Henderson State University - Star Yearbook (Arkadelphia, AR)

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mlrvvv in the light of the past 47 Stars But though the fight was lost, the spirit was not conquered, for a group of Arkadelphia citizens petitioned the Legislature of Arkansas to accept from the city the Henderson plant and to operate it as a teachers' college. The state accepted the offer and the name of the college became Henderson State Teachers College. And it was that Henderson spirit which caused the stu- dents of 1914 to meet out under the trees in front of the smoking ashes of what had been the main building and to hold one of the largest and most inspiring pep rallies ever held by the students - and probably the first pep rally they ever held with tears in their eyes. On that cold November morning the stu- dents gathered together and vowed that not a single one would go home A- and not a single one did. The towns- people of Arkadelphia took the students into their homes, while churches and public buildings served as classrooms. Only one day was lost from recitations. Though the col- lege was destroyed, the spirit lived on. -l--- -,? 1 . ..... . ..

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' ' ':-vw-r,vs -- 'sf 1r'3 w'wv its spirit. . . ' The spirit which will cause Henderson to exist long after its present students and faculty are gone is the spirit which began with the founding of the Arkadelphia Methodist College in 1890 and which has caused Henderson to live and progress despite trials that threatened the life of the school. It is that spirit which re- fused to yield during the school's earlier years, 1890- 1920, when its life was threatened by serious financial troubles. Contributions from friends, ranging upward to 350,000, kept the young col- lege struggling along. Lesser contributions were received from Professor G. C. Jones, Mr. 0. A. Campbell, and many others inspired by the spirit of Henderson. Even the student body, small though it was, contributed over 31,000 at one time. Again the college wavered but the spirit did not fall in 1929 when the Little Rock Conference of the Methodist Church voted to consolidate Hendrix and Henderson Brown. Then there was a long struggle over where the con solidation would be located but the burning of the Hender son men's dormitory about this time reduced its physical prop erty in comparison with that of Hendrix so the two Methodist Colleges became one at Con way 9 - 9 9 a - .-.- A. -.... ,.-.f..f.s.. - .f..--u.nJ.w.,-fi..- -A--N,--,.L .1-41?-A-,S . . as indicated I

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its traditions. . - . . as observed Traditions are as valuable to a school as gold is to a miser. The legends and stories which are handed down from one class to another build up the spirit of the school. Stately oak trees, evergreen holly, the pines, the old bell atop the old Huie library, the Black Lady, the Laura Lee Henson story - these are the things which automatically come to the mind of anyone acquainted with Henderson. Throughout the years, these and other landmarks and traditions have become just as much a part of the school as the buildings themselves. Many of these legends grew up with the rivalry between Henderson and Ouachita and are still remembered, despite the suspension of the annual Turkey Day Classic between the two colleges. Long years ago, the story goes, when the rivalry between the two col- leges was young, a Henderson maid fell in love with a Oua- chita football player. They were to be married following the Thanksgiving clash, but he was killed in the game. Heart- broken, the young girl threw herself off the bluff overlook- ing the Ouachita River, leaving a note behind, telling of how she would return to walk the halls of the girls' dormitories each Thanksgiving eve and predict the outcome of the next day's game. The ceremony of presenting the Reddie blankets to the sen- ior football men on Wednes- day preceding their annual clash was started in the early twenties. The epithet of the students, The Reddiesf' became pop- ular in 1907 while Jimmy Haygood was coach. ' 'liar -