ACU Remembers: Bailey, Loveland, Pruitt, Fritts, Baisden, Evans, Nevill, Green Bonnie Mignon (Pitt) Bailey, 68, a former longtime administrative assistant, died May 30, 2016, in Abilene. Bailey was born Jan. 29, 1948, in Memphis, Tenn., where she graduated from Harding Academy in 1966. She attended Harding University from 1966-68 and Freed-Hardeman University in 1976. She met Dr. Fred Bailey Bailey while the two attended Harding, and married Aug. 22, 1968. She and Fred began work at ACU in 1984, with Bonnie retiring in 2013 after a nearly 30-year career in the Provost’s Office, Information Services and the Department of Biology. The Baileys lived for a year in China in the mid 1990s while Fred, a professor of history, served a teaching fellowship at Nanjing University. Bonnie was preceded in death by her parents, Andrew Martin Pitt and Janice May Pitt. Among survivors are Fred, her husband of 47 years; a daughter, Amber (Bailey ’97) Perez; sons Alex Bailey (’03) and Stan Bailey (’02); a brother, Paul Pitt; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Longtime library archivist Erma Jean (Alkire ’58) Loveland, 79, died June 22, 2016, in Abilene. She was born Oct. 2, 1936, in Greene County, Ind., and graduated from Kimberly (Idaho) High School in 1954. She earned a B.S. degree in education with special emphasis on business from ACU, a M.S. in education Loveland from College of Idaho in 1966 and an M.L.S. degree from the University of North Texas in 1989. She married Charles Ray Loveland (’60) on May 31, 1959, in Twin Falls, Idaho. Loveland was a teacher at Buhl (Idaho) High School (1958-59); Trent (Texas) High School (1959-60); Western Christian College in North Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Canada (1960-61); Burley (Idaho) High School (1966-69); Noodle Horn (Texas) High School (1969-73); Draughan’s Business College (1973-74); and Jim Ned (Texas) High School (1974-80). She was a special collections librarian in ACU’s Brown Library, and archivist for the Center for Restoration Studies, from 1984 until her retirement in 2003. She was a member of Hillcrest Church of Christ for 47 years, the Daughters of the American Revolution (John Davis Chapter), Texas Library Association, Christian College Librarians, and ACU’s Centennial Photography Archivists Team. She assisted with the Restoration Serials Index and the Stone Campbell List. Loveland was preceded in death by her parents, Orval Lyman Alkire and Elsie Lenore (Stevens) Alkire. Among
78
Winter-Spring 2017
ACU TODAY
survivors are Charles, her husband of 57 years; a son, Brad Loveland (’84); a daughter, LeAnn (Loveland ’87) Littlefield; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and a sister, Norma (Alkire ’61) Harrell. Dr. Donice (Hawes) Kelly Pruitt, former longtime chair of the home economics department, died July 7, 2016, in Lubbock at age 94. Pruitt was born April 21, 1922, in Benton, Kan., and graduated from high school in Whitewater, Kan., in 1940. She attended Harding University before earning a bachelor’s Pruitt degree in home economics education in 1943 and a master’s degree in 1951, both from Kansas State University; and a doctorate in home economics, sociology and higher education from The Ohio State University in 1965. She also did graduate studies at Penn State University, and became a Certified Home Economist in 1987. Pruitt taught home economics in three Kansas public school systems before joining the ACU faculty in 1948. She left ACU to become associate professor of home economics at KSU from 1955-68, and professor and chair of the Department of Clothing, Textiles and Merchandising at Oklahoma State University from 1968-74. She returned to ACU in 1974, serving as chair of the Department of Home Economics and Family Studies before retiring in 1987. She was a member of the National Council of Home Economics Administrators, American Home Economics Association, Texas Home Economics Association, and central region chair for the Association of College Professors of Clothing and Textiles. She also was a longtime member of Hillcrest Church of Christ in Abilene. She wed Alvin Kelly on Aug. 24, 1969, in Stillwater, Okla., and they were married 28 years until his death in 1997. She married Walter Pruitt in 2000, and he died in 2005. She also was preceded in death by her parents, Will and Thurza Hawes, and her sister, Averil Henry. Among survivors are her four stepchildren, Kathy (Kelly) Feuerhelm, Mike Kelly (’80), Celeste (Pruitt ’77) Thompson and Allen Pruitt (’82); 15 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Longtime teacher education professor Dr. Chantrey Alfred Fritts Jr. (’53) died Aug. 9, 2016, at age 85. He was a 41-year resident of Abilene, spending the final few years of his life in Lubbock while caring for his wife through a medical crisis, and then his own struggle with Alzheimer’s. Fritts was born April 9, 1931, in Sterling, Colo., and graduated from South Denver High School in 1949. He married Aynsley Lillian Ruth Pennock on June 11, 1955. He earned a bachelor’s degree in
education from ACU, and a master’s degree (1954) and a doctorate in education (1967) from the University of Denver. He was a teacher, counselor and administrator in Denver Public Schools Fritts for 14 years. He joined the ACU faculty in Fall 1967, beginning more than four decades of service as professor and chair of teacher education, and supervisor of student-teachers at his alma mater. Among his accolades were being named ACU’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year in the College of Professional Studies (1986-87), and receiving the Mentor Award from the Texas Student Education Association (1985), and the Kyle Kilough Award as educator of the year by the Texas Society of College Teachers of Education, Texas Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the Texas Teacher Center Network (1988). He also served in the U.S. Army Reserve. Fritts retired in 2001 as professor emeritus of education and was a longtime elder at Abilene’s Hillcrest Church of Christ. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edna Violet Smith and Chantrey Alfred Fritts, Sr., and a sister, Nancy Vourexes. Among survivors are Aynsley, his wife of 61 years; three daughters, Debbie (Fritts ’80) Paxton, Jennifer (Fritts ’82) Carpenter and Toga Broom; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. Joe Bon Baisden (’59), veteran evangelist and former longtime ACU trustee, died Aug. 17, 2016, in Belton, Texas, at age 79. He was born Dec. 7, 1936, in Ennis, Texas, and was salutatorian of the 1955 graduating class of Killeen (Texas) High School. After graduating from ACU with a B.S.Ed. degree, he married Janelle Baisden Davis (’56) on June 20, 1959. He did graduate work in music at The University of Texas at Austin and in Bible at ACU. Baisden served as a minister for many churches, including congregations in Austin (1958-61, 1963-65); Bloomington (1961-63); Washington, D.C. (1965-67); Abilene (1967-70); and the Belton Church of Christ (1971-2004). He conducted gospel meetings and singing workshops for years, and after retiring served as interim minister for 12 congregations. He and Janelle also were active in promoting Christian camping. Everywhere he lived, he was a giant in community service. Baisden was a longtime member of the Belton Lions Club (Lion of the Year for 1973-74), Belton Area Chamber of Commerce, Belton library board, and vice chair of the Bell County Child Welfare Board.