Ten years growing (Cont.)

Mrs Tobyann Davis and her husband were perfectly happy with their position inSouthern California 10 years ago, but Dr.JerryFalwell'spersonalitywon them over to the newly founded Lynchburg BaptistCollege

"Dr. Falwellcame acrossasacommon, everydayman when we met with him inOrange, California, after a meeting," Mrs. Davis said. "He just asked, 'Why don't you all come back and help us?'We had a perfect peace about the move."

Davis said she and her husband were comfortable with startingfrom thebottom; theyweren'tlooking foranykind of magnificentfacilities.

"You would have thought, though, thattherewould have beenalot ofbitternessand griping," shesaidinreference to thestudents' attitudes to thelimitedconditions "They must have been a mature group ofpeople."

Mrs Davis remembers the time the entire student body went to theHoly Land oneyearand to London, England, the next.She felt there was a special family atmosphere that made these kind of activities possible

"Those kids had to build their own dorms on Treasure Island,"shesaid. "They ako had tostayinpeople's homes. It was hardest on the parents, though. They sometimes couldn't believe they were leaving their children in sucha chaoticsituation."

Mrs.Davis remembers thebusesthatseemed tobegoing everywhere in thecity.

"Those old buses were terrible," she said "There were even holesinthefloor, yetI heard many a student say that someof the best timeswereon thosebuses Everybody had a sense of building together."

Today, Mrs Davis sees the students taking more ofa leadership position in the school and the ministry.

"It's along thelinewith what Dr.Falwell says,'There's a cloudon the horizonaboutthesize of aman'shand...,'" she said. "Where we areis justadrop inthebucket in comparison to the task. There isa challengehere."

Gary Aldridge feelsthatLBC not only teaches students how to make a living, but teaches them how to live. Aldridge, LBC'sresidentialdirectorand a1979 LBC graduate, is doing justthat by investing his own lifein the RAs atLBC.

"Itrytoseemyself notonly asa manager, but as a motivator," Aldridge said

As a student coming to LBC in 1974,Aldridge came to realizethatLBC isthe type of school that can fitin tothe spiritual temperment of each individual, and the schoolis likea person or a personality

Looking back,he said that his greatest teaching did not come from one man,but a combination of a few.

"It would behard forme to limit it to one person," hesaid inreference tothe man atLBC who had the greatest influence on him "Dave Randlettgaveme achancewhen no one seemed to want to;Dr Summer Wemp gave me a vision; Gordon Luffgaveme avisionforpeople; and Dr. Woodrow Kroll showed me that it couln't be done on excitement alone."

Aldridge feelsthat the school presently has developed a greater appreciation ofacademics

"The student body can no longer be satisfied with mere excitement,but there must be a depth of knowledge and deeper content towhat people say and teach," he said.

"Ifeelwe are balanced because the school hasn't lost its zeal Preachers can stillcome and motivate everyone and, then again,Dr. Francis Schaffer can come and speak and everyone will be equally as blessed."

Looking ahead,Aldridge thinks that the college willnot go either to the extreme right or the extremeleft

"I think with the ties to the church we have a strong advantage for heading in the right direction,"he said."We only have tolook atSpurgeon's church to see how aplace thatwas once greatforGod has become adead monument. We can learn from thepast

Becoming dead is a fear that every organization must face Aslongas we keepour schoolunder the auspicesof the localchurch we stand a better chance Ifwe ever loose our vision it, too, will become a monument."