Henderson State University

THE SCHOOL WITH A HEART

HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY AT 125 |

By David Sesser

THE SCHOOL WITH A HEART HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY AT 125

The School With a Heart, you will IN learn how a small, south Arkansas college has transformed into a thriving,

regional university. The educational landscape of Arkansas changed forever 125 years ago when a small group of Methodists in Arkadelphia decided to open a college.

The resolve of the earliest students and faculty ensured the school would persevere.

Nearly destroyed by a fire less than a quarter century after opening its doors, the spirit of its students and faculty never waivered.

Instead, the college rose from the ashes and emerged even stronger.

Unique among institutions of higher learning in Arkansas, Henderson is the only school to operate both as a private college and as a public university. During this shift, it was only with the support of the community that Henderson kept its doors open.

This community support and the love that students, faculty, staff and alumni express for the university is epitomized by the Reddie Spirit that brings the entire campus together. The people of Henderson have long worked hard to ensure the university will continue to educate the citizens of south Arkansas along with students across the globe for generations to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR David Sesser is a native of Natchez, Mississippi, and part of the third generation of his family to attend Henderson State University. Graduating with a B.A in History and an M.L.A. in Social Sciences, Sesser continued his education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, completing an M.A. in Public History, and the University of Southern Mississippi, where he earned a Master of Library and Information Science. He serves as a Technical Services Coordinator/Assistant Librarian in Huie Library and lives in Arkadelphia with his wife Deborah, whom he met at Henderson.

Those who founded Arkadelphia Methodist College in 1890 could never dream that the institution would produce outstanding alumni in so many different fields. From military commanders to world-class athletes and performers, Henderson alumni have made their mark on the world.

Henderson State University has transformed lives for 125 years and is poised to continue this tradition of success as the university looks beyond the horizon with an enduring commitment to provide an opportunity to individuals who desire to become educated members of our society.

Printed in Korea

THE SCHOOL WITH A HEART

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THE SCHOOL WITH A HEART

The Donald Reynolds Science Center houses a planetarium, which offers a great learning resource to students and the greater community.

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HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY AT 125 |

By David Sesser

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Arkadelphia Methodist College Main Building, pre-1914.

THE SCHOOL WITH A HEART HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY AT 125 1890

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HENDERSON S T A T E

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Copyright © 2015 Henderson State University All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Henderson State University.

HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY 1100 Henderson Street Arkadelphia, Arkansas 71999 870.230.5000 www.hsu.edu

President Glen Jones BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mike Myers, Chairman Carol Jo Atkinson, Vice Chair Bruce Moore, Secretary Ross Whipple Deborah Nolan Brown Hardman Eddie Arnold Author David Sesser Editor Rob Levin PROJECT DIRECTORS Jennifer Boyett Vice President, University Advancement Steve Fellers Photography Carrie Roberson Director of Development & Alumni David Sesser Assistant Librarian Tonya Oaks Smith Director of Marketing & Communications Design Rick Korab Copyediting Dave Baker Indexing Shoshana Hurwitz Book Development By

Covington, Georgia www.bookhouse.net Printed in Korea

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Alma Mater, Henderson!

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The 1911 Henderson College Band.

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The publication of The School with a Heart—Henderson State University at 125 would not have been possible without the support of the

President’s Circle.

This book is dedicated to their generosity and spirit.

Steven and Karen DeMott Bob and Judy Fisher Buddy and Betty Formby Alvin and Brenda Futrell Paul Hankins Billy and Julie Hudson Dub and Earlene Arnold

Mike and Lisa Myers

Ross and Carol Jo Atkinson

Deborah Nolan

Dickie and Linda Black

Ben and Dixie Owens

Terry Blaylock

Ed and Patricia Scott

Jay and Robbie Bradford

Roy Snook

Charles and Anita Cabe

Allen and Pat Tillery

Don and Jean Case

Ross and Mary Whipple Johnny and Charlotte Hudson Dick and Penni Jacobs David and Betty Jones Tad and Judy Krug Cliff and Nola Larrison

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The Showband of Arkansas is known throughout the country for not only its musical talent but also the hard work that members put into every show.

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BY GLEN JONES For 125 years, our university has transformed the lives of generations of young people who dared to believe that their lives, and the lives of their families, could be better if they attained a higher education degree. Along with the best and the brightest from across the region, our long history has also centered on those students less familiar with and sometimes less prepared for a college education. Most were from blue-collar families, and many were the first in their entire family to pursue a higher education degree. They were primarily from small towns in Arkansas and east Texas, with a small number from other states and countries around the world.

Yet, they came.

They came because they knew Henderson would provide them with an opportunity not dependent on their socio-economic status, gender, race, or their family’s educational pedigree. They came to a place that recognized their immediate needs while embracing their long-term potential.

They came to a place that believed in them, encouraged and supported them, developed them into educated citizens, and sent them forward to be leaders across our country and in their communities and homes.

I was one of those students.

As I reflect on Henderson’s impact on my life over the past twenty-six years, I realize just how blessed I am to be a Reddie. As a young boy growing up in Blytheville, Arkansas, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would ever attend, let alone graduate from, a university. Henderson afforded me that opportunity, and I will be forever grateful to the university and the many faculty and staff members who contributed to my success as a student.

As we celebrate the 125th anniversary of Henderson State University, let’s remain forever mindful that the Heart of Henderson lies in our enduring commitment to provide an opportunity for young people, and the young at heart, who desire to become educated members of our society.

Seeing students transform before our eyes during their journey on our campus is truly remarkable. It is what makes us uniquely Henderson. Our students may sometimes arrive as unpolished jewels, but they are ours and we will teach them. This is our legacy, and we are extremely proud of it.

On behalf of Reddies everywhere, I salute Henderson State University for 125 years of transforming the lives of the many students we have been so blessed to serve.

You will forever stay in our hearts.

In Reddie Spirit,

Glen Jones President Henderson State University XI

The aftermath of the 1914 fire, showing the scale of destruction inflicted on the college.

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cold rain fell, drenching the ground while the wind

howled in from the north early on the morning of February 3, 1914. Life slowly stirred on the campus of Henderson-Brown College, with building superintendent James Garrett making his morning rounds at 5 a.m. Walking through the Main Building, which held classrooms, the library, and offices, as well as the dormitory for female students, Garrett made his way to the kitchen at the rear of the building. He discovered that a small fire had ignited there and worked to extinguish it, but a lack of water hampered his efforts. Realizing that the blaze would quickly consume the kitchen before spreading to the remainder of the building, Garrett began to sound the alarm.

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The entrance to the Main Hall before the 1914 fire.

THE SCHOOL WITH A HEART | HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY AT 125

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Out of the Ashes, the Reddie Spirit Is Born By Jackie Inouye Not much remains on the campus of Henderson to remind us of the fire that took down the Main Building at what was then known as Henderson-Brown College. The tower bell from this building sits on the university’s South Lawn alongside a commemorative plaque. But in the hearts of alumni, this moment was crucial in forming what is known as the “Reddie Spirit.” This Spirit serves as the Henderson mascot, but perhaps more importantly represents the pride and motivation behind the university’s many successful students and alumni.

In the early morning of February 3, 1914, building and grounds superintendent James B. Garrett discovered a small fire in the kitchen of the Main Building just before 5 a.m. The blaze quickly overtook the building before the fire department could arrive.

While teachers assisted with the evacuation of the female students in the third-floor dormitory, male students rushed back into the building to salvage as much personal and school property as possible. The building was destroyed, but no lives were lost that day.

The next morning, as students met to have their regular chapel service on the lawn, then-president George Henry Crowell encouraged the students to stay and immediately arranged for temporary accommodations. The students responded with an outpouring of support. A year from the date of the

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When the female professors who lived in the building were startled awake, an orderly evacuation began of young women from the upper floors. In an effort to summon additional help to control the blaze, the college bell began to ring, joined shortly by a number of gunshots to awaken as many Arkadelphia citizens as possible. Although no male students lived in the Main Building, many did live just on the other side of 12th Street in a number of cottages. Soon joined by local residents, the young men of Henderson-Brown entered the structure to save as much as possible. Starting on the upper floors, they safely evacuated almost every trunk belonging to a student. The trunks were joined by the entire library, all athletic and debate trophies, and more than a dozen pianos.

fire, the new university administration building was opened. Almost the whole student body remained.

Although the inspirational story of Henderson’s fire and rebirth is known by every alumnus, few have the familiarity of Mary Jo Mann, HSU ’62, who delivers the annual Pine Tree Speech in the fall. When asked why the fire was such a formative moment in the university’s history, Mann said, “It’s the birth of the Reddie Spirit, the fact that the students just met that night and decided they were going to stay, that they weren’t going to let anything keep them from going to college. That spirit has been around ever since.”

Jackie Inouye is the social media strategist in the HSU Office of Marketing and Communications. She graduated from Wheaton College (IL) with a BA in English, and began work at Henderson State University in 2008.

The Main Building burns in 1914.

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The first class of students to attend Arkadelphia Methodist College in 1890. The student body consisted of a wide range of ages and was co-educational.

By the time the salvage effort ended, the entire structure was ablaze.

Efforts continued to keep the fire from spreading as local citizens worked to protect Key Hall, the only other academic building on campus.

Students huddled in small groups as they watched their college go up in flames. As the sun rose and the fire slowly began to die out, President George Henry Cromwell met with the student body at the Methodist Church. There he laid out his plans to use temporary buildings and local churches to continue classes the next day. The president also pleaded with students to remain at Henderson-Brown and not to leave the college.

The students returned to campus, where they met in a pine grove near the smoldering ruins. They discussed which course of action to take, and although it is unclear what was said during this meeting, the ultimate outcome is known. Just seven students decided to leave Henderson-

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Brown. The remainder of the student body not only promised to stay but also pledged $1,000 toward the rebuilding effort.

It was in that pine grove that the Reddie Spirit was born: the understanding that Henderson is not just a physical structure but also the connections between people, and this is what makes being a Reddie so special. The students remained at Henderson and worked to rebuild the school that meant so much to them.

Today the Reddie Spirit is stronger than ever and continues to unite the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of Henderson as the university celebrates its 125th anniversary. But while the university embraces what lies beyond the horizon, looking back shows that the path followed was not always easy or without pitfalls. These struggles served to solidify the resolve of those associated with the institution and strengthen the Reddie Spirit.

The college remained open after the fire, and in fact only one day of instruction was lost. Held in buildings scattered across Arkadelphia, classes continued and soon a number of temporary wooden buildings

President George Henry Crowell, 1911–1915.

sprouted up on campus. With the help of local townspeople and Methodists throughout the state, the college began a massive fundraising effort to pay for the construction of new buildings to house classrooms and students. Only with much effort and an extended time frame were the new buildings constructed. For all its support, Henderson-Brown struggled during much of its early existence to obtain enough financial resources to keep the institution’s doors open. Fundraisers and pleas from the administration to church congregations and alumni were common.

Founded as Arkadelphia Methodist College in 1890, the institution struggled to remain in operation. The first name change occurred in 1904, when the school became Henderson College in honor of Captain Charles Christopher Henderson, a

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member of the Board of Trustees who gave significant financial support.

With the additional support of Walter William Brown, Captain Henderson’s business partner, the college continued operations and became Henderson-Brown in 1911. It was only from a combination of support from wealthy benefactors and the students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the college that the institution survived.

The most difficult period in the history of the college occurred in the late 1920s. Henderson-Brown was not the only Methodist institution in the state to experience problems. By 1928, the Methodist Conference decided to stop supporting three separate institutions with different missions and to create a new university centrally located in Little Rock.

The Henderson-Brown community, rallied by the Reddie Spirit, worked to support the institution and prevent it from closing. Only by offering the campus and associated educational materials to the state for operation

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Malachi Smith—Paying It Forward

By Lewis A. Shepherd Jr.

The October 14, 1943, edition of the Oracle stated, “Malachi Smith knows Henderson as a ‘school with a stomach’ as well as ‘a school with a heart.’” This statement summed up the occasion of the celebration of Malachi Smith’s fortieth anniversary at Henderson.

While the cliché “paying it forward” was probably not around during Smith’s years, he indeed spent much time and energy paying it forward. The Smith family legacy is deeply embedded in the foundation of Arkadelphia. It was the Smith family that opened a silent movie house for African Americans, as well as a restaurant, barber shop, and dance hall.

Smith proudly served as the head cook of the campus dining hall for almost forty-five years. Not only did Smith serve delicious food to the student body, but he also became friendly with many

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This is one of the few existing images of the temporary buildings constructed on campus in the aftermath of the 1914 fire. It was in these rough structures that the Reddie Spirit endured and students continued their education.

of the students. He worked hard with limited resources to provide for his charges, and his only break in service to the college came when the administration called for a reduction in kitchen staff. When that president resigned a few years later, Smith returned to his old position.

Malachi Smith was one of the first to the rescue after the 1914 fire that nearly destroyed the college. Why would someone have such a passion for a place that none of his family could attend?

I believe Malachi Smith understood this to be a place that had a heart for people, just as he did. I am not sure whether Smith ever met Maurice Horton of Curtis, but his efforts paid off for Horton, who in 1955 became the first African American to enroll in Henderson. I don’t believe Smith ever met his granddaughter Ettatricia Clark, who graduated in 1976 and again in 1979, but his efforts also paved the way for her.

Malachi Smith—a man who paid it forward.

Dr. Lewis A. Shepherd Jr. is vice president for student and external affairs at Henderson State University. He has been employed with Henderson for six years.

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as a public college did the school keep its doors open.

The move to state control as Henderson State Teachers College in 1929 came at a difficult time as the global economy slowed and the Great Depression began. Regardless of events taking place far away from campus, the college continued to operate and the faculty worked hard to educate the growing student body. Despite cuts to the college budget,

including

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the Star yearbook from 1931 to 1933, classes and degree programs continued to be added and students traveled from across the state and country to attend the institution.

Enrollment also suffered during World War II, with many students The 1952 Queen of Stars, a tradition that is continued as the Miss Henderson pageant today.

entering the armed forces or finding work to support the war effort. By 1944, Henderson State Teachers College enrolled only 266 students. But this period of a small student body and an uncertain future was soon replaced by a sense of stability.

The end of the war brought two major changes to the campus. First, enrollment quickly grew as returning military personnel entered colleges across the country to take advantage of the GI Bill. Those students often brought families with them as they pursued degrees, creating a new atmosphere on campus. This increase in the student body did not diminish the Reddie Spirit but rather served to strengthen it. The other major change during this period was the creation of education degree

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Two students converse on the Amy Jean Greene Bridge with Oaks Hall in the background.

programs. The introduction of the Bachelor of Science in Education marked the beginning of a more focused push to prepare students to teach after earning their degrees.

The next decade saw the addition of graduate degrees to the Homecoming has traditionally been a major event in Arkadelphia. This is a float that participated in the 1946 Homecoming Parade.

curriculum in 1955, as well as the first regularly enrolled African American students. Enrollment topped 1,000 for the first time in 1948 and continued to grow to more than 1,500 a decade later. More than 2,000 students took classes in 1964. The name of the college changed again in 1967 with the deletion of the word “Teachers� from the title. This change reflected a shift for Henderson State College away from primarily preparing

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that could meet the needs of a variety of students. That same year, enrollment broke the 3,000 mark.

The name change was relatively short-lived with the adoption in 1975 of Henderson State University as the institution’s sixth and final name. The addition of both new undergraduate and graduate programs continued to push enrollment higher. Dr. Charles Dunn, the longestserving president in the history of the university, took office in 1986.

Dunn led Henderson through a reorganization process that saw the creation of the Matt Locke Ellis College of Arts and Sciences as well as a return to a focus on the liberal arts. Henderson became the only Arkansas

The Dunn Student Recreation Center is a popular location for students to exercise or relax between classes.

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member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges in 1998, a distinction it still holds today. President Dunn served until his retirement from administrative duties in 2008, when he returned to the classroom as a professor of political science.

Today an alumnus leads the university as the seventeenth president.

Glendell Jones, a 1992 graduate of Henderson, took office in July 2012.

Jones graduated in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and went on to earn a juris doctor from the University of Arkansas School of Law and a master of laws in taxation from the University of Florida College of Law. After a nearly two-decade career in higher education, he returned to his alma mater to serve as president. In his second year at the helm, he led the campus through a process of establishing a President Jones surrounded by new Reddie alumni.

strategic plan that was unveiled in fall 2014 and will carry the university forward through 2020. This plan, which includes measurable outcomes, places emphasis on seven key areas: student enrollment; improving student life and retention to graduation; enhancing academic programs; faculty and staff quality of life; improving the physical environment

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revenues; and enhancing Henderson’s regional, state, and national profile.

From that cold night when their beloved college burned before their eyes to the annual Battle of the Ravine football game,

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across the decades are joined by a common theme of love and appreciation of their university. This Reddie Spirit continues to radiate brightly

The Showband of Arkansas plays as the sun rises on the morning of the Battle of the Ravine.

in the hearts of alumni for years after they complete their educations and depart campus. The faculty and staff at Henderson continue to offer outstanding instruction and support to students, while at the same time ensuring that academic programs are strengthened.

The Reddie Spirit has brought the campus community together both in times of tragedy and in times of celebration. As the university completes its 125th year of service to the people of Arkansas, the Reddie Spirit will endure in the continued success of Henderson.

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The 1907 Reddie football team, winners of the Battle of the Ravine and Arkansas state champions. This was the first season under Coach Jimmy Haygood and the first of four straight State Championship titles the Reddies won under his leadership.

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Memories of Living Shadows T

he School with a Heart. Henderson State University’s

motto for decades, it reflects the institution’s commitment to providing a caring, nurturing educational experience for its students. Ingrained in the university and invested in that commitment are the faculty and staff who truly are the beating heart of the institution. They provide the attention and support that for 125 years has ensured students are able to achieve a quality higher education while becoming well-rounded citizens. Every fall, Henderson welcomes new faculty and staff to campus as the university begins another academic year. These new employees join others who have served for decades and will be remembered by generations of students. Making an impact on the Henderson

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community both inside and outside the classroom, these men and women shaped Henderson into the institution it is today.

Amy Jean Greene’s name is familiar to any student who has attended the Pine Tree Speech over the years. A 1928 graduate of HendersonBrown College, Greene studied at a number of graduate institutions before returning to Arkadelphia, where she taught history at the local high school before coming home to her alma mater and teaching for twenty-seven years. After her return to campus, she founded Heart and Key in 1946 and created the Pine Tree Speech, which is delivered to freshmen every fall and serves as an important introduction to the history and traditions of Henderson.

Although he was not a faculty member, Grady Smith was nonetheless an important member of the college administration for decades and is remembered for his monetary kindness by many former students.

Serving as the last business manager for Henderson-Brown College,

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Battle of the Ravine

By Troy Mitchell

Alabama vs. Auburn . . . Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State . . . Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State. These are just a few of the premier in-state rivalries that have made major college football great.

While these in-state rivalries deliver a loyal and passionate fan following that also divides the states and many of the families within those states, they do not compare to American college football’s most unique rivalry of two NCAA Division II schools—that of Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University.

The Battle of the Ravine—which dates to 1895— represents the quintessential small college football game and atmosphere. Not only is the longevity of the competition compelling, but what makes this rivalry

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Smith remained in his position when the college moved under state control and later served on the Board of Trustees. Today Smith Hall stands as a reminder of his love and service to the university.

The longevity of some of the faculty members on campus meant that generation after generation of students could enjoy their support and individual attention. Drs. John and Julia Hall are among some of the longest-serving faculty members. John joined the history faculty in 1963 while Julia began teaching English at Henderson in 1968. After retiring from teaching, John continued Amy Jean Greene, Henderson-Brown College alumna and longtime professor. Greene founded Heart and Key in 1946 in response to a request from President D. D. McBrien, and the organization is still responsible for promoting and maintaining campus traditions.

especially unique is that both teams literally walk across a street when they play “on the road” against the other. Indeed, it is the shortest road trip in all of college football.

The first game played between the two institutions was in 1895, and the second meeting did not occur until 1907. The game was traditionally played on Thanksgiving, and both teams made it their homecoming game. The series discontinued in 1951 after Henderson State won 54–0 and the pranks that went along with the series grew out of control. The series did not resume until 1963.

The series then continued uninterrupted until 1993, when Henderson’s move to the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference resulted in a three-year hiatus. The series began again in 1996 as OBU moved to the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference. OBU joined the GSC in 2000 and both institutions joined the Great American Conference in 2011.

Troy Mitchell is the sports information director at Henderson State. Previously, he was assistant sports information director at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He earned his bachelor’s degree in health and human services in 1989 from Ohio University.

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to serve the university as the director of the Henderson Foundation until 2013, completing fifty years of service to the university.

Some faculty members with the deepest impact on students were onetime students at Henderson themselves. Farrar Newberry grew up across the street from the front gate of Henderson-Brown College and began attending classes at the attached academy at five years old. After graduating from the college in 1906, he earned a graduate degree in history from Vanderbilt University and returned to Arkadelphia where he taught at Henderson-Brown before entering the state legislature.

After a long career as president of the insurance company Woodmen of the World, Newberry returned to Arkadelphia and restored his Reddie sports teams travel the country to play opponents.

The 1934 team bus was a bit rougher than the transport used by student athletes today.

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boyhood home. Upon Newberry’s death in 1969, the structure, known as Homeplace, was donated to the university and currently serves as the president’s home.

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The love of Henderson exhibited by students and faculty is created in part by the special bond they have with the university. One of the most unique aspects of Henderson State University is the lack of a physical mascot. Although the students proudly call themselves Reddies, outsiders are often confused about what that means

exactly.

Sometimes

confusing

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Reddie Spirit with the idea of Reddies, astute students explain to outsiders that Reddies are not ghosts as is often stated by confused athletic opponents. The Reddies are simply any people who are associated with and have a deep love for the university.

The name itself comes from the color of uniforms worn by athletic teams. Although the original colors used to represent the college in debate tournaments were pink and cream, by 1905 they had been replaced by the more familiar red and gray. The early football teams wore red uniforms and used the names Red Jackets and Red Men. Other

Basketball has been a popular sport on campus for generations, as seen in this photo from 1977.

names used over the years have included Redskins, Big Red, and Indians, but Red Jackets became the official name of the football team in 1908. Often shorted to Reds, the name eventually evolved into the Reddies, better suited for songs and cheers.

The institution began intercollegiate competition in November 1891, the second year of operation for Arkadelphia Methodist College.

Competing against other Arkansas colleges and universities at the state debate championship, AMC did not win but performed admirably in the competition. A few years later, athletic events began to be held on campus. The first sport played at Henderson College against off-campus

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competition was baseball. Two teams competed against each other and other local teams, with the first game held in 1899. Although baseball was reserved for male students, both sexes played lawn tennis. By 1904, the Henderson College Athletic Association fielded an intercollegiate team in baseball. The next year saw the creation of both a track and field team and a football team. Track and field saw almost immediate success, winning the first-annual Arkansas State Athletic Association Championship in 1906. The winning streak continued until 1911, when Henderson was defeated by the University of Arkansas by a mere three points.

Football quickly became the most popular sport on campus. Some mentions of the sport on the campus of AMC appear as early as 1890, but the first intercollegiate game occurred between the Reddies and Ouachita Baptist College on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1895.

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

R. L. “Sporty” Carpenter—“Mr. HSU”

By George Baker

R. L. “Sporty” Carpenter was Henderson State University’s head football coach from 1971 through 1989, a period of time in which he compiled a record of 119–76–5. His winning ways were not limited to the gridiron—the man with the infectious grin and a wit to match endeared himself to all who came to know him.

Football is a rough game played by rough, tough men, and Sporty played and coached the game in that fashion. He was as tough a man as ever I saw, but underneath was a heart of gold that bled the red and gray of his beloved Reddies.

Sporty arrived on campus in 1968, having graduated in 1956 and stopping at several high schools both as

Coach Carpenter (front row, left) poses with his 1972 coaching staff.

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The Henderson-Brown College baseball team around 1915.

assistant and as head coach. His impact on high school jobs was minimal, no indication of the success he would enjoy at his alma mater.

I had the opportunity to coach under Sporty from 1974 through the season of 1989. He was the best boss I ever had, the consummate people person, a master at managing the multiple tasks of a college head football coach, and never micromanaging his coaches—quite a feat.

Before the arrival of Sporty Carpenter at Henderson State University, the football team’s acclaim had pretty much been limited to the state of Arkansas. In a few short years Sporty had his men playing before the crowned heads of Europe!

The Reddie football team was a part of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Europe in 1976 where they played Texas A&I five times in three weeks, becoming the first American college football teams to play American football in Europe. As Sporty so deftly put it when asked how many games they won: “We won all but five.”

I have never known a more dedicated, loving, loyal, and concerned man than R. L. “Sporty” Carpenter. He was, and still is, “Mr. HSU”!

George Baker was HSU’s assistant football coach from 1974 through 1989.

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Henderson lost the game, the only one played that season. The first team did not have a coach and was only loosely organized. The next regular appearance of the sport on campus came years later, in 1905.

The first regularly organized season saw the first game against the rivals at Hendrix College, and 1907 found the Reddies playing the first recognized Battle of the Ravine against Ouachita. With the Reddies defeating the Tigers 22–6, a rivalry unlike any other in college football began. By 2014, the two teams had met eighty-eight times, with the Reddies winning four of the last five meetings and leading the series 42–40–6.

The proximity of the two campuses has led to many hijinks over the years, and students on both sides of the ravine were caught up in the fervor surrounding the contest. After the 1951 game, which Henderson won 54–0, Ouachita chose to end the series and the teams did not meet again until 1963. The series was not regularly played One of the newer sports on campus, softball is played at the Delores Brumfield White Field.

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three other times in the history of the two universities. During World War II, athletic programs were suspended. In the 1990s, the two

CHAPTER 2 | MEMORIES OF LIVING SHADOWS

teams did not meet as Henderson transitioned to NCAA Division II as a member of the Gulf South Conference and OBU remained a member of the NAIA before joining another NCAA conference. With both teams competing in the Gulf South beginning in 1996, the battle continued, with the exception of a two-year break in 2003 and 2004 because of the conference schedule.

Other popular sports include basketball, the oldest intercollegiate sport played by female students. The young women of the college played an intermural game on Thanksgiving Day, 1901. The next semester, the men played a game during commencement week, followed by another game by the women. Over the next two decades, both genders regularly played intermural games, with some contests held against outside opponents. Most commonly, Ouachita College and Hot Springs

Coach Jimmy Haygood, coach of the Reddie football team from 1907–1918 and 1920–1924.

High School met the Reddies on the court. By 1920, both teams were well established. The women won the state championship that year, defeating their Methodist rivals from Hendrix. The men placed second in the state tournament, held at Henderson.

This period saw two major changes in the athletic program at Henderson. The first was the establishment of a new conference called the Arkansas Athletic Association, which shared its name with a previous group that had disbanded. The second major change was the creation of new sports facilities north of the Barkman House, where the Caplinger Airway Science Center stands today. A football field with a grandstand and other amenities was constructed on the site. Basketball continued to be played on an indoor court in the Henderson-Brown Gymnasium.

With the move to state control in 1929, the college struggled to continue its success on the playing field. Five coaches led the football team between 1929 and 1940, with the largest margin of victory in the history

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of Reddie football coming in 1932 with a 99–0 win over what is now Lyon College. But even with several winning seasons, it became difficult to keep continuity at the college given the high turnover of coaches. This changed in 1941 with the hiring of Duke Wells as head coach of the Reddie football team; he remained with the team for twenty years. After a disappointing first season, the team did not play again until 1945 because of World War II. Taking the field again, the Reddies suffered more losing seasons before winning the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference championship in 1950. More up-and-down seasons would follow, although success did occasionally appear with more AIC championships in 1959, 1962, 1969, 1973–75, 1977, and 1985. Five of the championship seasons came under the guidance of Sporty Carpenter, who led the Reddies for nineteen seasons and is the winningest coach in Henderson football history. In recent years, football has enjoyed a resurgence on campus,

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Making a Switch . . . and a Bold Statement

By Steve Eddington

There were a number of reasons that Henderson State University made the transition in the early 1990s from the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC) and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to the Gulf South Conference (GSC), which was made up of NCAA Division II schools.

It is debatable whether the move was one of ambition, pride, desire for a challenge, or a move for deeper national respect, but Henderson athletics was clearly ready to make a bold statement by moving to NCAA Division II competition.

Departing the AIC brought about some hesitation because Henderson had been part of the conference since 1928. But Henderson president Charles Dunn and athletic director Ken Turner, who were behind the move from the NAIA, felt the brighter spotlight of the NCAA brought financial stability and deeper competition across all sports.

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CHAPTER 2 | MEMORIES OF LIVING SHADOWS

The Formby Athletic Center is integral to the success of not only the Reddie football team, but all thirteen sports that the university offers.

Henderson was granted provisional membership in the NCAA during the 1992–93 school year, meaning they were in athletic limbo for two years—jointly a member of the AIC and eligible for postseason play in NAIA sports while also provisional members of the NCAA Division II and already accepted for membership in the Gulf South Conference.

The Gulf South was in expansion mode at the time, and the new league sent Reddies across multiple Southern states for games in what is considered by many as the best Division II conference in the country.

Ultimately, the move to NCAA Division II has broadened the national platform upon which Reddie athletes have competed, while ensuring a competitive environment in all sports.

Steve Eddington served as Henderson State University’s sports information director from 1988 to 1993, as the Reddies were transitioning to NCAA membership. He is a 1984 graduate of HSU and currently serves as vice president of public relations for the Arkansas Farm Bureau.

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with three conference championships between 2010 and 2013 and two appearances in the NCAA playoffs.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams have continued to produce some of the most successful athletic teams on campus. The Reddies won eight AIC titles under the direction of Coach Don Dyer and later two more under other coaches. Four additional titles from the Gulf South ConferIn 2012 the Reddie football team hoists the Battle of the Ravine Trophy after defeating Ouachita Baptist University.

ence followed. The Lady Reddies experienced success on the court as well, with two AIC titles won with Jane Sevier, one Gulf South title, and an appearance in the 2004 NCAA Final Four under Jeff Caldwell.

Other Henderson sports have also seen success over the

years.

Swimming

has

become one of the most notable sports on campus, with a history stretching to the earliest days of the institution. It first appeared as an approved exercise in the Physical Culture Department in the early 1900s for both male and female students. Organized meets with other colleges did not take place, but the activity was popular with many students. Eventually a team was organized, and in 1949 the team won the state championship. Legendary coach Dee White led the women’s team from 1963 to 1982, and current coach Coak Matthews’

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tenure began immediately after White’s.

Baseball is another sport that has proven to be successful for the university over the years. Some of the earliest teams faced off on the diamond against

other

colleges,

but

funding cuts in 1935 led to the discontinuation of the baseball team. The sport reappeared in 1951 and won the conference championship in 1953, 1958, 1965, 1973–74, 1978–79, and 1982.

Tennis, cross-country, softball, and volleyball have also played

important

Henderson’s

athletic

parts

in

history.

Tennis, one of the oldest sports played by female students on campus, continues to be an

Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

important sport for the Lady Reddies. Cross-country follows the tradition of winning Henderson track teams and produces strong athletes. Softball is one of the newest sports on campus, with play beginning in 1999. One of the most successful sports during the transition to NCAA Division II was volleyball, with the Lady Reddies winning the Gulf South Conference in 1993, 1994, and 1995.

Ken Duke, an HSU alum, holds up the Travelers Championship trophy after winning in a second playoff against Chris Stroud during the final round of the 2013 Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands on June 23, 2012, in Cromwell, Connecticut.

The athletic events associated with the university and the people who give so much to this institution will continue to help define what it is to be a Reddie.

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Henderson State University Theater presented Moliere’s classic play, The Miser, in 2012.

Theatre Arts is a comprehensive program that balances rigorous classroom work and handson production training.

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T HE SCHO O L WITH A HEART HENDERSO N STATE UNIVERSITY AT 125

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Whisper, Acorn Bearers F

ounded as a religiously affiliated liberal arts college,

Henderson State University has transformed over time. Although for many years the institution served as a teachers training college, a wide range of liberal arts courses remained at the core of the educational experience students received.

Today, Henderson is Arkansas’s public liberal arts university and is known across the country for strong programs housed in the Matt Locke Ellis College of Arts and Sciences. Just as the mighty oak trees stand across campus, representing the strength of the university, the Ellis College serves as the base of the quality education received by students attending Henderson. With numerous Fulbright, Rhodes, and Rotary International scholars among its alumni, the Ellis College is the

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perfect example of how a liberal arts education can not only shape students’ lives but also guide the mission for an entire university.

The Ellis College of today is a consolidation of a number of schools and departments created over the years. When Arkadelphia Methodist College opened in 1890, it consisted of fourteen departments, and today eight departments of the Ellis College can trace their existence to those first departments: Mathematics; Biology; Chemistry; Physics; Social Sciences; Music, Art, and English; Foreign Languages; and Philosophy.

The majority of students attending Henderson during the Methodist years pursued degrees in the arts and sciences. The exact coursework and gender of the student determined which degree was earned. The college offered the Bachelor of Philosophy, Mistress of Literature, Bachelor of From the earliest days of Arkadelphia Methodist College, music has played an important role in the academic curriculum. This photo shows the 1906 Henderson Orchestra in the Main Building.

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Science, and Bachelor of Arts. Reserved for students who completed all the liberal arts courses at the college, the Master of Arts was awarded infrequently and served as the highest degree given by Arkadelphia Methodist College.

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The liberal arts faculty came from across the country to teach at AMC and held degrees from

a

number

of

well-respected institutions. Supporting the curriculum McLauchlan

was

the

Library,

established during the first academic year and staffed by a librarian beginning the next year.

Today, Huie Library continues to offer students and faculty the information resources they require while conducting research. The library is named for Minnie Belle Huie, a former librarian, and is the only academic library in the state named for a woman or a librarian.

The multiple libraries that have served Henderson over the years have been instrumental in supporting student success.

Here students study in Huie Library in 1972, named for Minnie Belle Huie.

As the college grew, departments and degrees were both added and discontinued as needs changed. With the move to state control in 1929, the system of departments that existed during the Methodist years continued until a reorganization of the college created divisions in the 1940s. A move to create another level of organization led to the implementation of schools in 1969 when the then-thirteen existing divisions merged to become five schools. These schools were Fine Arts, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Liberal Arts, Business, and Education. Each led by a dean, these schools operated until 1989 when they were combined to form the Ellis College. Named for Matt Locke Ellis, valedictorian of the Henderson-Brown class of 1921 and professor, dean, and president of the college, who earned graduate degrees in philosophy at Yale before returning to Arkadelphia, the Ellis College is the largest academic unit on campus.

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Departments within the Ellis College of Liberal Arts are spread across the campus. McBrien Hall is home to the Departments of Sociology; Psychology; Social Sciences; English; Foreign Languages, and Philosophy. The Departments of Art and Music use the Russell Fine Arts Building while the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics is located in both Evans Hall and Caplinger Airway Science Academic Center. Sharing the Donald W. Reynolds Science Center, formerly known as McElhannon Hall, are the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. Arkansas Hall now houses the Department of Communication and Theatre Arts, with the Department of Nursing located across Henderson Street in the Nursing Building.

With a wide range of departments and programs housed in numerous buildings, the college offers classes required of every student on campus.

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Growth and Opportunity in HSU’s Biology Department

By James Engman, PhD

Recent years have been exciting ones for HSU’s biology program. We have seen our number of majors nearly double, and we are now one of the largest majors in the Ellis College. Still, professors and instructors maintain close, personal relationships with many of our students.

We have made great strides in increasing the number of our graduates who go on to highly competitive graduate and professional programs; we currently have former students in PhD programs at schools including Duke, Henderson State University’s Simonson Biological Field Station opened in 2011. The station was established through generous donations from the Simonson family.

Vanderbilt, Washington University, University of Cincinnati, Ohio State, West Virginia University, and the University of Arkansas, with many more in medical, pharmacy, veterinary, physical therapy, dental, and optometry programs.

Our Simonson Biological Field Station, a beautiful 7,200-square-foot log cabin located on over one hundred acres of

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The Department of Chemistry offers top-notch instruction for students, many of whom have pursued graduate degrees across the country.

wooded land on the shores of DeGray Lake, is a unique resource for research, teaching, and community outreach.

We have added new classes, including behavioral ecology, histology, and the biology of cancer.

Over two hundred of our biology majors have had study-abroad experiences in places like Panama, Belize, Egypt, and the Galapagos Islands.

The department’s teaching and research collections of mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians have grown, providing a valuable resource for documenting the natural history of the state. Similarly, the herbarium collection recently received a donation of over twenty-seven thousand specimens from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, giving us the second-largest collection in the state.

Our students’ undergraduate research projects have been recognized as among the best in the state by the Arkansas Academy of Science, and students have presented at state, national, and international meetings.

With so much going on, we look forward to an even brighter future.

James Engman, PhD, is a professor of biology and chair of the Biology Department at Henderson State University. He earned his B.S. and M.S. in biology from Western Illinois University, and his PhD in biology from the University of Cincinnati. He came to HSU in 1996.

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As a liberal arts institution, Henderson requires all students to complete the Liberal Arts Core in addition to their major coursework and other degree requirements. With few exceptions, every class in the core is housed in the college. Students are exposed to different fields outside their major areas and learn how to write clearly, think critically, and communicate effectively.

The Department of Music at Henderson State University, featuring extremely popular wind and vocal ensembles, is well known for the caliber of both the students and faculty involved in it. The Showband of Arkansas performances are a highlight at football games and many other campus and community events. With multiple vocal ensembles, the department hosts the Chamber Chorale and the Opera Workshop, among other groups. Students from around the world come to Henderson to study with faculty members in the department, and many continue The state-of-the-art dance studio in Arkansas Hall offers students a location to learn and practice their craft.

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their educations at prestigious graduate schools.

One of the strongest departments on campus, the Department of Biology offers coursework and learning opportunities unrivaled by any university in

CHAPTER 3 | WHISPER, ACORN BEARERS

the state. The Simonson Biological Field Station on DeGray Lake allows students to conduct research in the field with access to lab equipment and living quarters. Constructed with the generous support of the Simonson family, the field station has more than one hundred acres of woodland along the lake that students and faculty use in their research. Students studying in the department enjoy a number of other educational opportunities, including a summer study program in Panama.

Growing from the Department of History, which was established on campus during the first year of

Students working in an art class in the 1960s.

operation of AMC, the Department of Social Sciences now also contains the subjects of political science and geography. Thanks to courses taught by experts in topics ranging from the politics of Angola to the lives of women in the antebellum South, students can pursue a variety of interests. With several student organizations active within the department, including a chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, students have the opportunity to present at conferences and hone their writing skills.

The largest academic department on campus, the Department of English, Foreign Language, and Philosophy offers coursework in a number of subjects. With its roots stretching to the first session at Arkadelphia Methodist College, the department influences the academic life of almost every student who attends Henderson, with multiple classes in the Liberal Arts Core housed in the unit. Although many students complete those requirements and move into other fields of studies, the

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department offers degrees and coursework in English, Spanish, French, German, and philosophy.

Housed in the newest academic building on campus, the Department of Nursing graduates a number of well-trained and -prepared nursing students every spring. Although the department is not as old as others in the Ellis College, it can trace its roots to the opening of Arkadelphia Methodist College. Because large numbers of students lived on campus from the earliest days of the college, medical care was provided by a nurse on staff. Eventually, a pre-professional program was added to the curriculum to guide students interested in nursing as a career. By 1974, Henderson State College began offering an associate’s degree in nursing; the next year, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree was added.

Students completing the first year of coursework became eligible for the

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

The House That Bill Built

By David Thomson, PhD

I recently thought back to that afternoon more than thirty years ago when Dr. Bill Gentry posed the idea that Henderson should develop an honors program. Bill asked for my assistance and I agreed immediately. Because of Bill’s leadership, along with the spirited synergy of the committee he pulled together, we were able to welcome our first freshman honors class of twenty-three in fall of 1984, challenging them to complete eighteen hours of honorsdesignated work to graduate as honors program scholars.

On the years, the university has approved new honors courses and added honors opportunities in each student’s major, while increasing the honors requirement for graduation to twenty-four hours. This program The Roy and Christine Sturgis Hall serves as the home of the Henderson Honors College.

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The Department of Nursing is known across the state for the number of quality graduates it produces every year.

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expansion, along with many improvements such as dedicated housing and classroom space, have contributed to the development of a student-faculty community that became the Honors College in 1994.

Housing in Foster and Pines was particularly important to Gentry, who felt it was crucial in order for honors to be perceived as a reality with university support. After his retirement, the university built the Honors College a hall of its own. Completed in 2002, it combines educational, recreational, and administrative spaces, as well as living accommodations for many Honors College students.

Sturgis Hall is, in so many ways, the house that Bill built. I know that his students knew this when they presented a formal resolution, approved by the Henderson Board of Trustees, to name the largest and most important room in Sturgis Hall in honor of him.

The future of the Honors College looks bright with its growth into a culturally diverse community of approximately 300 students. In 2014, the college welcomed 165 freshmen, the largest number in Henderson’s honors history. Bill Gentry would be justifiably proud.

David Thomson, PhD, is director of the Henderson State University Honors College and a professor of English.

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THE SCHOOL WITH A HEART | HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY AT 125

Students view an art exhibit on the second floor of Huie Library. The space is used for senior art shows.

Licensed Practical Nurse exam, and those who completed the second year of coursework could sit for the Registered Nurse exam. Once all four years of work were completed, the graduates would earn the BSN degree.

First awarded in 1979, the degree has become one of the most wellknown programs on campus. One hundred percent of many classes pass the National Licensure Exam on the first try, including the class of 2014.

Although many of the resources of the Ellis College focus on undergraduate students, one graduate degree is currently offered through the college. The Master of Liberal Arts serves as an interdisciplinary degree program that exposes students to a wide variety of topics while allowing them to focus coursework in a particular subject. The MLA has served as the launching point for students pursuing terminal degrees at institutions across the country and continues to offer graduate students interested in interdisciplinary liberal arts a way to explore the connections between various fields.

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Not only is the Ellis College the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus, but it also continues to drive the Henderson mission as Arkansas’s public liberal arts college. Joining the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges in 1998, Henderson became the only university in Arkansas to serve as a member of the prestigious association. In order to qualify for membership in the council, Henderson received a site visit from COPLAC and proved that it met other requirements including the use of a university-wide Liberal Arts Core that all students, regardless of major, follow and the placement of undergraduate liberal education at the center of its mission.

Also important to the academic success of the Ellis College and the university as a whole, the Honors College serves as an outlet for the best and brightest students at Henderson. The first mention of honors coursework appeared in the 1937 catalog and allowed talented students to work with individual faculty. This program slowly expanded

Betty Gentry poses with the portrait of her late husband, Dr. Bill Gentry, founder of the Henderson Honors College.

into an entire academic unit. The second oldest honors college in the state, the program that is now the Henderson Honors College traces its roots to 1979 when President Martin Garrison worked with Dr. Bill Gentry to establish a regular honors class for talented students. This class grew over the next several years, and in 1984 an Honors Program was established. The first freshman class in the Honors Program had twenty-three students. Admission to the program was and still is based on students’ standardized test scores and academic record.

The administrative offices and classroom were located in Foster Hall, while Pines Hall, served as a dormitory for honors students. Increased enrollment

and

academic

requirements

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led to the change to an Honors College, and students who wish to graduate with honors must now complete twenty-four hours of honorsdesignated courses.

As the popularity of the program grew and as graduates of the Honors College entered prestigious graduate programs, the university continued to increase its support. The Honors College is unique among honors programs across the country as it is a student-led organization. All students in the college are members of the AretĂŠ Society, which is led by the Honors Council. Consisting of students from every honors class and classification, the council organizes events for the college including community service opportunities, academic programs, and social events.

The Captain Henderson House serves both the university and the community as an important landmark.

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The council also organizes the Henderson 100 program, which brings the top high school juniors in the state to campus every spring and introduces them to college life.

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In the late 1990s, the university began planning for a new honors building to house the entire college, including administrative offices, classrooms, and dormitory space.

Constructed on the footprint of the demolished Pines Hall, the Roy and Christine Sturgis Hall opened in fall 2002. The university received a $1 million grant from the Sturgis Charitable and Educational Trust to complete the building, the largest grant ever received by the university. Located on the first floor of the building, the Bill Gentry Classroom now honors the founder of the college.

In fall 2014, the Honors College saw its largest freshman class ever, with 165 members, and an average ACT score of 28. Led by longtime director Dr.

David

Thomson,

the

Honors College at Henderson continues to offer the very best to talented students. Combining the strong liberal arts curriculum and individual attention afforded by small classes and outstanding facili-

Henderson students working at the Simonson Biological Field Station.

ties, the Henderson Honors College leads the academic community on campus.

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Mooney Hall, now home to the School of Business.

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proud history as a liberal arts university dating to its founding in 1890, the School of Business and Teachers College at Henderson have both played important roles in the education and training of countless alumni. For about thirty years, Henderson served as the state’s designated institution of higher learning for teachers south of the Arkansas River. In the early years of state control, students earned traditional arts and science degrees and completed further education coursework to earn teaching certificates. This changed over the years, and degree programs were modified and added. n In 1929, Henderson-Brown College ceased operations and Henderson State Teachers College

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began classes on the campus in Arkadelphia. The only public four-year college in south Arkansas, HSTC offered much of the same curriculum as Henderson-Brown. Students continued to pursue undergraduate degrees in the arts and sciences, and additional coursework was added for those students interested in teaching school.

Coursework in teaching began well before the change to state support.

The first education class appeared in the curriculum in 1896. By 1906, a four-year program for those students interested in teaching had been established. It focused mostly on a wide variety of liberal arts courses, and only one education course was required of the students, although they did take that course every year they were enrolled in the program.

The first year the program was offered, only thirteen students signed up

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Teachers College—Home of Arkansas’s Best Teachers

By Judy Harrison

Henderson has a long history as one of the country’s best preparers of teachers. Before Henderson-Brown College became Henderson State Teachers College in 1929, it had a Department of Education and Psychology. Most Henderson graduates taught in Arkansas public schools their first year after graduation. Distinguishing itself from other early teachers colleges, Henderson prepared teachers with a solid foundation in the liberal arts and strong knowledge of subject matter, as well as sound pedagogical skills. Teachers prepared

by Henderson were the preference of superintendents and boards of education who often hired seniors before graduation, causing them to return in the summer to complete their degrees.

Recognition of excellence by external Teachers College, Henderson is recognized by national organizations for its role in leading the state and region in preparing future educators.

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agencies imprinted on the minds of the

CHAPTER 4 | FROM THY LIVING FOUNTAINS

A group of 1935 graduates, the third class to attend all four years of instruction at Henderson State Teachers College.

public the value of teacher preparation at Henderson. In 1931, Henderson received a Class A rating from the American Association of Teachers Colleges, ensuring that its graduates could teach anywhere without question. In 1934, HSTC gained more public credibility when it earned a Class A rating from the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. During its inaugural year in 1954, the National Council for Teacher Education accredited Henderson’s teacher education program, one of only four in Arkansas. Henderson has maintained continuous NCATE accreditation although standards have become increasingly more difficult to meet.

As Henderson evolved into Henderson State University, a College of Education emerged, offering bachelors’ and masters’ degrees in education, as well as non-education degrees in family and consumer sciences, clinical mental health counseling, recreation, athletic training, and sports administration. In 2001, with the dedication of the new Education Center, the College of Education was renamed Teachers College, Henderson. Superintendents and boards continue to seek outstanding teachers, counselors, and school leaders prepared by Henderson. Now, they are joined by hospital administrators, professional sports teams, business leaders, and other employers of excellence.

Judy Harrison has served as dean of the Teachers College since 2007. She is a 1971 graduate of Ouachita Baptist University, with a master’s in English and secondary education, also from OBU. She earned her Ed.D. in higher and adult education from the University of Memphis in 1996.

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to participate. The enrollment numbers did not substantially improve, and by 1901 the program had been dropped.

The next appearance of education classes came not in the regular curriculum but in a special spring session. Offered to anyone wishing to teach in Arkansas schools, the ten-week program covered many of the subjects taught by the regular faculty, as well as a number of education-related courses. Over the next few years, education courses reappeared, with classes on pedagogy in 1912 and public school music in 1914. Created in 1912, the Department of Home Economics taught classes in dressmaking and cooking, among other subjects.

By 1918, Henderson-Brown offered three courses in education, which allowed students to obtain an Arkansas teaching license. With many graduates entering the teaching field after completing their degrees at Henderson-Brown, the college created the first department dedicated to education courses in 1923. New courses were offered every year, and the department quickly grew. By 1925, the first practice teaching courses Students prepare food as part of a home economics course in Proctor Hall in 1947. Proctor today houses the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.

joined the curriculum. Students completing two years of college courses with education hours could earn a three-year teaching certificate, while those earning B.A. or B.S. degrees and completing education coursework could receive a six-year certificate.

Boasting a strong department and a growing number of education courses, in 1929 the college enticed the state to take Henderson-Brown as a normal school (an institution of higher education focused on preparing students for employment as teachers after graduation). Because the only state-supported teaching college was located in Conway, south Arkansas not only lacked a public degree-granting normal school but also did not have any

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public four-year colleges. A bill transferring the college to state control moved through both legislative houses and Gov. Harvey Parnell signed it

A popular major in Teachers College, athletic training offers students a chance to learn in a hands-on environment.

into law. In fall 1929, Henderson State Teachers College opened.

The new name of the college reflected the changed mission of the institution; however, when the school opened for classes in the fall, only the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Oratory, and Bachelor of Music degrees were offered. The first education degree to be added to the curriculum, the Bachelor of Music Education, was awarded in 1939. The creation of other degree programs was limited by insufficient funding during the Great Depression. Over the twelve years of state control, the college awarded 687 degrees, of which 93 percent were the Bachelor of Arts.

Although students were not earning degrees in the field of education, they were taking courses and preparing to teach upon graduation. The Bachelor of Oratory degree was discontinued in 1936, and no new degree programs appeared during World War II. Most importantly for the students attending the college during this period was the acquisition of regional accreditation. After several unsuccessful attempts during the Methodist years to obtain accreditation, the goal was finally realized in 1934 when Henderson State Teachers

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College became recognized by the North Central Association. From that time, Henderson has remained accredited, with the last renewal occurring in 2012. The same year accreditation was received, a nursery school opened on campus. The first record of a kindergarten operating on campus dates back to 1896, but it did not continuously offer services.

Providing education students hands-on experience with children, the school opened in 1934. It evolved over the years and operated under several names but continues to serve children of the Arkadelphia community today.

After the war, hundreds of former servicemen and -women descended on the college to take advantage of the benefits of their GI Bill. With these new students came new degree programs and departments. The Department of Home Economics was permanently

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

What Has Not Changed Matters Too!

By Bob Fisher

The School of Business is one of the jewels of Henderson. By the time I arrived as a student in 1966, the school had achieved a statewide and emerging regional reputation as one of the best business schools in the South. I came to understand that this reputation for excellence had been built over the years by the outstanding work of professors by the name of Tatum, Dawkins, Spoon, Bledsoe, Pinkerton, Edwards, the Dodsons, the Solomons, and others. In my experience as a student I realized these professors not only “knew their stuff,” but they also knew how to help me learn and they genuinely cared about me as a person, each in their own way.

After Henderson I went on to other schools to earn my MBA and PhD. I won’t say that was easy, but I will say that it was clear to me that no other student in these programs was better prepared for the rigors of graduate work.

Dr. Louis Dawkins speaks at a School of Business event.

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Teachers College, Henderson is recognized as a leader in play therapy.

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Imagine my joy, tempered with a little anxiety, when I returned to my alma mater in 1986 as dean. Some things had changed, like a different and upgraded building, but what had not changed was the quality of the outstanding teaching faculty. Several of my former professors were still at Henderson and had been joined by Shipley, Akin, Mondal, Meadows, and DeMott, who were to be joined by others soon. What had not changed, what did not change in the ten years I was privileged to serve as dean, and what has not changed to this day is the School of Business culture of demanding academic excellence while at the same time proving that Henderson truly is “the school with a heart.”

The crowning recognition of the specialness of the Henderson School of Business was becoming the second smallest school to join the elite list of business schools accredited by the AACSB International. There’s a lot to be proud of at Henderson, and the School of Business continues to shine brightly!

Bob Fisher ’70 is president of Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. He was dean of the Henderson State University School of Business from 1986 to 1996.

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established in 1945 after appearing and disappearing over the years as funding fluctuated. The next year, the department moved into Proctor

Opposite page: Students participating in a Teachers College, Henderson class.

Hall, where it still operates today as the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences.

During this period, Henderson acquired accreditation from the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Effective January 1, 1954, Henderson has continually held this accreditation, and no other institutions in the state have had the accreditation longer. With the merger of NCATE with another organization in 2013, Henderson’s accreditation is now awarded by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

Also added at the end of the war were new degree programs in education. The Bachelor of Science in Education was first awarded in 1948, marking the beginning of a shift to degrees not traditionally associated with the liberal arts. Within a single year, the new degree became the most awarded academic qualification by the college, surpassing the Bachelor of Arts. Less than a decade later, another degree program appeared in the curriculum. The Master of Science in Education was the first graduate degree taught on campus through the University of Arkansas, with classes offered in spring 1952. A lack of interest in the program led to the discontinuation of classes the following semester. But by 1955, Henderson had implemented its own graduate program. Joining with Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway and Arkansas State College in Jonesboro, the three colleges all created Master of Science in Education programs for working teachers in their areas. The program was designed to improve the skills of currently teaching professionals and not as a research degree, which helped placate the University of Arkansas’s opposition to the new programs.

As the number of students attending Henderson grew over the next several decades, so did the number of education degrees awarded by the college, with the BSE remaining the most popular program on campus

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for decades to come. This was true even after 1967, when the word “Teachers” was dropped from the name of the institution and it adopted the new title Henderson State College. Graduate degrees in music education, as well as counseling and guidance, were added around the same time.

Over the next two decades, new programs were added and others deleted as teaching guidelines changed. As the university moved to a more specific focus on the liberal arts and sciences in the 1980s, the number of education degrees awarded began to decline while other degrees increased. In 2001, two major changes came to the School of Education. The first was the renaming of the school. With approval from the Board of Trustees in October 2001, the school was renamed

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

HSU Students Flying High

By Hank Wilson

Henderson State University is the only university in Arkansas offering a four-year degree in aviation. That should be no surprise since Henderson’s affiliation with flight training dates to 1937 when it began training pilots for the military and continued training aviation cadets during World War II. In 1972, the university announced its Bachelor of Science degree in aviation would be awarded through the School of Business.

Henderson currently offers three degree tracks for more than 120 aviation majors: professional pilot, aviation management, and aircraft maintenance management. Certificates and ratings include those for private and commercial pilot, instrument and multiengine ratings, flight instructor, and multiengine instructor.

The HSU Department of Aviation, which has a fleet of fifteen single-engine and two twin-engine aircraft, operates from a modern aviation complex on the Henderson campus. This $3.5 million, 37,000-square-foot facility includes two flight The HSU aviation program operates a number of aircraft at the Arkadelphia Municipal Airport.

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As the only university in Arkansas to offer degrees in aviation, Henderson has state-of-the-art training facilities both on campus and at the Dexter B. Florence Memorial Field Airport.

simulators, dedicated aviation computer facilities, a distance learning laboratory, and FAA-written test facilities. The students help operate the Arkadelphia Municipal Airport.

Henderson, in concert with Arkadelphia’s Dawson Education Cooperative and other state agencies, recently initiated a distance-learning program that teaches aviation to high school students in their respective schools.

To give all HSU students real-life perspective, the college recently developed an aviation mentor course. This course pairs students with Henderson aviation professionals currently in the aviation field. The insight these professionals give students is beneficial in helping them complete their journey toward working in aviation.

Henderson coordinates competitive internships at Little Rock National Airport as well as the aviation departments at large companies such as Tyson, Stephens, and Walmart. Most of the internships are paid and not only give students summer jobs, but also provide valuable real-life experience and contacts in the aviation field.

Hank Wilson served as the director of aviation from 1999 until his retirement in 2011.

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Teachers

College,

Henderson to emphasize the prominent role of teacher preparation at Henderson while simultaneously providing name recognition for the entire university. The other major

development

came with the construction of the new Education

Center.

Located on the corner Board of Trustees member and Henderson alumnus Ross Whipple works with students at a School of Business function.

of

Henderson

Street and 10th Street, the building offers classroom and office space as well as a location for the nursery school. Renamed in honor of two longtime instructors in 2011, the Davis-Baker Preschool offers quality early learning experiences to three- and four-year-olds from the greater community.

In fall 2003, a new degree program began in the college. Available to highly qualified school leaders who hold a graduate degree, the educational specialist degree prepares students to hold senior-level educational administrative positions or superintendent posts.

Physical education has been an important part of the institution’s curriculum for years. Military drills and intramural sports are the two earliest examples of students leading active lifestyles while on campus. Soon, other sports such as tennis appeared on campus and joined intercollegiate sports. A gymnasium for student use was constructed and both genders were required to exercise regularly, albeit always separately.

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The college became the first institution in the state to offer a minor in physical education, chosen by students wishing to coach at the junior high or high school level. That division grew over the years and is now housed in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletic Training. Students studying in that department have multiple undergraduate degree programs to choose from, and a graduate degree in sports administration is also offered. The department is housed in the Wells Center, and students are taught how to encourage healthy lifestyles through a variety of classes and hands-on learning.

The current School of Business can trace its roots to the first year of operation of Arkadelphia Methodist College. In 1890, courses in bookkeeping, typewriting, and shorthand were offered to the first students enrolled at the college, but the majority chose to focus on the liberal arts, leaving only eight students in the business department. Two women completed the business coursework during the first academic year and were awarded certificates of completion at the graduation ceremony in June 1891.

In 1896, the private Arkadelphia Practical Business College merged with Arkadelphia Methodist College, creating a new business school on campus. Students learned how to operate an office and had to type at least thirty words per minute. The school was discontinued in 1906

Henderson’s Alpha Kappa Psi business school fraternity traveled to Dallas for a networking trip with Southwest Airlines and other businesses in 2015.

because of a new focus on the liberal arts. Reappearing in 1915 as the Commercial Department, classes on typing, bookkeeping, and shorthand began

to

be

offered

again. However, by 1921 the department was once again abolished.

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THE SCHOOL WITH A HEART | HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY AT 125 Life at Henderson does not always mean studying.

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During

the

early

years of state control, business courses were not offered. By 1941, however, commerce

twenty-two courses

appeared in the catalog. This shift began with the creation of the

Department

of

Economics and Business Administration in 1935. Offered courses in a variety of subjects, students completing the coursework in the department could be qualified to teach business education classes at the high school level. By

Mary Jo Mann delivers the Pine Tree Speech to a new class of freshmen.

the 1950s, students could earn a degree in business education; at the end of that decade, students completing the coursework could also earn a Bachelor of Arts in the subject.

Although many of the early classes in the department focused on the daily operations necessary to operate an office, other classes were added over time. Accounting classes were the first to be added, soon joined by business law, statistics, and marketing courses. In 1964, a new Bachelor of Science degree in business administration was added and the name of the department changed to Division of Business Administration to reflect a new emphasis. Within the division were the Departments of Accounting, General Business, Economics and Finance, Marketing and Management, and Business Teacher Education and Secretarial Science. In 1969, the last major reorganization to affect the division took place when the college reorganized into schools and the division became the School of Business. Graduate studies were

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The South Lawn is known for its beauty year round.

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added in 1975 with the establishment of a Master of Business Administration degree program.

Housed in the School of Business, the Department of Aviation is one of the most unique programs in the state. The first aviation classes were taught at Henderson before World War II, so the subject has a long history at the school. In 1940, ten Henderson State Teachers College students completed a basic flight course at the Arkadelphia airport east of the Ouachita River.

The college offered academic credit to the men and they were eligible to enter an advanced course offered by the Civil Pilot Training Program.

This was followed by a larger program in 1942 that saw aviation cadets on campus receiving classroom instruction before moving to the airport for flight training. Discontinued by 1943 and replaced by the 66th College Training Detachment-Aircrew, flight courses would not reenter the curriculum for another three decades.

In 1972, both the state and the FAA approved a professional aviation curriculum, creating the only Bachelor of Science in Aviation degree in the state. Growing from a small department contracting with a private flight service in Hot Springs to a total of sixteen planes owned by the university, aviation has proven to be a big draw for students. Currently the department is housed in Caplinger Airway Science Center, and flight operations take place at the Dexter B. Florence Memorial Field Airport, co-managed by the university and the City of Arkadelphia.

Both the School of Business and Teachers College, Henderson offer excellent academic programs to the student body, and the schools continue to work as part of the larger university to change in response to the needs of their students. Numerous education and business classes are now offered at the new Hot Springs campus, with five degree programs available to students. Teachers College offers three graduate degrees completely online, and the growth of both off-campus and distance education is a priority for the university.

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Henderson serves not only Arkadelphia but also Clark County and the greater area in a number of ways.

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enderson State University would not be what it is

today without the community, students, faculty, staff, and supporters who have ensured that Arkadelphia and Clark County continue to enjoy the educational opportunities that Henderson offers. Without this relationship between the university and the community that surrounds it, Henderson would have never even been created. n The work to establish Arkadelphia Methodist College began in the 1880s as members of the local Methodist Church advanced the idea of establishing an institution of higher learning in the town in response to the opening of Ouachita Baptist College in 1886. By 1890, the congregation had widespread support for creating a college in Arkadelphia, but first worked to move

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A shot of the 1951 Homecoming Queen on her parade float. This photograph was taken on Main Street in downtown Arkadelphia.

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Dr. Charles D. Dunn—HSU’s Longest-Serving President

By Jane Dunn

Dr. Charles DeWitt Dunn was the fourteenth president of Henderson State University. Holding the position from 1986 until 2008, he was the longest-serving president in the university’s history.

During his twenty-two years as president, Henderson State University experienced dramatic changes, both in its academic focus and its physical landscape. Dunn was instrumental in HSU’s admission to the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), reflecting the institution’s mission of providing students an affordable option to receive a liberal arts education. In addition to restructuring HSU’s academic mission, the Dunn administration also spearheaded many physical changes, most notably through the renovation and construction of numerous buildings on campus. Renovations included Reynolds Science Center, Foster Hall, and what ultimately became the Captain Henderson House Bed and Breakfast. New construction included Caplinger Airway Science Academic Center, the Garrison Activity and Conference Center, Sturgis Hall, and the Dunn Student Recreation Center, which bears his name. Dunn played several leadership roles statewide on behalf of higher education and was instrumental in opening opportunities across

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Hendrix College, a male-only school, from Altus to town. Hendrix was the only Methodist college in the state before Galloway Female College opened in Searcy in 1889. The Methodist Conference determined that Altus was too small and not centrally located and that Hendrix should be moved. Arkadelphia, along with six other Arkansas towns, bid for the college but ultimately lost to Conway.

The committee that represented the city at the Methodist meeting that determined the new location of Hendrix returned to Arkadelphia and led a mass meeting of the local population to determine next steps.

The people of Arkadelphia overwhelmingly called for a new college to be established in town and put the money raised for moving Hendrix toward the establishment of a co-educational Methodist institution to serve south Arkansas.

the ravine for students at both HSU and Ouachita Baptist University to benefit from the different opportunities offered by each institution.

While these are his more easily recognized contributions to HSU, it was his genuine concern and fondness for students that most motivated him. He considered himself a true Reddie, making a point of knowing the names of students, faculty, and staff, going to athletic events throughout the year for both women’s and men’s sports, attending performances and academic events, and even performing in several theater productions.

He retired from the presidency in 2008 and ended his career as he began it, teaching courses on American and Arkansas government and politics. Dr. Dunn died in May 2013 after a nine-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

Jane Dunn taught biology at Henderson State University part time then full time from 1991 until 2011. She was married to Dr. Dunn for just over forty-seven years.

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Classes began in September 1890 and were held in the local public school building. Female students lived in a private home in downtown Arkadelphia while male students boarded with local families. The close relationship between the greater Arkadelphia community and the college continued over the next decade as local citizens gave financial support to the institution and continued to offer housing for male students. When the tragic fire struck on February 3, 1914, hundreds of townspeople joined in the rescue and salvage efforts. Even students from across the ravine helped save the library and other items from the flames.

As the ruins smoldered and Henderson students discussed their next moves, the townspeople pitched in to help. With all the female students temporarily homeless, the people of Arkadelphia opened their homes and donated more than $2,000 to jump-start the rebuilding efforts. Even with this support, fundraising efforts and construction of new buildings took time. Students lived with townspeople for years. The new buildings The entire Arkadelphia community attending the 1922 Battle of the Ravine.

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allowed the female students to move back on campus after only one year, but the male students continued to live in the community until

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1919

when

dormitories

built during World War I were modified for use by the college.

The

most

important

event led by townspeople in the history of the institution occurred in 1929, when the college moved from Methodist to state control. For several years the Methodist Conference debated the wisdom of having

three

institutions

of higher education in the state.

Hendrix

College

served as a school for male students, although it enrolled students of both genders; Galloway College educated

only

female

students; and Henderson-Brown operated as a co-educational college. In

Reddie cheerleaders in 1980.

order to make better use of the limited resources available to the conference, efforts were made in 1928 to either establish a new Methodist university in the state or combine the already existing institutions under a single board of trustees.

In order to persuade the Methodist Conference to keep Henderson -Brown open, the Arkadelphia community immediately began to work to enlarge the college endowment. The Arkadelphia Henderson-Brown Club collaborated with alumni across the state and county, as well as the local chamber of commerce, to gather financial and political support.

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A popular student hangout is Starbucks in the Garrison Center.

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Davis-Baker Preschool—Something Out of the Ordinary

By Beverly Baker and Pam Davis Henderson State University has long housed on its campus a unique opportunity for young children, and Teachers College, Henderson continues to extend that offering. From the Nursery School, to the Henderson State University Child Service Center to today’s Davis-Baker Preschool (DBP), three- and four-year-old children have enjoyed developmentally and age-appropriate experiences in a safe setting.

The DBP is a part of curricula in Family and Consumer Sciences and Early Childhood Education. Students pursuing careers in these fields spend an assigned number of hours per week in the DBP observing the development of young children and then actually teaching the children using the techniques learned in the coursework. The whole child (physical, intellectual, emotional, social, and creative) is considered in the preschool curriculum, and the program is accredited by Arkansas Better Beginnings.

Located in the Education Center, the DBP classrooms are divided into learning centers that allow children to become active participants in small group discussions and develop a sense of belonging. The safe, nurturing environment promotes a positive first school experience for the

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On January 1, 1929, a newly formed board for the conference’s colleges voted to accept a plan to merge the three schools at a site to be determined. The group set out to visit the existing campuses and other locations across the state to find a suitable location. When the board members visited the town on January 17 the entire Arkadelphia community came out to meet them. Aware that the town could possibly host the new merged college, the citizens pledged $300,000 for the institution. Conway and other cities made similar offers. These offers were for naught, as the board voted the next day to close the existing colleges and locate a new Methodist university in Little Rock. The campuses of

children and their parents. The class size is twenty children, and both the three- and the fouryear-old programs are three hours each.

While many families need full-day programs for their preschool-age child to accommodate parent work schedules, there are those that benefit from the half-day schedule offered at the DBP. The DBP is staffed by a director, a full-time child care professional, two graduate assistants, six student workers, and a host of college students in such classes as Practicum in Early Childhood and Child Development, making for an unparalleled teacher-student ratio. The relationships formed here often last a lifetime and are cherished by both teachers and students. It’s because of the special opportunities such as these that the future of the Davis-Baker Preschool is very bright.

Beverly Baker taught Family and Consumer Science courses at Henderson for thirty-five years while Dr. Pamela Davis taught in the Department of Early Childhood Education for forty years. The preschool was named in their honor in 2011.

The preschool not only offers hands-on experience for Henderson students, it also provides a service to the greater community.

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Henderson-Brown and Hendrix were to be turned over to their respective cities.

Learning about these events, the administration of Henderson-Brown quickly worked with local townspeople to establish a committee to lobby the state legislature to take control of the college. Comprising well-connected men from a variety of religious denominations in the community, the group hoped to demonstrate to the legislature how important the college was to the entire community, not only the Methodists. The main local proponent of the shift to state control was William Noel Adams, president of the Arkadelphia Milling Company. Joined by the local chamber of commerce, the committee lobbied the Arkansas In 2014 Henderson’s home opener against Southeastern Oklahoma State was televised nationally on CBS Sports.

Henderson won 60–17.

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General Assembly to take control of the campus.

A joint committee from the legislature visited the campus on February 1, 1929, and toured the institution. While in Arkadelphia,

CHAPTER 5 | BEAUTY AND FRIENDSHIP

they met with several local businessmen who implored them to acquire the college.

Upon their return to Little Rock, members

the

committee

wholeheartedly

endorsed the proposal to obtain

Henderson-Brown

and reopen the campus as a public teachers college.

In fact, they claimed that while it would be difficult to find $75,000 for annual operational expenses at the college, it would be much more difficult to find the $500,000 to replace the physical campus that already

NuFusion, Henderson State University’s exciting student jazz ensemble, performs a free concert outdoors on Henderson’s Quad.

existed. With this favorable report, it seemed likely that the transfer would take place.

The legislature was in session at the time and the entire body traveled to the city, where they were entertained at several functions. Arriving in Arkadelphia on February 15, 1929, the lawmakers were treated to a banquet at the Henderson-Brown dining hall and toured the facilities. As the college had difficulty housing all of its students, the legislators were boarded in the homes of citizens across Arkadelphia, where lobbying on behalf of the institution continued late into the night.

With the return of the legislative body to Little Rock, a sharp debate began. Arkansas State Teachers College in Conway vehemently opposed the acquisition of Henderson-Brown and saw the opening of a new teaching college in the state as an open threat to its existence.

Representative Allen Winham responded by saying, “The question of Henderson-Brown should be determined by the relative number of Arkansas citizens to be benefited.” Although the Arkansas State Senate unanimously passed the bill to accept the college, members of the House did not agree on the project and only after much debate passed the bill

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52–20 on Friday, February 22. The following Monday, February 25, Gov. Harvey Parnell signed the bill into law. With that step, Henderson-Brown was poised to become Henderson State Teachers College upon the close of the 1929 summer session.

The financial support required for the new Methodist university in Little Rock never materialized, and the board was forced to rescind its vote to close Hendrix College. This occurred too late to keep Henderson-Brown in the conference and paved the way for the college to operate without fear of closing on the whims of a statewide religious organization. The board passed a symbolic resolution merging the two colleges on the campus in Conway, and

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

If It’s Summer, It Must Be Band Camp By Wes Branstine, DMA The HSU band camp was initiated by band director W. O. Evanson on a suggestion by Dr. Robert Bruner, dean of Fine Arts. The camp was established to furnish an opportunity for junior and senior high school band students to play their instruments over the summertime. The early camps were primarily students from the Arkadelphia schools, but they quickly grew to encompass an area of seventy or eighty miles, and later expanded to a 250-mile radius. One of the camp’s students was a young William Jefferson Clinton on the saxophone.

The high quality of instruction at the camp was a result of nationally known guest clinicians such as Myron Welch of Iowa, Bob Foster of Kansas, Bill Clark of New Mexico State University, and Sir Vivian Dunn, commander of the British Military Bands, and of course Wendell Evanson, who was already in the process of establishing himself as a nationally known conductor and clinician. Every guest clinician was amazed at the high quality of musicianship by the campers.

Participants at the HSU band camp hard at work.

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The library that served students in the 1920s.

The actual running of the camp was done by counselors who were volunteer music majors.

Counselors would live in the dormitories with the campers, rise with them at 6 a.m., accompany them to band rehearsals, meals, afternoon activities, and evening performances, and then put them to bed promptly at 9 p.m.

The teaching staff went to camp cookouts. The cookouts were held at HSU faculty homes and were prepared by the faculty member who was hosting at the time. The host would prepare a meal usually of barbecue ribs, beans, salad, and bread. It would be a misnomer to say that the only beverages served were tea and coffee, because some adult faculty members preferred drinks of a little stronger nature. Needless to say, sometimes the cookouts would run very late into the night. Around 1975, I volunteered to assume all cooking duties, and the event grew from twelve faculty members once per week to about seventy-five guests twice per week, not to mention unannounced walk-ins.

After Evanson retired, the excellence of the camp continued over the years under the direction of David Rollins, Dr. Jesse Leyva, and Dr. Carrie Pawelski.

Wes Branstine is a professor emeritus of music at Henderson State University, serving from 1973 to 2004.

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Hendrix operated for two years as Hendrix-Henderson College before reverting to its original name.

With the crisis behind it, the college operated much as it did before the move to state control. Arkadelphia offered important services to the students and faculty at the institution while the college repaid the The annual Carol of Lights event welcomes members of the local community to the campus.

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community through sporting and cultural events and an increased tax base. The community is always welcome at the university, but the

CHAPTER 5 | BEAUTY AND FRIENDSHIP

relationship between the institution and Arkadelphia is often more visible when Henderson students leave the confines of campus. For years, the biggest annual community event was the Battle of the Ravine, with parades through downtown and thousands of people flocking to the city to enjoy the experience. Henderson and Ouachita often used the event as their homecoming game, sometimes even hosting joint homecomings.

In an effort to connect students with the city and its residents, Reddie to Serve Day was created. Held every fall and spring, the biannual events allow students, faculty, and staff to work together to help Arkadelphia residents. Teams spread across the city for a variety of projects, from painting and raking leaves at the homes of elderly residents to picking up trash in parks. Through these service projects, students are exposed to the wider

Reddie to Serve Day connects the campus with the wider Arkadelphia community.

community while at the same time making their adopted community a better place.

Today Henderson State University is an important member of the greater Arkadelphia and Clark County community. Over the years, many industries have called Arkadelphia home. Agriculture, timber, railroads, and manufacturing have all played important roles in the development and growth of the city and county. But no other single industry has had the impact that education currently has on the economy. Henderson serves as the largest employer in the county, and when combined with the other educational centers and schools, education is by far the economic cornerstone of Clark County today.

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Officers of the Cadet Corps in 1911. The military program was dropped the next year and resumed only with the outbreak of World War I in 1914.

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Eternal as the Holly M

any sites on the Henderson campus are special to

students and alumni. Although Bench 13 and the Centurium often come to mind, other sites are less conspicuous. The small grove of holly trees on the South Lawn is one such site.

On February 5, 1920, the faculty and student body of Henderson-Brown College gathered on the South Lawn of College Hall. Little more than a year after World War I, the nation was struggling to move forward. Far removed from the combat in Europe, Henderson-Brown was nonetheless affected by the war. More than 180 students, faculty, and staff departed Arkadelphia to enter military service. Six of those men, five students and one football coach, lost their lives. After the war, many of the soldiers returned

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THE SCHOOL WITH A HEART | HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY AT 125

to campus and resumed their studies. In an effort to remember the Henderson-Brown men who lost their lives in the war, the student body decided to create a living memorial on campus.

After a religious service, the student body planted six holly trees in a circle, one for each life lost. Responsibility for the care of the plants went to the entire college, with each class responsible for a single holly, along with the high school academy and faculty. Farrar Newberry spoke at the planting, saying, “We build a memorial not of stone, not of bronze, but of the living tree—and this is symbolic of the service they performed for Henderson, France, and the world.”

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

ROTC at Henderson—America’s Army Leadership Starts Here

By John Hesterly ’51 The concept of Reserve Officer Training Corps in the United States began with the Morrill Act of 1862, which established land-grant colleges. Part of the federal government’s requirement for these schools was that they include military tactics as part of their curriculum—what became known as ROTC. Until the 1960s, many colleges required ROTC for male freshmen and sophomores. Following their sophomore year, students had the option of pursuing advanced ROTC leading to a commission. Beginning in 1947 and for the succeeding quartercentury, ROTC became a visible presence on the Henderson campus, with cadets in uniform and the biweekly battalion parades in the middle of the campus.

Henderson has provided more than 1,200 Army officers, and those who have served in the Army are aware that the success of Henderson ROTC is highly respected. A closer examination reveals that this success can be attributed to the personnel conducting Gen. Jimmy D. Ross ’58

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Military drills were held on campus both to instill discipline and for exercise. Here the Henderson College Battalion drills in front of the Main Building in 1911.

the training, the quality of the cadets and their desire to work hard, and the importance placed on this program by the Henderson administrations.

Because of protests of American involvement in the Vietnam War, ROTC became a voluntary program (and was then terminated at Henderson from 1992 until 2002). But it has been revived and is again producing U.S. Army officers.

A national measure of success of the HSU ROTC program is the number of graduates achieving higher military rank. Even one general officer brings recognition to a college, but Henderson has achieved a level of success that it is recognized throughout the Army.

They include: Gen. John P. McConnell ’27, chief of staff of the United States Air Force; Gen. Jimmy D. Ross ’58, Army deputy chief of staff for logistics during Desert Storm and commander of U.S. Army Material Command; Lt. Gen. James H. Merryman ’51, commanding general, Fort Rucker, Alabama, and chief of research, development and acquisition for the Department of the Army; Major Gen. Robert C. Hope ’56, commander of an Army Reserve division; Major Gen. Jimmie Owens Keenan ’86, chief, Army Nurse Corps; and Brigadier Gen. Joe L. Cheatham ’53, chief, Army Dental Corps.

Henderson has carried a heavy load in the defense of our country. Well done, Henderson, well done.

John H. Hesterly graduated from Henderson State University in 1951.

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The relationship Henderson shares with the military did not begin with the students it sent to World War I. Less than a decade after the founding of the institution, five students served in the Spanish-American War. This tradition of service has continued through every conflict the United States has entered since.

Arkadelphia Methodist College first offered courses in military training in 1895, and they were quickly adopted by the administration as a way to instill discipline in the student body. In 1897, male students were required to wear military uniforms on campus, and by 1905 a daily drill took place before classes began. Female students also drilled The Special Drill Platoon of Company D marches in the 1950 Thanksgiving Day Parade. During this period, ROTC was mandatory for all male students at Henderson.

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during the 1906–07 academic year, albeit without rifles. However, the entire military program was dropped in 1912 shortly after a change in the college administration.

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With the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914, the interest in military training resurfaced on campus, and by 1917 a volunteer

ROTC cadets train at a number of locations, including DeGray Lake.

unit regularly held drills. When the United States entered the conflict, the War Department established a Student Army Training Corps (SATC) unit in Arkadelphia to be shared between the two colleges. Receiving tuition, room, board, and uniforms, young men across the country were afforded greater access to higher education.

Henderson-Brown received money from the War Department for every student enrolled in the program and offered collegiate-level coursework alongside technical military subjects. While the SATC unit operated on campus, the Henderson students and faculty left the school to serve in the armed forces. The war in Europe ended, however, before any of the men training in Arkadelphia completed the SATC program; most returned home while a few remained at the college to complete their degrees.

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NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Lloyd Burke—One of America’s Most Honored Warriors

By Mike Hardin

Lloyd L. “Scooter” Burke was born in Tichnor, Arkansas, September 29, 1924. He entered Henderson State Teachers College in 1942, but withdrew from Henderson a year later to join the Army. Little did he know his military career would span more than thirty years and three wars and that he would become one of America’s most highly decorated soldiers.

After World War II, Burke returned to Henderson, where he was president of both his junior class and Phi Sigma Epsilon. He graduated with a B.A. in economics in 1950, was commissioned a second lieutenant, and was sent to Korea.

On November 26, 1950, in an attempt to secure an enemy ridge, he single-handedly moved forward under heavy fire and eliminated the machine gun nest that had blocked their advance, allowing his soldiers to capture the ridge. For his actions he received the Distinguished Service Cross.

On October 28, 1951, with a ticket home in his pocket, he learned his company was pinned down.

He rejoined his company and made a lone assault on three enemy bunkers, throwing grenades and using his pistol and a light machine gun. At one point he caught enemy grenades midair and hurled

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The Day Armory building with ROTC cadets in the 1940s. The building is part of the Garrison Center today.

them back. Inspired by his courage, his small company of thirtyfive men eventually secured their objective. Although wounded, Lt. Burke killed at least one hundred of the enemy and on April 11, 1952, President Truman presented him with the Medal of Honor for courage above and beyond the call of duty.

Fourteen years later, he was commanding a battalion in the Vietnam War. His warrior days ended when he was severely wounded after his helicopter was hit by an enemy grenade. He ended his career in the Army serving as the legislative liaison to Congress.

Burke retired as a full colonel in 1978 and died on June 1, 1999.

He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Mike Hardin is the stepson of Lloyd Burke. Hardin received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Henderson State University and is a retired high school guidance counselor. He and his wife live in Arkadelphia, about three blocks from Henderson’s campus.

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Opposite page: The ROTC unit presents the colors at a graduation ceremony.

After the war, the Henderson-Brown administration approached the War Department to receive a permanent ROTC unit on campus, but the college did not meet minimum enrollment numbers. The military finally returned to campus in 1936, seven years after the college became a state institution. The first graduates received their degrees in 1940, the same year that Henderson began offering aviation courses as part of the military curriculum.

The United States’ entrance into World War II brought a number of changes to the campus. Enrollment initially dropped as hundreds of men joined the armed forces and other students joined the workforce to support the war effort. Henderson received a training unit from the War Department, and the first student trainees, known as the 66th College Training Detachment-Aircrew, arrived on campus in February 1943.

The training detachment commandeered both Foster and Mooney Halls, forcing the students living there to find alternate accommodations. Male students living on campus found new quarters off campus while the young women in Mooney moved into Womack, creating a crowded situation with three students assigned to each room. When the detachment ceased operations in April 1944, life returned to normal on campus and many of the students breathed a sigh of relief as the cramped conditions were alleviated.

Joining the young men training on campus, a group of female Henderson students created their own military unit. Called the Women’s Volunteer Training Corps, the unit organized in October 1942 and more than one hundred young women participated the first year. Focusing on drills, the unit participated in local parades and similar events to lift the patriotic spirit of the students and greater community.

While life on campus continued during the war, albeit in a modified version, the student body felt the impact of the conflict as classmates left to serve and in some cases never returned. By the end of the war,

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forty alumni and students had lost their lives in active military service.

Memorials were established across campus, including a plaque with all the men’s names that was placed in the Day Armory.

Enrollment soared when the war ended. From a low of 283 students during the 1944–45 academic year, the college saw an increase to 1,583 by 1958. This rush of students taking advantage of the GI Bill did not come without growing pains, but the administration responded and Henderson welcomed them with open arms.

One of these students was Marty Filogamo. Originally from Boston, Filogamo served in the Army Air Corps before playing professional A memorial to Henderson graduates who lost their lives in the Vietnam War is located in the Garrison Center.

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baseball for several years. After accepting a position as the manager of a semipro team in Gurdon, Filogamo enrolled at Henderson and was named Outstanding Academic Freshman and elected president of the

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sophomore class. Outside the classroom, he played golf and baseball and was involved with Kappa Sigma Kappa. He also met his wife on campus during his junior year. Henderson benefited greatly from students such as Filogamo after the war.

Henderson students, most notably Lloyd Burke, served in the Korean War as well. After initially attending Henderson during World War II, Burke dropped out and served in the military before returning to campus to complete his degree. After graduation, he accepted a commission and returned to active duty. While in Korea, he repelled a Chinese assault on his position before leading a counterattack that broke the enemy lines.

For these actions he received the Medal of Honor.

During this period, ROTC was a core part of on-campus life. Male students were required to take military science classes their first two years, and many opted to continue their training and receive commissions upon graduating. A large producer of officers, Henderson saw more than one hundred graduates serve in the Vietnam War. Nine graduates lost their lives in that conflict and are remembered with two memorials on campus. A stone on the South Lawn near Arkansas Hall contains the names of the men, and a second memorial is now displayed in the Garrison Center.

The first Henderson graduate to achieve the rank of general led the United States Air Force during the Vietnam War. John McConnell earned a degree in biology at Henderson-Brown in 1927 before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduating in 1932.

Moving to the Army Air Corps, McConnell served in Asia during World War II and the Strategic Air Command afterward. He was named chief of staff of the Air Force in 1965, remaining in that position as the commander of the entire branch for four years while at the same time serving on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He retired in 1969 and died in 1986.

Other Henderson graduates served with distinction during the conflict.

Jimmy Ross, a 1958 graduate, served as an advisor to South Vietnamese

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forces and with the 101st Airborne Division. Returning to the United States, Ross continued his service, reaching the rank of general and serving as the commander of the U.S. Army Material Command. Ross retired in 1994 and died in 2012. Graduating from Henderson in 1950, James Merryman served several tours in Vietnam commanding aviation units. Named as the director of Army Aviation in 1973, Merryman continued to serve until 1984 when he retired as a lieutenant general.

He died in 2003.

The divisiveness of the conflict in Vietnam reached the Henderson campus, and by 1970 the mandatory nature of the ROTC program was unpopular with students. The Board of Trustees responded to a resolution by the Student Senate by making the entire program voluntary for the 1971–72 academic year. Enrollment in ROTC dropped, but the program continued to produce officers for the next two decades. By the early 1990s, in response to the end of the Cold War and a downsizing of the military, the Department of Defense examined ROTC programs across the country and discontinued several. The Henderson program was discontinued at this time, over the protests of both alumni and the school’s administrators.

Less than a decade later, military science training returned to Arkadelphia when the Bayonet Battalion based at the University of Central Arkansas established a shared detachment at Henderson. Beginning operations in 2000, the unit produces officers for service on both active and reserve duty, as well as National Guard units in the United States Army.

Countless Henderson graduates and former students serve in both active and reserve components of the armed services, following in the footsteps of other Reddies who have completed their service. While the university is proud of the graduates now serving, Henderson also welcomes veterans who wish to attend classes. Named as a 2015 Military Friendly School, Henderson also supports a Veterans Upward

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Bound program. This program supports veterans as they pursue academic degrees at Henderson.

The influence that the military has had on Henderson is immense.

From the loss of students during conflicts to the financial impact that training units and returning veterans have had on campus, Henderson is closely tied to the military. But the influence that the university has had on the military might be even greater. Henderson continues to support the United States military in the university’s third century of providing trained and educated soldiers.

Cadet Vera Akuro receives the first HSU Alumni Association ROTC Vietnam Memorial Scholarship in 2014.

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Students took time away from their studies even in the early 1900s.

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Into All Thy Children S

tudents from a diverse backgrounds attend Henderson

and become successful members of society after graduation.

Supported by a faculty with an equally diverse background, students leave the university well prepared to engage in the modern world. As the first non–historically black institution of higher education in the state to be led by an African American president, as well as one of the first to integrate, Henderson has a long and proud history of opening doors for a variety of students and employees. n Consisting of almost exclusively Arkansan Methodists, the 1890 student body also contained two students from Texas and one from Mississippi. Arkadelphia Methodist College also admitted women to the same classes as men, a practice

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that was growing at the time but not yet fully accepted in the South or across the country. The first students to arrive on campus in 1890 were three young women from Amity: Mattie Runyan, Mattie Biggs, and Sallie Biggs. In fact, more women attended the college the first year than men, establishing a trend for decades to come. Non-Methodist students attended the institution from the earliest days and the college-age students were joined by a wide array of local schoolchildren who attended the academy that operated on campus.

For the next thirty-nine years, Henderson-Brown College operated in much the same way with the same types of students continuing to fill the student body. With the transfer to state leadership, Henderson opened its doors wider. As one of only two teacher training colleges in

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Alma Mater, Henderson

By David Sesser

The summer of 1929 brought a number of changes and a bit of confusion to the campus of Henderson-Brown College. The institution officially closed its doors and the campus transferred to the ownership of the state of Arkansas in July.

But amid this confusion, one of the most enduring Henderson traditions was created. While James W. Workman knew he would not serve as president of the college after the shift to state control, he did want to leave a lasting mark on the institution at which both he and his father had served as president and from which he had graduated. Walking across the campus that June, Workman jotted down words and ideas that expressed how he felt about the

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Henderson students in front of College Hall in the 1920s. College Hall replaced the destroyed Main Building and was located south of the current location of McBrien Hall.

college and the impact that the institution had on the students who attended it. These thoughts would become part of the college alma mater.

The physical landscape of the campus serves as an important part of the song, with mentions of pine, oak, and holly trees. From the pine-based timber industry that created the wealth used by Captain Henderson to support the college in its early days, to the towering oaks standing on the South Lawn and the holly trees planted in memory of Reddies who lost their lives in war, trees continue to serve as a reminder to current students of those who came before them.

Workman put his thoughts into verse and with the help of several members of the music faculty, including Fredrick Harwood, Paul Shultz, and Eliza Workman (a relative), created the alma mater that still serves the university today. The first of the four verses of the song is printed below.

Breathe, stalwart pine trees, mem’ries of living shadows; Whisper, acorn bearers, from thy living fountains; Beauty and friendship, eternal as the holly, Into all thy children, Alma Mater, Henderson!

David Sesser (’06, ’11) is a librarian at Huie Library.

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the state, the institution began to educate a wider variety of students.

Although Henderson served mainly south Arkansas, students arrived from across the state and even the country to learn there. The drop in student enrollment during World War II led the administration to take further steps to ensure that Henderson’s doors would remain open. The The close interaction between students and faculty members has played an important role in Henderson’s reputation as the School with a Heart.

first two African Americans to attend classes at a historically white, public institution of higher education in the state of Arkansas were Inola Childress and Endo Cox, who took classes at Henderson in the early to mid-1940s. Previously, African Americans working on undergraduate degrees attended the public Agricultural, Mechanical, & Normal College in Pine Bluff or one of the several private institutions of higher learning.

If graduates of these colleges or other African Americans from Arkansas

who

held

degrees

from outside the state wished to pursue graduate or professional education, the state paid their way to universities in the north.

In a cost-cutting move for the state, Henderson allowed African Americans to begin attending classes. This admissions policy continued as African Americans who held undergraduate degrees took classes on campus in order to earn teaching certificates but were not degree-seeking students.

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Perhaps the most notable African American connected to Hender-

Staff members of KSWH work together in 1972.

son’s earliest years was Malachi Smith, a native of Arkadelphia, whose name remains synonymous with the spirit of servant leadership throughout Arkadelphia and the Henderson campus. Smith served as head cook in the college dining hall, preparing meals for students for forty-five years beginning in 1903. When new president Clifford Hornaday ordered the reduction of the kitchen staff in a cost-cutting move in 1926, Smith refused to work with fewer resources and resigned.

The Oracle applauded his decision to leave and with the selection of a new president two years later, Smith returned to the dining hall where the student body eagerly awaited.

After the fire of 1914 destroyed most of the campus, the student body vowed to remain and rebuild their school. As a campaign was organized to raise money to rebuild, Smith was the first local resident to make a donation, generously giving the college $25 toward the rebuilding effort.

Without the leadership of people like Malachi Smith demonstrating why Henderson truly is the School with a Heart, thousands of students might have missed out on the life-changing experience of earning a higher education degree.

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Katryne Horton, widow of Maurice Horton, embraces Gregory Vaughn, the first recipient of the Maurice R. Horton Sr. Emerging Leaders Memorial Scholarship.

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Lawrence Hamilton­—A Life on Broadway

By Jackie Inouye

Broadway star Lawrence Hamilton ’76 was an individual of extraordinary drive and talent. As a teenager in Ashdown, Arkansas, Hamilton worked at a poultry plant and took piano lessons, dreaming of a life on the stage and patiently developing his skills. In the 1970s, Hamilton enrolled at Henderson to pursue his goals. During his years at Henderson, he was a member of Heart and Key, Phi Mu Alpha, the marching and symphonic bands, the concert choir, and he performed with the Arkansas Opera Theater. He performed in several campus productions, including Marat/Sade, for which he won an award for outstanding acting.

After graduating from Henderson with a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance, Hamilton started a job at Walt Disney World. He was soon noticed by talent agent Tommy Molinaro and made his Broadway debut in 1979 in Timbuktu starring Eartha Kitt. This was the start of a long and distinguished career in the performing arts.

Hamilton’s other Broadway credits include The Wiz, Porgy and Bess, Sophisticated Ladies, Uptown . . . It’s Hot!, Jelly’s Last Jam, Play On, and many others. He also acted in Off-Broadway hits such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Big River, Ain’t Misbehaving, Twist, Eubie, and The Hot Mikado.

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The landscape of higher education in the state changed forever in 1954 when the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional. In fall 1955, Henderson State Teachers College fully admitted its first African American student, Maurice Horton. A Clark County native, Horton attended college in Pine Bluff before returning to Arkadelphia and transferring to Henderson at the encouragement of his mother and others in the community. Horton graduated from Henderson in 1957, becoming the first African American to receive a degree from the college. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in mathematics, he taught math and science at Peake High School in Arkadelphia. Horton returned to Henderson in the early 1960s to pursue a master’s degree, which he completed after three summers.

The classroom was the first area of campus to be integrated, but it was soon joined by the playing field. Alvin Futrell and Larry Duckworth

Additionally, Hamilton performed in concert with Lena Horne, for President and Mrs. Reagan at the White House, and for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

Hamilton also served as vocal coach/arranger for many Broadway and pop artists, and was associate minister of music for the St. James Presbyterian Church, Harlem, NY. His Lawrence Hamilton Ensemble debuted at Carnegie Hall with the Boston Pops Orchestra.

Hamilton was named a Distinguished Alumnus of Henderson in 2000. He died April 3, 2014, at age fifty-nine.

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joined the basketball team in 1966, becoming the first two African Americans to play sports at the college. Duckworth was later drafted by the Buffalo Braves of the NBA, and Futrell returned to Henderson and served on the faculty for thirty-two years before retiring. The next year, the football team integrated and other sports soon followed.

More African American students began to attend Henderson and were joined by other students of color. By 1980, more than a quarter of the university’s enrollment consisted of students of color. These Americanborn students were joined by international students from a multitude of countries. Hailing from Panama, the United Kingdom, Ghana, Poland, and Bulgaria, among others, these students added a well-received flavor to both the student and academic life on campus. For several years, a program to educate students from Taiwan operated with cohorts of Henderson students from around the world participate in the annual International Food Bazaar.

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students living on campus and completing graduate degrees in sports administration. More than one hundred students participated in the extremely popular program before it ended.

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Although Henderson has supported a cultural and ethnically diverse student body for decades, the majority of Henderson’s student body remains first-generation college students, meaning they are the first in

Thanks to generous support from alumni and supporters of the university, the next generation of Henderson students will successfully complete their degrees.

their extended family to attend a college or university. Most are from small towns and rural communities in Arkansas, with growing numbers from nearby states.

From its earliest days, Henderson has offered opportunities to students across southwest Arkansas. At Arkadelphia Methodist College, scholarships were regularly given to students whose families did not have the financial means to support their education and many students who were not prepared for collegiate-level coursework first attended the attached academy, which existed alongside the degree-granting institution for years.

The academy no longer exists, but another program designed to prepare students for college-level coursework operates on the Henderson campus. The Southwest Arkansas College Preparatory Academy targets eighth-grade students who desire to attend college but need additional

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The Angelic Voices of Christ Choir performs at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Day event.

resources to raise their standardized test scores. Students in the program participate for four years and receive intensive instruction one Saturday a month during the academic year and for two weeks during the summer. The coursework focuses on academic preparedness for college along with detailed study of subjects covered on the ACT. The goal is to adequately prepare students for college-level coursework and reduce the need for remedial classes once the students have completed high school.

Beginning in 2009 with a cohort of students in the Arkadelphia Public School District, the program has expanded to all school systems in Clark County and to several other cities in southwest Arkansas. Henderson sponsors the program with support from four other regional colleges and universities. Funding comes from a variety of foundations and other grant-making agencies.

Care and commitment to the student body are always top of mind as the university embraces its brand as the School with a Heart.

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The Showband and other Henderson students are always ready to show their school spirit, even when it means being at Carpenter-Haygood Stadium at 5 a.m. for a TV broadcast.

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he three young women from Amity who arrived on an

unfinished campus in 1890 would not recognize the university that has grown from the humble beginnings of Arkadelphia Methodist College. The physical landscape of campus is much changed, programs of study have evolved, and today’s student body little resembles those first students. Even so, the heart of Henderson beats as strong as it did 125 years ago.

Students continue to travel from rural communities such as Amity, as well as from across the nation and around the world, to take advantage of the opportunities afforded them at Henderson. When they have completed their Henderson education, both local students and students from around the globe depart to share their knowledge and positively

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influence the communities in which they find themselves.

Today, the university has a vision for enhancing the Henderson experience for future generations of students. Campus faculty, staff, and students have worked together recently to develop a strong, strategic plan that will guide the direction and decision-making at the university in the coming years. The plan’s six goals are aimed at bettering the university across the board.

The first, and perhaps most important, goal includes growing the enrollment to 5,000 students so that the university remains a vibrant community dedicated to higher education. Along with that, Henderson seeks to enhance student life so that attending the university is a more

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Loyalty Stems from the Heart and Key

By Mary Jo Mann

“In the fall of 1946, a group of students lighted a candle at Henderson . . . ” So begins the introduction of a new class of initiates into Heart and Key, an honorary service organization “created to develop, build, and promote the highest type of school spirit among the students.”

President D. D. McBrien originated the idea. The name of Heart and Key was proposed by Bobbie Jean Johnson, a junior from Hot Springs, to signify “that the heart of Henderson may be opened by the key of loyalty.” From 1946 and until her retirement, Amy Jean Greene held the position of faculty advisor.

Initially, membership was represented by thirty-one representatives from each recognized student organization on what was then the Henderson State Teachers College campus. The constitution provides for a total of thirty active members, with no more than fifteen members of the same sex.

Heart and Key members sing the alma mater at the annual Pine Tree Assembly.

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New members are voted on once they have

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Among Henderson’s core values is a commitment to academic excellence and producing well-rounded graduates.

reached the specified number and diversity of volunteer hours and are “tapped” by having a beribboned heart placed around their necks.

Members work to be invited into membership and then must continue to work in concession stands, Reddie Day activities, the Pine Tree Assembly, Homecoming Court festivities, and other events. Heart and Key has held an active role in two of Henderson’s most cherished spirit events of the year: homecoming and the annual Pine Tree Assembly, where students learn the alma mater and HSU’s history. In years past, students from the group have reenacted the role of the fateful “Lady in Black,” wearing tattered, gloomy garments and rattling chains across the stage of Arkansas Hall. Heart and Key has seen the changes in Homecoming Court festivities, from the grand downtown parades of bygone decades to the current tradition of introducing candidates in a special presentation ceremony, at the bonfire and pep rally, and before the much-anticipated football game.

Though activities may vary over time, members continue to promote the Reddie spirit, that indomitable force that has survived wars, a ravaging fire, and tragedy.

Mary Jo Mann is the former alumni director of Henderson State University.

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fulfilling experience. This includes enhancing facilities such as student housing, which has two new units opening in fall 2015. Providing programs and tools such as a comprehensive student engagement and development program to ensure students make connections both academically as well as beyond the classroom will also enhance student life. A coordinated first-year academic experience and a comprehensive student academic success program will give students the tools to succeed in their freshman year and beyond as Henderson seeks to ensure that students are successful in completing their degrees.

An important part of recruiting and retaining students is ensuring that Henderson provides high-quality academic programs. These programs will be enhanced to match new and future career opportunities so that the university is more deliberate in bridging the well-rounded educaHenderson offers undergraduate and graduate degree completion in downtown Hot Springs just steps away from historic Bath House Row.

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tional experience provided with each student’s professional aspirations.

These enhancements include developing new programs, increasing online and off-campus learning opportunities, ensuring that programs

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are accredited, increasing experiential learning opportunities,

enhancing

the

Honors College, and creating certificate programs for those already in the workforce. The university’s first off-campus learning center opened in Hot Springs in fall 2014, bringing upperlevel coursework for the first time to the heart of one of the largest cities in the state. The campus currently offers education and business courses leading to undergraduate degrees in both fields, as well as the Master of Business Administration degree.

Henderson recognizes that student success is dependent on recruiting

Henderson places students at the center of all that the university does. Decisions made about programs, policies, and practices are based upon what is best for students and their success.

and retaining the best faculty and staff. The university will work toward ensuring that Henderson is nationally recognized as a great place to work among colleges and universities. This will be accomplished by improving total compensation, encouraging professional development opportunities, creating a more diverse campus and establishing a process for shared governance.

While the first priorities of the strategic plan focus on the human capital necessary for the success of the university, the physical landscape of the campus has not been forgotten. This infrastructure is critical for teaching and meeting other student and faculty needs. Several new buildings have been constructed on the campus over the past few years, and additional structures have received extensive renovations. Proctor Hall, the last remaining academic structure from the Methodist years, is in the midst of a major renovation. Funded by a grant from the Arkansas

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Reddies gather on the Barkman House lawn for a pep rally.

NOTES FROM A REDDIE

Henderson Voices Heard in Student Media

By Michael Taylor

The Star yearbook was begun in 1904, and the Oracle newspaper appeared four years later with Edgar Lyle Dean named as the first editor. Since then, both publications have remained vital conduits for student expression at Henderson, with additional student-operated media joining the mix in recent decades. In 1971, the university launched an FCC-licensed radio station called KSWH (the last three letters standing, naturally, for “School with a Heart”). In 1994, with a gift of equipment from David Jones, trustee and broadcaster, the university launched Henderson Television, or HTV, creating cable access programming ever since. In 2004, the Oracle began publishing original content online in addition to its weekly print edition, and now KSWH and HTV also maintain a digital presence.

Each of these formats has been staffed from the beginning by students, with faculty playing an advisory role. The Oracle has seldom sidestepped campus controversies great or small, as in 1928, when famous Reddies C. Vann Woodward and Amy Jean Greene were among staff members calling for a general strike in opposition to president Hornaday—who resigned a few weeks later.

On the small scale, the paper saw a controversial exchange of letters throughout the 1956–57 school year on the topic of one Elvis Presley and the pressing question of whether rock and roll was here to stay.

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Natural and Cultural Resources Council, this project will ensure that the building will serve the needs of the university for years to come. Other efforts are planned to ensure that the technological needs are met across campus, and a master plan will be created to guide ongoing efforts.

The university will also continue to follow sustainability guidelines and work to maintain its position as a leader in the field. By ensuring that the physical campus and its infrastructure is attractive and well maintained, Henderson will remain a point of pride for those connected to the campus as well as those in the surrounding community.

Henderson State University is unique among public institutions of higher education in Arkansas as it is the only university that has existed

Ultimately Henderson’s student media have provided a voice for students, many of whom have risen to prominence in their fields after graduation, from Lee Ivory at USA Today to nationally known radio star Bobby Bones. As traditional forms of media have evolved and converged, Henderson has kept pace. A new major at Henderson, the Bachelor of Arts in Innovative Media, was approved by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education in 2015 and will help ensure that Henderson students have the freedom and opportunity to create their own media messages far into the future—perhaps on platforms yet to be invented.

Michael Ray Taylor, professor of communication, has taught journalism and advised the Oracle since 1991.

He holds advanced degrees in creative writing from the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina, and is the author of the books Cave Passages and Dark Life. He recently coauthored Creating Comics as Journalism, Memoir and Nonfiction with Henderson professors Randy Duncan and David Stoddard.

The Oracle staff in 1986.

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Music performances are popular community events.

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both as a private and state school. With many of the years of operation as a private college marked by financial uncertainty, the move to state control in 1929 provided a bit of relief to the students and faculty of Henderson. Unfortunately, state support has not kept pace with the needs, so the university must rely on increased private support to help the university achieve its goals. A comprehensive fundraising campaign to attract private support among alumni and friends of Henderson will seek to double the size of the university’s endowment. Grant funding is also a growing revenue stream that the university wishes to develop further. Major grants supporting campus renovations, as well as innovative programs such as the Southwest Arkansas College Preparatory Academy, have already proven to be effective in expanding and preserving the resources of the university.

The final goal of the strategic plan is to enhance the regional, state, and national profile of the university. Henderson will tell the stories of

Henderson values collaboration, recognizing that each person is an important part of a larger picture.

successful students, faculty, staff, alumni, and programs to ensure that the school’s reputation as an educational leader is widely recognized.

This will be guided by efforts to unify the Henderson State University brand, strengthen relationships with external audiences, and communicate unified messaging across established and innovative channels to all audiences. The ultimate goal is for Henderson to be recognized as one of the finest universities in the South.

Henderson’s first 125 years reflects a tradition of providing a highquality education to our students. While we remain true to our heritage, the university is also looking beyond the horizon of this rapidly changing

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Members of the Arkadelphia Methodist College class of 1893 pose for a group photo.

world so that we can identify strategies that will empower the next generation of Reddies to excel in the future.

Breathe, stalwart pine trees, mem’ries of living shadows; Whisper, acorn bearers, from thy living fountains; Beauty and friendship, eternal as the holly; Into all thy children, Alma Mater, Henderson!

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Henderson’s vision is to be recognized as a national model for bridging the liberal arts and professional aspirations, producing wellrounded graduates who are leaders in their careers and communities.

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Entries in italics denote photos.

A AACSB International, 49 academics at Henderson, 28–41 Accounting Department, 57 ACT, 98 Adams, William Noel, 68 Agricultural, Mechanical, & Normal College, 92 Ain’t Misbehaving, 94 Air Force, U.S., 77, 85 Akuro, Vera, 87 Alpha Kappa Psi business school fraternity, 55 alma mater, Henderson, 90–91 Alumni Association ROTC Vietnam Memorial Scholarship, 87 alumni stories Beverly Baker, 66–67 Bob Fisher, 48–49 David Sesser, 6–7 David Thomson, 36–37 George Baker, 20–21 Hank Wilson, 52–53 Jackie Inouye, 2–3, 94–95 James Engman, 32–33 Jane Dunn, 62–63 John Hesterly, 76–77 Judy Harrison, 44–45 Lewis A. Shepherd Jr., 90–91 Mary Jo Mann, 102–103 Michael Taylor, 106–107 Mike Hardin, 80–81 Pam Davis, 66–67 Steve Eddington, 24–25 Troy Mitchell, 16–17 Wes Branstine, 70–71 American Association of Teachers Colleges, 45 Amy Jean Greene Bridge, 10 Angelic Voices of Christ Choir, 98 Areté Society, 40 Arkadelphia Municipal Airport, 52, 52–53, 59 Arkadelphia Henderson-Brown Club, 65 Arkadelphia Methodist College, name as and academics, 30–31, 35–36 and business education, 55 class photos, 4, 110 and friendship, 61 and inclusivity, 88, 97 and loyalty, 5 and military training, 78 and sports, 19–20 and success, 101

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Arkadelphia Practical Business College, 55 Arkadelphia Public School District, 98 Arkansas Academy of Science, 33 Arkansas Athletic Association, 23 Arkansas Better Beginnings, 66 Arkansas Department of Higher Education, 107 Arkansas General Assembly, 68 Arkansas Hall, 32, 34, 85, 103 Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference, 24–26 Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council, 105, 107 Arkansas Opera Theater, 94 Arkansas State Athletic Association Championship, 14, 20 Arkansas State College, 51 Arkansas State Teachers College, 51, 69 Arlington National Cemetery, 81 Army Air Corps, 84–85 Army Aviation, 86 army leadership at Henderson, 76–77 Army Material Command, 86 Art Department, 30, 32, 35 Aviation Department, 52, 59 aviation program at Henderson, 52–53, 52, 53

B Baker, Beverly, 66–67 Baker, George, 20–21 band camp at Henderson, 70–71, 70 Barkman House, 23, 106 baseball at Henderson, 20, 21, 27 basketball at Henderson, 19, 23, 26, 96 Bath House Row, 104 Battle of the Ravine football game, 12, 13, 14, 16–17, 22, 64, 68, 73 Battle of the Ravine trophy, 26 Bayonet Battalion, 86 beauty at Henderson, 60–73 Bench 13, 75 Big River, 94 Biggs, Mattie, 90 Biggs, Sallie, 90 Bill Gentry Classroom, 41 Biology Department, 30, 32–34 Biological Field Station, 32 Bones, Bobby, 107 Boston Pops Orchestra, 95 Branstine, Wes, 70–71 British Military Bands, 70 Broadway star at Henderson, 94–95 Brown, Walter William, 6 Bruner, Robert, 70

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Buffalo Braves, 96 Burke, Lloyd L. “Scooter,” 80–81, 81, 85 bus, Reddie sports team, 18 Business Administration Department, 57 business education at Henderson, 42–59 Business Teacher Education Department, 57

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Cadet Corps, 74–75 Caldwell, Jeff, 26 camp at Henderson, band, 70–71, 70 Caplinger Airway Science Center, 23, 32, 59, 62 Captain Henderson House, 40 Captain Henderson House Bed and Breakfast, 62 Carnegie Hall, 95 Carol of Lights, 72 Carpenter, R.L. “Sporty,” 20–21, 20, 24 Carpenter-Haygood Stadium, 100 Centurium, 75 Chamber Chorale, 34 Cheatham, Brig. Gen. Joe L., 77 cheerleaders, Reddie, 65 chef, Henderson’s, 90–91, 93 Chemistry Department, 30, 32, 33 Child Service Center, 66 Childress, Inola, 92 Civil Pilot Training Program, 59 Clark, Bill, 70 Clark, Ettatricia, 7 Clinton, Bill, 70 Cold War, 86 College Hall, 75, 91 College of Education, 45 Commercial Department, 55 Communication and Theatre Arts Department, 28–29, 32 Computer Science Department, 32 Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, 51 Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, 12, 39, 62 courthouse, Clark County, 60–61 Cox, Endo, 92 Crowell, George Henry, 2, 5

D dance at Henderson, 34 Davis, Pam, 66–67 Davis-Baker Preschool, 54, 66–67 Dawkins, Louis, 48 Dawson Education Cooperative, 53 Day Armory building, 80–81, 84 Dean, Edgar Lyle, 106 DeGray Lake, 32, 33, 35, 66, 79

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Delores Brumfield White Field, 22 Desert Storm, 77 Dexter B. Florence Memorial Field Airport, 53, 59 Distinguished Service Cross, 80 Division of Business Administration, 57 Donald W. Reynolds Science Center, 32 Duckworth, Larry, 95–96 Duke, Ken, 27 Dunn, Charles, 11–12, 24, 62–63, 63 Dunn, Jane, 62–63 Dunn, Sir Vivian, 70 Dunn Student Recreation Center, 11, 62 Dyer, Don, 26

E Economics Department, 57 Eddington, Steve, 24–25 Education Center, 45, 54, 66 Education Department, 44, 46 Ellis, Matt Locke, 31 Ellis College of Liberal Arts. see Matt Locke Ellis College of Arts and Sciences English Department, 30, 32, 35 Engman, James, 32–33 Eubie, 94 Evans Hall, 32 Evanson, W.O., 70–71

F FAA, 53, 59 Family and Consumer Sciences Department, 46, 51 FCC, 106 Filogamo, Marty, 84–85 Finance Department, 57 fire, 1914 college and friendship, 64 and inclusivity, 91, 93 and loyalty, 1–5, 12 photos, 1, 3 and success, 103 Fisher, Bob, 48–49 football at Henderson and academics, 34 and inclusivity, 96 and love, 16–17, 19–26 and loyalty, 12 photos, 14, 16, 20, 64, 68 and success, 103 Foreign Languages Department, 30, 32, 35 Formby Athletic Center, 25 Foster, Bob, 70 Foster Hall, 37, 39, 62, 82

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friendship at Henderson, 60–73 Futrell, Alvin, 95–96

G Galloway Female College, 63, 65 Garrett, James, 1–2 Garrison, Martin, 39 Garrison Activity and Conference Center, 62, 66, 80–81, 84–85 General Business Department, 57 Gentry, Bill, 36–37, 39, 39 GI Bill, 8, 48, 84 Great American Conference, 17 Great Depression, 8, 47 Greene, Amy Jean, 16, 17, 102, 106 Gulf South Conference, 17, 23–27

H Hall, John, 17 Hall, Julia, 17 Hamilton, Lawrence, 94–95, 95 Hardin, Mike, 80–81 Harrison, Judy, 44–45 Harwood, Fredrick, 91 Haygood, Jimmy, 14, 23 Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Athletic Training Department, 55 Heart and Key, 16–17, 94, 102–103, 102 Henderson, Capt. Charles Christopher, 5–7 Henderson 100 program, 40 Henderson College Athletic Association, 20 Henderson College Battalion, 77 Henderson College, name as, 5, 19 Henderson Foundation, 18 Henderson Honors College, 36, 37, 39–41, 105 Henderson Orchestra, 30 Henderson State College, name as, 10, 36, 52 Henderson State Teachers College, name as. see also Teachers College, Henderson and business education, 43–45, 47–48, 59 and friendship, 70 and inclusivity, 95 and loyalty, 8 and military training, 80 photos, 45, 47 and success, 102 Henderson State University, name change to, 15 Henderson-Brown College, name as and academics, 31 and business education, 43–44, 46 and friendship, 65, 68–70 and inclusivity, 90

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and loyalty, 1–6 and military training, 75–76, 79, 82, 85 and sports, 16–18, 21 Henderson-Brown Gymnasium, 23 Hendrix College, 22–23, 63, 65, 68, 70 Hendrix-Henderson College, name as, 72 Hesterly, John, 76–77 History Department, 35 Home Economics Department, 46, 48 Homecoming Court, 103 Homecoming Parade, 10, 62 Homeplace, 18 Honors Council, 40 honors program at Henderson, 36–37, 39–41 Hope, Maj. Gen. Robert C., 77 Hornaday, Clifford, 93, 106 Horne, Lena, 95 Horton, Katryne, 94 Horton, Maurice, 7, 94–95 The Hot Mikado, 94 Hot Springs Campus, 59 Hot Springs High School, 23 HTV, 28, 106 Huie, Minnie Belle, 31 Huie Library, 31, 31, 38

I inclusivity at Henderson, 87–99, 99 Inouye, Jackie, 2–3, 94–95 interaction, student-faculty, 92 International Food Bazaar, 96 Ivory, Lee, 107

J Jelly’s Last Jam, 94 John Paul II, Pope, 95 Johnson, Bobbie Jean, 102 Jones, David, 106 Jones, Glendell, 12, 12

K Kappa Sigma Kappa, 85 Keenan, Maj. Gen. Jimmie Owens, 77 Key Hall, 4 To Kill a Mockingbird, 94 Kitt, Eartha, 94 Korean War, 85 KSWH, 28, 93, 106

L Lady Reddies, 26–27 Lawrence Hamilton Ensemble, 95

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Leyva, Jesse, 71 Liberal Arts Core, 34–35, 39 Little Rock National Airport, 53 Lone Star Conference, 17 love of Henderson students, 14–27 loyalty of Henderson students, 1–13 Lyon College, 24

Newberry, Farrar, 18, 76 North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, 45, 48 NuFusion, 69 Nursery School, 66 Nursing Building, 32 Nursing Department, 32, 36, 37, 38

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Main Building, 1–3, 3, 30, 77, 91 Main Hall, 2 Management Department, 57 Mann, Mary Jo, 3, 57, 102–103 Marat Sade, 94 Marketing Department, 57 Mathematics Department, 30, 32 Matt Locke Ellis College of Arts and Sciences, 11, 29–32, 36, 38–39 Matthews, Coak, 27 Maurice R. Horton Sr. Emerging Leaders Memorial Scholarship, 94 McBrien, D.D., 17, 102 McBrien Hall, 32, 91 McConnell, Gen. John P., 77, 85 McElhannon Hall, 32 McLauchlan Library, 31, 71 Medal of Honor, 81, 85 media at Henderson, student, 106–107 memorial at Henderson, Vietnam War, 84, 85 Merryman, Lt. Gen. James H., 77, 86 Methodist Church, 4, 61 Methodist Conference, 6, 63, 65 Military Academy at West Point, U.S., 85 military training at Henderson, 74–87 Miser, The, 28 Miss Henderson pageant, 8 Mitchell, Troy, 16–17 Molinaro, Tommy, 94 Mooney Hall, 42–43, 82 Morrill Act of 1862, 76 Music Department, 30, 32, 34

Oaks Hall, 10 101st Airborne Division, 86 Opera Workshop, 34 the Oracle, 28, 93, 106, 107 Ouachita Baptist College, 20, 22–23, 61 Ouachita Baptist University, 16–17, 26, 63, 73 Outstanding Academic Freshman, 84

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National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, 23–25 National Council for Teacher Education, 45 National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education, 51 National Guard, 86 National Licensure Exam, 38 NBA, 96 NCAA Division II, 16–17, 23–27 NCAA Final Four, 26

Reagan, President and Mrs., 95 recreation at Henderson, 56, 88 Reddie Day, 103 Reddie Spirit, 2, 5–8, 13, 19, 106 Reddie to Serve Day, 73, 73 Reserve Officer Training Corps, 76–82, 83, 85–86 Reynolds Science Center, 62 Rollins, David, 71 Ross, Gen. Jimmy, 76, 77, 85–86

P Parnell, Gov. Harvey, 47, 70 Pawelski, Carrie, 71 Phi Alpha Theta, 35 Phi Mu Alpha, 94 Phi Sigma Epsilon, 80 Philosophy Department, 30, 32, 35 Physical Culture Department, 26 Physics Department, 30, 32 Pine Tree Assembly, 102, 103 Pine Tree speech, 3, 16, 57 Pines Hall, 37, 39, 41 Play On, 94 Porgy and Bess, 94 preschool at Henderson, 66–67, 67 presidency of Henderson, 62–63 Presley, Elvis, 106 Proctor Hall, 46, 51, 105 Psychology Department, 32, 44

Q Quad, 69 Queen, Homecoming, 62 Queen of Stars, 8

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Runyan, Mattie, 90 Russell Fine Arts Building, 32

S School of Business, 31, 42–43, 48–49, 52, 54, 55, 55, 57, 59 School of Education, 31, 52 School of Fine Arts, 31, 70 School of Liberal Arts, 31 School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, 31 Secretarial Science Department, 57 Sesser, David, 6–7 Sevier, Jane, 26 Shepherd Jr., Lewis A., 90–91 Showband of Arkansas, 13, 34, 100 Shultz, Paul, 91 Simonson Biological Field Station, 32, 35, 41 Simonson family, 32, 35 66th College Training Detachment-Aircrew, 59, 82 Smith, Grady, 16–17 Smith, Malachi, 6–7, 6, 93 Smith Hall, 17 Social Sciences Department, 30, 32, 35 Sociology Department, 32 softball at Henderson, 22, 27 Sophisticated Ladies, 94 South Lawn, 2, 7, 58, 75, 85 Southwest Arkansas College Preparatory Academy, 97, 109 Spanish-American War, 78 Special Drill Platoon of Company D, 78 sports at Henderson, 14–27 sports team bus, Reddie, 18 St. James Presbyterian Church, 95 the Star, 8, 28, 106 Statistics Department, 32 Strategic Air Command, 85 Stroud, Chris, 27 Student Army Training Corps, 79 Sturgis Charitable and Educational Trust, 41 Sturgis Hall, Roy and Christine, 36, 37, 41, 62 success of Henderson’s students, 100–111, 103, 104, 105, 108, 109, 111 support of Henderson’s students, 97 Supreme Court, 95 swimming at Henderson, 26

T Taylor, Michael, 106–107 Teachers College, Henderson. see also Henderson

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State Teachers College, name as and business education, 45, 52, 54, 59 and friendship, 66 photos, 44, 49, 50 temporary buildings after fire, 7 tennis at Henderson, 20, 27, 54 Texas A&I University, 21 Thomson, David, 36–37, 41 Timbuktu, 94 track at Henderson, 20, 27 Travelers Championship trophy, 27 Truman, President, 81 Turner, Ken, 24 Twist, 94

U University of Arkansas, 20, 51 University of Central Arkansas, 86 Uptown It’s Hot, 94

V Vaughn, Gregory, 94 Veterans Upward Bound program, 86–87 Vietnam War, 77, 81, 84–86 volleyball at Henderson, 27

W Walt Disney World, 94 Welch, Myron, 70 Wells, Duke, 24 Wells Center, 55 Whipple, Ross, 54 White, Dee, 26–27 White House, 95 Wilson, Hank, 52–53 Winham, Allen, 69 The Wiz, 94 Womack Hall, 82 Women’s Volunteer Training Corps, 82 Woodward, C. Vann, 106 Workman, Eliza, 91 Workman, James W., 90 World War I, 65, 74–75, 78 World War II and business education, 47, 52, 59 and inclusivity, 92 and loyalty, 8 and military training, 80, 82, 85 and sports, 22, 24

HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY