The Optimist
You are here: Home / Features

Professors open local ice cream shop

by

Two Professors Ice Cream has captured the hearts of many and the taste buds of even more. Carley Dodd, CEO of Two Profs Ice Cream shop, opened the restaurant recently after he and his son and co-owner bought out the original store originating in Sweetwater previously called Terry’s Ice Cream. Terry Frye, the original owner of Terry’s Ice ... [Read More…]

Breaking the Barriers: Bradford to become first black female paramedic in Abilene

by

"I conquered the self-doubt, and now the sky is the limit." Set to be one of the only black female paramedics in Abilene history, Courtney Bradford will graduate in April, and test for her license in May. Courtney originally attended Prairie View A&M as a pre-medical biology major to become an anesthesiologist, but she became pregnant ... [Read More…]

Not ashamed: celebration of an Abilene Christian president’s life

by

-Andrew Boone is a senior theatre major from Abilene Tom Teague told me he didn’t want me to refer to this as a funeral. “If there’s anything about this that resembles a funeral, we’ve failed,” he told me. Instead, he wanted today’s event to be a celebration of the life of his father, William J. Teague. William (known as “Bill”) Teague served as ... [Read More…]

Transferring success: Ducat, Taylor bring experience from Rice as new Wildcat transfers

by

The women’s basketball team is off to one of its best starts in recent history, and can be largely attributed to two transfers – junior guard Jazz Taylor and junior forward Lexie Ducat. Taylor grew up with basketball as a massive part of her childhood. Not only did she have a passion for the game, but her family did as well. “It was huge,” Taylor ... [Read More…]

Theatre students prepare for the Big Apple

by

Seemingly every day of the year, theatre students are preparing to play different characters in various shows both on and off campus. Next semester, 11 theatre students are testing their talents in New York City as part of the Tepper Program with Syracuse University. ACU students have been participating in the Tepper Program for eight ... [Read More…]

Finding Housing for the Holidays

by

As students pack up their cars and head back home for the holidays, some students are left behind because they cannot go home. International students who stay in Abilene for Christmas and summer break have to find housing, because the dorms completely shut down during breaks for safety reasons. Barabra Talamas is from Mexico, and had to spend ... [Read More…]

Paramount Theatre showcases Palestine documentary

by

"Where is Palestine?", a film directed by Nathan Driskell, a media production specialist in the Learning Studio, premiers Thursday night at the Paramount Theatre. The 24-minute documentary highlights the stories of Palestinians in the West Bank and Israel, and discusses the reality of home demolitions by the Israeli Defense Forces in Area C of the ... [Read More…]

Newcomer presence: Damien Daniels provides successful high school experience as a freshman

by

Students and fans around in the Abilene community may witness the talents of experienced players in senior forward Jaren Lewis or redshirt junior center Jalone Friday, however, one promising newcomer people should keep their eyes on is freshman guard Damien Daniels. Daniels is a Kansas City native and established his roots of playing basketball ... [Read More…]

Obituary: Teague remembered by legacy of expansion

by

The chancellor emeritus and former president of the university, Dr. William J. Teague, died Wednesday morning. Teague attended ACU from 1948 to 1952, and was a member of Frater Sodalis men’s social club, the “A” Club men’s honor organization and – for a year – arranged student devotionals for Chapel. He graduated with a B.A. in speech and ... [Read More…]

You are here: Home / Features