Shelby Seabaugh was a junior Christian studies/philosophy major at Ouachita Baptist University when she passed away unexpectedly March 27, 2014. Shelby was involved in a number of organizations at Ouachita, including the Ouachita Student Foundation, The Women of EEE and Pruet Sisterhood.
The EEE's couldn't have won Tiger Tunes in 2013 without Shelby co-directing the ShEEEp show along side Aaryn Elliot Whitney. Shelby and Aaryn (members of PC 12) were elected Tiger Tunes directors in 2013, and Shelby's goal was to use the long practices and rehearsals as a time to bring the sisterhood closer to the Lord. Shelby was the first Tunes director to implement Bible studies into practices, and she was also the first director to include lyrics about Christ in the Tunes show. Shelby's love for the Lord could be seen through everything she did, and the ultimate comfort for her friends and family is knowing that she is sitting at the feet of Jesus.
In 2014, the Ouachita Student Foundation voted to create a special award during Tiger Tunes. The award is named "The ShelbySeabaugh Spirit of Tiger Tunes Award," and is given to one student each year who embodies qualities that Shelby possessed. Aaryn Elliot Whitney, Shelby's co-director and close friend, was honored to be the first recipient of the award. In 2014 the EEE's placed second in Tiger Tunes, and the club voted to use the prize money to purchase a bench in Shelby's name. The marble bench was placed outside of Berry Bible Building in the Spring of 2015, as this is the building on campus that Shelby spent most of her time. The front of the bench reads "In memory of Shelby Rebekah Seabaugh, 1992-2014," the sides of the bench read "EEE," and the back of the bench is an excerpt from Psalms 23, which is the passage used in the ShEEEp show that Shelby co-directed.
Through the passing of our sister, a comfort we have is knowing that a piece of Shelby is living on inside of others. Shelby was a registered organ and tissue donor, and because of her unexpected death, Shelby was able to become a cornea and tissue donor. In 2015 the Arkansas Regional Organ Recovery Agency (ARORA) selected Shelby to be the Arkansas representative on the Donate Life float during the Rose Parade on New Year's Day 2016. Shelby's image was created out of organic materials, and it was even able to travel to Arkansas before being assembled on the parade float. The EEE's were allowed to help complete Shelby's floragraph during a ceremony on Ouachita's campus.
While it is extremely difficult to lose a friend and sister, Shelby has taught us many lessons both through the life she lived, and her unexpected death. The EEE's will always remember Shelby and continue to strive to lead the club the way that she did through her time as a Tiger Tunes director, keeping God at the center of everything.