Extending the Impact of Lives Well Lived

Brent ('86) and Starlyn (Thomas '86) Barrow took advantage of every opportunity while students at ACU, and now an endowed scholarship and a charitable trust help provide those same experiences for today's students.

Starlyn, an education major from Vernon, Texas, was an officer in Sigma Theta Chi, a finalist for Miss ACU, and Homecoming Queen her senior year. Brent, a business major from North Richland Hills, Texas, was skipper of Sub T-16, class president and runner-up for Mr. ACU. When they married in 1990, their community engagement continued to grow.

Starlyn and Brent put down roots in North Richland Hills, bought and grew the family business, worshipped and served at The Hills of Church of Christ, and began a family. Their lives were full when Brent, at age 39, was diagnosed with a brain tumor from a rare, aggressive form of cancer. They began fervently praying for Brent to live long enough to help raise their young children. Despite overwhelming odds, Brent saw all three children graduate from high school and walked his two daughters down the aisle at their weddings.

From his diagnosis until his passing in 2019, Brent and Starlyn did not let the disease squelch their spirits or their lives. Brent served as an elder at The Hills Church, and they were mentors in Bible Study Fellowship. Brent worked for ACU as a university relations manager, expanding and enhancing the university's presence in the Tarrant County region. He served on community boards and was elected to the North Richland Hills City Council. Thousands attended his memorial service, and Brent's legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of countless people.

Part of that impact is an endowment established by family and friends – the Brent and Starlyn Barrow Endowed Scholarship at ACU. This past year, Starlyn donated a rental house Brent had lived in during college and bought after graduation. The property went to a charitable remainder trust, and the interest benefits their endowed scholarship. Their generosity and lives of service are helping raise another generation.