The #ACULoveStory campaign is underway and has provided an opportunity for alumni to tell their campus love stories.
The campaign kicked off with Dr. Royce Money, chancellor and former president of ACU, and his wife, Pam, and the story of how they met.
“We met at ACU – I was a sophomore and she was a freshman at the time – in the old Campus Center,” Money said. “We dated on and off for a few years, and then I finally convinced her to marry me after three to four years.”
Craig Fisher, director of alumni relations and annual projects, is in charge of the campaign and chose the Moneys as the first alumni couple to share their story on the ACU Facebook page.
The Moneys celebrated their 50-year anniversary Jan. 23.
“It’s perfect that that happened,” Fisher said. “Dr. Money and Pam have such a long history here and are such a recognizable couple that we started the campaign with them because so many people would connect with them.”
The couple celebrated their anniversary with a cruise and a family dinner.
“We went on a cruise on the Danube in late December,” Money said. “My wife had always wanted to go to Europe during Christmas time, so we went from Budapest to Prague.”
When the couple returned, their family treated them to dinner at Perini Ranch Steakhouse followed by an intimate family gathering at home.
“Our family prepared gifts for us, and then we played the newlyweds game,” Money said. “Then, we watched a DVD of our wedding and early years of marriage. We got some laughs at how we used to look.”
Fisher and the Alumni Relations Office partnered with Creative Services to create the campaign and said with the abundance of alumni couples, he wanted to provide a platform for them to share memories and relive their time at ACU.
“What we wanted to do was take this month of February to just encourage people to tell their stories,” he said. “We have so many husbands and wives who met here and have great memories from their time here, like when they were dating and met here.”
Fisher also said he hopes the Moneys’ story will encourage participation from other alumni.
The campaign features historic couples, such as former ACU board chairman H. Lynn Packer and his wife, Barbara, and provides a venue for alumni and students to share their own history.
Fisher even shared his own love story.
“My wife and I have been married for almost 21 years, and we met here,” he said. “It’s a very positive thing, and I can speak to it from a personal level because this is where I met her, and we have some fond memories on campus from when we started dating.”
There is no specific goal for the campaign except to keep alumni involved with the university, Fisher said.
“It’s not a measurable thing that we’re trying to do,” he said. “It is truly just a way to connect with our alumni base and have people share their stories.”
To read some of the #ACULoveStory posts, visit https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/aculovestory.
