Longtime Abilene Christian University communications professional Forrest Clark Potts, 93, of Abilene, Texas, died May 30, 2025. A private family graveside service will be held in his Arkansas hometown.
He was born Aug. 13, 1931, in Western Grove and grew up in Rogers and various towns across northwest Arkansas. He was editor of The Optimist student newspaper in 1952-53, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1953, the same year he wed classmate Audrey Kitchens (’55).
He began his professional career with Cities Service Oil Company in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. In 1964, Clark and Audrey returned to Abilene, where they worked for their alma mater until their retirement in 1993.
For nearly three decades, most of the images students, alumni, donors and other friends saw of ACU were through Potts’ camera lens. While he was a graphic designer and editor, he was the university’s chief photographer most of that time, and in the pre-video, pre-digital era of communications, Potts’ carefully edited multi-projector 35mm slide shows and motion-picture films were staples of student recruiting and fundraising events and campaigns.
He managed photographic services while curating an extensive collection of images for public relations and communications. He also won awards for his photography from the American Advertising Federation and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, many through his work on Horizons and ACU Today magazines.
Potts taught on the journalism faculty from 1964-68, was faculty advisor of The Optimist in 1965-66 and Prickly Pear yearbook in 1967-68, and ACU’s Outstanding Staff Member of the Year in 1977. While university editor in 1993, he received ACU’s Excellence in Mass Media Ministry award.
He served on the Centennial Photography Archivists Team for several years leading up to the university’s 100th school year in 2005-06. During the Centennial, Potts was one of 17 recipients of a John and Ruth Stevens Historical Hashknife Award for pioneering preservation of ACU history.
A gifted writer and Bible school teacher, he authored Catch the Dream, a 1989 ACU Press compilation of inspirational messages he created each week for Hillcrest Church of Christ, where he and Audrey were longtime members.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Clinton M. and Mary Suzette Clark Potts.
Among survivors are sons Avery Potts (’77) and David Potts (’87); daughter Shannon (Potts ’81) Jones; grandsons Bryan Potts (’06), Taylor Potts, Brenham Potts and Hayden Potts; great-grandchildren Kaylyn Ard, Kynzie Ard, Ryann Potts and Nolan Potts; and a brother, Terry Potts (’61).
