By Laura Acuff, Staff Writer
ACU alumnus Chris Kyker received the Outstanding Alumnus of the Year Award at a lunch in her honor in Teague Special Events Center on Sunday afternoon.
“Today we’ve gathered to honor a very special alumnus, a woman who exemplifies the principles and values of ACU, who is definitely changing the world: Chris Kyker-innovator, educator, advocate, entrepreneur, tireless volunteer,” Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, said in the ceremony’s opening remarks.
Kyker, who graduated from ACU in 1946 with degrees in English and drama, earned master’s degrees in speech education, in communication and in secondary teaching and a license as a master social worker. Her husband, Dr. Rex Kyker (’43), and their five children all attended ACU.
While at ACU, Kyker pledged Ko Jo Kai and participated in drama, band, orchestra, the W club and campus service organization and was named to Who’s Who.
Beyond ACU, she served as founding president and CEO of Disability Resources, Inc., founding director of the West Central Texas Area Agency on Aging, founding executive director of the Texas Department on Aging and speaker on the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature, for which Governor Rick Perry awarded her the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
“She is perhaps, as I have told the media, one of the most accomplished women in our entire alumni body throughout the world, made up of about 90,000 people, and certainly, she has demonstrated how highly accomplished women have gone out to represent the university across our nation and our globe in a splendid way,” said Dr. Bob Hunter, vice president emeritus and special assistant to the president at ACU.
The presentation of the award included comments by Money and other ACU faculty, a recorded congratulatory statement by Perry and drama presentations by ACU theatre students.
“It’s a great pleasure to be here honoring such an amazing woman,” said Adam Hester, chair of ACU’s theatre department. “Chris Kyker has meant a great deal to me since I was a student at ACU. When I became chair, Chris mentored me in so many ways, both in my leadership style and how to create a vision for the department.”
Kyker said when she was in college, she never anticipated the many experiences and honors her life would encompass through the years, and she encouraged today’s students not to be limited by others.
“I would urge students to never lose sight of their dreams and hopes and their great spirit because nowadays people become so cynical that it’s easy for that spirit to be squelched.”
In her acceptance speech, Kyker referenced a quote from a speech Don Morris gave during her time as a student at ACU. Kyker said Don Morris told the students,
“Remember, ACC is your mother,” and though Kyker said it has taken her a lifetime, she finally understands what Morris meant.
“This school is a place of nurture, of challenge, of comfort, of safety and of self-discipline; it’s a place to find commitment and courage and core principles,” Kyker said.
“What began as a simple statement by Don Morris has come full circle, and now I know what it means to be part of this great school, and I want to spend the rest of my life living out those core beliefs that I found here on this campus and continue to see in the lives of its students, administration and faculty.
For truly, the mission of this school, of Christian leadership and service reaches around the world because someone, 100 years ago, said, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful if .’ And someone answered, ‘yes, let’s do it,’ and 90,000 responded.”
-PAST RECIPIENTS-
* 2000: Royce Caldwell (’61)
* 2001: Wayne and Janice Massey (’66 and ’68)
* 2002: Jack Scott (’54)
* 2003: Max Lucado (’77)
* 2004: David Leeson (’78)
* 2005: Don W. Crisp (’64)
* 2006: James Womack (’63)
* 2007: Chris Kyker (’46)
