RACHAEL HUBBARD
PAUL WHITE
(LEFT) Dewby received her award at May Commencement from Craig Fisher (’92), director of alumni relations and annual projects. (RIGHT) Patsy (Thompson ’84) Boone, Dewby, Dr. Bob Hunter (’52) and nephew Phil Boone (’83) stand in front of the Historical Timeline in the Hunter Welcome Center. Pictured above Dewby in the timeline is her late father, Dr. Walter H. Adams (’25), in his Wildcat baseball uniform.
University in Lubbock the past three years, not far from their bench was their shortest, oldest and likely most engaged fan. During a campus visit in August 2013, she spoke of the difficult adjustment of leaving Abilene so she and Amos could live near their daughter, Nan Ray (’79). Dewby went through some medical challenges in the months before and after the move. Amos died in September 2013, leaving a void in her life that has been filled, in part, by family members and the new friends she’s made in Lubbock, and others from around the world who stay in touch with and encourage her each day. “There are a bunch of GATAs at Broadway Church of Christ in Lubbock who encourage me, hug me, write notes to me,” she says of the ACU women’s social club for which she served as a sponsor for years, and of her new home congregation. “But I’m already tired of hearing about Texas Tech all the time,” she retorts in a frank tone, proving you can take a girl off the Hill but not the Hill out of the girl. “They’re afraid to
let me drive because they think I’ll head to Abilene and not come back.” Oh, Dewby. She’s always spoken her mind, told it like it is, reminded others how it used to be, and exhorted friends and foes alike to greater effort. She admits she gets that from her late “Daddy,” as she calls Dean Adams, a similarly larger-than-life icon who took no shortcuts to growing the institution to which he committed his hardworking life. “It has been a long struggle to get ACU to where it is today,” Dewby explains, even though she’s several years removed from a leadership role in Women for Abilene Christian University, which began in 1969 with her as founding president. Its purpose is to rally support for “the college,” including scholarships and campus improvement projects. Few experiences fill her with more pride than those she shared on behalf of WACU. Today, she’s proudly old-school and pens handwritten thank-you notes for everything. They’re meticulous, well written, heart-felt,
brutally honest and highly prized. “I can’t think of anyone who loves ACU more than Dewby,” says Betsey (Bolin ’85) Craig, former assistant director of alumni relations and a GATA sponsor since 1985. “Second to ACU, she loves GATA. She hasn’t been its sponsor for probably 40 years, but she’s still talked about like she is. We’re proud to follow in her footsteps and perpetuate the traditions and history of our 96-year-old club and our alma mater.” At the luncheon between Commencement services this past May, Dewby clutched a microphone and held court from a chair at the front of the room. She alternately told stories, thanked people, cackled spontaneously and caused others to laugh even louder, expressing appreciation for “all of you who are my grandkids, or think you are.” “I do love this school,” she says, turning serious. “I do.” Speaking for the school she and her family helped build, and all the friends she’s made along the way, well, we love the one and only Dewby Ray right back.
– RON HADFIELD
28
Winter-Spring 2017
ACU TODAY