By JIM NICHOLS The university purchasing office occasionally phoned me to question some purchase order from the Biology Department. They were not suspicious as much as they were curious. Why would we order a dozen pig hearts? Five dozen meal worms? Owl pellets? And what exactly are owl pellets? It made for interesting conversations with the purchasing office. With all
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON I once heard the fable of an eagle who was envious of another larger eagle who could fly much higher than he could. The only way to be the best eagle again was to have the larger eagle killed. So, one day, the eagle went to a bow hunter and showed him the grand prize he could
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By LORETTA FULTON Construction and instruction will be going on at the same time when students return Monday, Aug. 28, for fall classes at Abilene’s three church-affiliated universities. Classes and opening chapel services, along with the sounds of power tools and heavy equipment, await students at United Methodist-affiliated McMurry University, Baptist affiliated Hardin-Simmons University, and Churches of Christ-affiliated Abilene Christian
Read moreDr. H. Taylor Rankin, a longtime biology professor at Hardin-Simmons University, died Aug. 11 at age 89. A message from HSU President Eric Bruntmyer and a link to the full obituary follow. “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dr. H. Taylor Rankin, age 89, who died on August 11, 2023 in Abilene. A memorial service will
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Dr. Robert Ellis recently learned something about patience as he waited his turn to have blood drawn for routine lab work. His lesson came from watching a mother and her daughter waiting to hear their names called. Ellis, retired dean of Logsdon School of Theology at Hardin-Simmons University, shared that lesson in a beautifully written article for his blog, “An
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Editor’s Note: The following article first appeared on the ACU website. It is reposted here with permission. By ROBIN SAYLORDirector of Content Strategy, ACU A group of ACU students took their soccer skills and a desire to love their neighbors to Poland this summer to conduct a soccer camp for Ukrainian refugee children who have resettled there. The 12 students,
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By NANCY PATRICK What a hodgepodge a family creates! Grandparents—parents—aunts and uncles—cousins—siblings. As a child, I had seven cousins on my mom’s side and ten on my dad’s side. Both sets of grandparents lived within a few miles of each other in rural Arkansas. Interestingly, all my mom’s siblings remained in Arkansas while my dad and all his siblings moved
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By JIM NICHOLS Every human activity or discipline has a set of words or concepts that operate to shorten communication. Using this jargon is efficient; users of it can communicate in a shorter time with more clarity. Plumbers have such a set of words and elementary teachers have another set; it is common in life. Sometimes, the jargon can be
Read moreBy DANNY MINTON A discolored sheet dated fifty-seven years ago lay in a desk drawer atop some papers. In bold letters, the heading read, “Selective Service System: NOTICE TO RESISTANT TO APPEAR FOR MEDICAL INTERVIEW.” The first line proclaimed, “You are hereby directed to report for a medical interview at the place and time designated below. Failure to comply with
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Spirit Of Abilene 