Oakwood University - Acorn Yearbook (Huntsville, AL)

Page 17 text:

I i i i The exotic beauty of autumn wonder against the deep blue is enough inspiration to spark a college student to excell. He realizes with a vast sense of adventure that the sky is not the limit. 4' c ,. I 'tri J rg. i Q., ', ',7W 4' 'Ai 4,1 1- . ,,,,- :.,A,f -x J3 'J 1' , n NN bf .v. fbi X ., - 'i',.1.,V . ,. , :A J. '.'1:'.affAu'.C: f'tC.-' 'Y .wfgtfsd Q. I' K K

Page 19 text:

,QTL Ooh r .- J, ..' X f 4 fri S- 1 r l ttf 1 I I v . .X ,L Va tl: Qahawaf may HUNTSVILLE. ALABAMA 35806 Orme: or 'rs-ce Pnssioen-r Dear Fellow Student, One of the most impressive features of Oakwood College is the vivid realization of its natural set- ting. Perhaps we shy away from the possibility of being too sentimental when we view the wondrous works of God as evidenced through nature. Settled in a valley and surrounded by a linkage of un- dulating mountains and hills, Oakwood College with its majestic buildings seems to have invested itself with the quality of those classical gardens so typical of the Continent during the late sixteenth century. During the spring of the year the sun seems to dominate the campus as it shines through the trees warming the acorn-blanketed and pine-needled earth. Her golden resplendency commingles with the pulsing energies of youth who seek her golden rays as couples crisply walk in joyous celebra- tion to welcome the new season. Following the trails that lead into the mountains offers Sabbath afternoon respite. Tall trees-sin- ister and brooding - stand in indestructible beauty in contrast to man's frailty. And then some- thing happens - the whole atmosphere suddenly becomes reverent. There is a symbolic weight, an infusion of solemnity. The heart is lifted up in communion, in pure contemplation, in pure par- ticipation, in pure love. An interrelation, through nature, has been established between man and his God. The pride and humility of man are meshed as he seeks renewal in the sanctuary of the woods. lt is through such experiences with nature that he achieves some measure of redemption through love. lt is no wonder then, that our schools were set apart in rural areas. What a contrast to the mean- inglessness of the loud world ! lt is still important that one occasionally should have the opportu- nity of living outside of the stream of the rush-a-day world, where, huddled among the lyric beau- ties of nature, he can best respond to the dictum: Be still and know that l am God. Faithfully yours for Oakwood College, I.. f z,f6f ' 1 ,,...,f fgmyiu If A 1' 5. C , 'V K -L ---' Frank W. Hale, Jr.