Growing up at Ouachita made for a unique childhood. With not just one, but both parents teaching on campus, junior Abby Root was educated on the ins-and-outs of being a Tiger from birth. For Root, watching her parents, Dr. Jeff Root, Dean of the school of humanities and professor of communications, and Dr. Deborah Root, professor of communications, do what they love and impact the lives of students is a great privilege.
“There has never been a difference between ‘work’ and ‘home’ for them. OBU is their home.” Root stated. “They have the awesome opportunity to live out their marriage by working together to impact others.”
Because her dad broadcast all of the football games, she could be found, every Saturday, at whichever field the Ouachita Tigers were taking their stance.
“I remember some Saturdays waking up at 6:00 a.m., driving to the game and getting home around 1:00 a.m., then being at church the next morning,” Root recalled.
During the school week her afternoons were spent on campus, until her parents were done with work. Wednesdays made for especially long nights, sometimes staying as late as 9:00 or 10:00, while her parents worked to get The Signal ready for the printer. Root did not mind, however. For her, those were some of the sweetest memories, as she got to build strong bonds with Ouachita students.
In the midst of the chaos of printing and publishing, Root described how the students took time to continually pour into her as she asked them questions about their life and faith. It is no surprise that these relationships played a key role in her decision to follow Christ.
“I remember telling my mom I wanted to be a Christian because I wanted to live like the college students do,” Root said.
It is no surprise, then, that Root chose to spend her four college years at the place that first captured her heart as a youth. While Root always knew she would attend Ouachita, her love for the school really grew out of a love for people and a desire to impact others in the same way Ouachita students impacted her life.
As a Speech Communications and Theatre Education major, Root hopes to teach high school drama and oral communication. Root’s deep passion for speech communication drives her desire to teach others how they can be effective communicators and successful in whatever they choose to do in life.
Through church drama and high school performances, Root experienced first-hand the power that theatre has in bringing people out of their shells and giving them a new sense of confidence. Theatre became a creative outlet that she used to express herself, as well as a way to build relationships with others.
However, it was Tiger Tunes that truly sparked Root’s love for performing. She attended her first Tiger Tunes show at just six months old and by age six she knew that was what she wanted to do.
“When I was in the second grade my teacher asked my class what we wanted to be when we grew up. I said I wanted to be in Tiger Tunes,” Root confessed. “I remember when I was little going to all the JPAC rehearsals, the dress rehearsal, and every performance. Then, when Tunes was over I would watch the VHS recording for the next year. Sometimes, I watched it over Disney Channel.”
Today, Root is living out that childhood dream, having directed two Tunes shows this year and last year. Along with this, Root was also awarded the second annual Shelby Seabaugh Spirit of Tunes award this year. The Spirit of Tunes is given in honor of Ouachita student Shelby Seabaugh who unexpectedly passed away in 2014. The award is given to an individual who embodies a love for Tiger Tunes and Ouachita in the same way as Seabaugh.
“I am honored and humbled to receive this award,” Root said. “Shelby loved Tiger Tunes because Shelby loved Ouachita. She wanted everyone to put on a great show, have fun, and create meaningful friendships while doing it. She set an example for how to be a great Tunes director and participant. I am so grateful to follow in her legacy.”
In Root’s eyes Tunes has never been about winning or having a perfect show. It is about people and family. “OBU could be located anywhere in the world, but the family would never change,” Root stated. “That is what I love so much about Tiger Tunes—for one weekend our family comes back together to celebrate each other and give back to this school.”
“Even if I had never received any recognition for participating in or directing shows I would have still been overjoyed because my childhood dream came true.”
By Cimber Winfrey
