfield, Staff Writer

Ron Hadfield, the director of creative services and 22-year editor of ACU Today, has led the way in putting “The ACU Century” together for the past three years.

“This is a photographic history of the university,” Hadfield said, “and the first one that’s ever been done at ACU. It’s been quite an effort of labor to produce it. There’s 470 images going all the way back to our beginning days – some of the photos have never been seen before.

“Whether you’re a student, or alumnus, or a friend of the university, we think it would make a keepsake that would be valued by people.”

The 192-page book comes in a hardcover design inspired by the cover of the 1923 “Prickly Pear.”

It goes from decade to decade, starting in 1906 and going all the way to the present. The highlights of each decade are not only documented by photography, but each contains informative essays about the period as well.

Roughly 75 percent of the book is comprised of photography from award-winning photographers. The remaining 25 percent of the book is comprised of essays about the university written by esteemed alumni. These essays focus on the traditions of the university and the men and women who created them.

“The ACU Century” has been on sale on the Internet for the past several months. However, beginning Homecoming week, it will also be available in The Campus Store. The book’s cover price is $49.99, but it has been marked at a discounted $39.99 at the ACU Centennial Celebration Web site. All profits for this comprehensive look at the history of the university will go toward the ACU Centennial Celebration funds.