Tuesday, August 26, 1997
ACU students told not to forget their upbringing
By LORETTA FULTON Senior Staff Writer
ACU's opening ceremony Monday had everything but the apple
pie.
There were flags from 50 states, three territories and 60 foreign
countries colorfully presented in the traditional Parade of Flags.
There were prayers, a Bible reading, hymn singing, the Pledge
of Allegiance and the "Star Spangled Banner."
Even Mom was represented. Guest speaker John Cornyn, a justice
on the Texas Supreme Court, told the students he brought a message
to them from his own mother.
"She said, 'Tell them not to forget their upbringing,'<n>"
Cornyn told the large gathering of Abilene Christian University
students, faculty, staff and guests.
"I've said it," he added.
Cornyn, a member of University Avenue Church of Christ in Austin,
praised ACU's emphasis on "timeless values - that's what
makes it special."
In the 1980s, Cornyn said business leaders began complaining
about graduates from the prestigious Harvard School of Business
because they lacked a "moral compass and loyalty to their
employers or anything else but themselves."
ACU subscribes to a different philosophy, he said.
"America will not survive if our institutions of higher
learning produce only greedy, self-centered graduates."
As a judge, Cornyn said he daily sees what happens to individuals
and institutions "when we lower our expectations, when we
ignore or reject" Judeo-Christian values.
Cornyn urged the students to realize that they are now young
adults. As such, they must realize that "what you do not
value will not be valued...what you do not do will not be done."
As overwhelming as the beginning of a college career may seem,
Cornyn told the students to remember that "many prayers are
being offered on your behalf."
Before Cornyn's address, student body president Matt Moreland
asked the students to remember that the decisions they are making
now will affect them the rest of their lives.
"Allow God to take control of those decisions now,"
he said.
Among the numerous dignitaries cited Monday was 90-year-old
Ross Dawkins, who was born Sept. 6, 1906, just five days before
the first opening chapel ceremony at the college. Monday's opening
ceremony was the first he had been back for since the 1920s, said
Dr. Royce Money, ACU president.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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