The recent visit of W. Mark Lanier, J.D., to campus was more than an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to hear from a difference-maker. The noted Houston trial lawyer was another example of thought-provoking leaders from all walks of life brought to ACU by Dr. Gary McCaleb (’64) and the university’s Center for Building Community.
McCaleb, who is executive director of the CBC and vice president of the university, has for years hand-picked notable people to come to Abilene to speak in Chapel, at CBC luncheons and to Lynay students.
During the 2013-14 school year, best-selling author Eric Metaxas and former New York Yankee great Bobby Richardson headlined CBC events. Others through the years have included William Bennett, U.S. Secretary of Education; Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan prime minister; Herman Boone, high school football coach from Remember the Titans; Ray Bradbury, science fiction novelist and Emmy Award-winning playwright; George W. Bush, Texas governor; Dr. James Dobson, best-selling author and Focus on the Family founder; Dave Dravecky, cancer survivor, author and former MLB pitcher; Alex Haley, Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author of Roots: The Saga of an American Family; Dr. Charlton Heston, Hollywood film legend; James Michener, Pulitzer Prize winner and best-selling author; Byron Nelson, professional golf legend and former ACU trustee; Marc Ravalomanana, president of Republic of Madagascar; Nolan Ryan, Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher; Dr. Joe Shirley Jr. (’73), president of the Navajo Nation; Kenneth Starr, former special prosecutor; and John Wooden, best-selling author and UCLA basketball coaching legend.
You can read more about the career of McCaleb in Leading the Way, a profile of him in the Spring-Summer issue of ACU Today magazine, by following this link or clicking on the image above. McCaleb began his 51st year of service to ACU this fall.
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