Trevecca Nazarene University - Darda Yearbook (Nashville, TN)

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J.O. McClurkan ' s Gravestone He Lived for Others. In 1979 and 1980, the spirit of the vision for Trevecca has passed on to President Homer Adams as we strive to meet the pressures of the surrounding world, attempting to bring the gospel to work on the age old problems of men. We, reap the reward of the spirit of the man, J.O. McClurkan. Trevecca College has struggled through two major world wars, economic illness in the great depres- sion, and the changes in her locations, but her direction still remains the same. We must give attention to all this heritage for it provides the stability for purpose. The institutional purpose ought to be a product of the past college community, reflect the interest of the present community, and allow for adjustments from future mem- bers. Under the leadership of President Adams we as a college have met our challenges for the 1979-80 school year, and with much anticipation look forward to the challenges of the future. McClurkan was an idealist when it came to paying bills that were necessary in order to run his work. He seemed to think that if God wanted a thing done he would inspire his people to pick up the tab and they usually did. He was not disappointed in his friends. They upheld his hands as Moses ' hands were held up because they believed in the man and what he was doing. Oh the wondorous joy McClurkan would have felt if he had been at Trevecca on September 27, 1979, a date that shall ever be one of the significant events in the 78-year history of Trevecca.

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Tr evecca Students in a Holiday Mood Going on a Picnic in a Hired Transportation Vehicle. 1913 Senior Class Trevecca College, Nashville, Tenn.: The Administration Building. The Percy Warner Estate on Gallatin Road offered room in which to expand in the residential area. The ante- bellum colonial Warner Mansion served as the main build- ing. The property lay on the main auto route linking Chicago, Louisville, and Florida and this put the college on a transportation line which served as a great advan- tage. A great deal of time and effort went into the occupa- tion preparations for the college in the summer of 1914. In the early morning of the opening day of the school, September 16, 1914, J.O. McClurkan died of typhoid fever in St. Thomas Hospital. He was laid to rest in Mt. Olivet Cemetary near the college. The shape of the tomb stone is a pulpit symbolizing the centrality of preaching for McClurkan. The Bible carved in the stone of the pulpit signifies the source of his preaching and ministry. Across the pulpit are the words, He lived for others . The tombstone eloquently summarizes the emotions that came from the burning heart of J.O. McClurkan. The memory of McClurkan ' s supreme desire to fulfill the spiritual vision for Trevecca is commemorated each year. 5

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Through the alliance of the Holy Spirit, people have given prayerful and financial support in a way that has enabled Trevecca to rally in the tradition of long ago days. The Million Dollar Debt, seemed forever imprinted on Tre- vecca ' s bank books, was miraculously erased. The Southern Association of Colleges and Universities repealed the private probation that had been levied be- cause of the floating debt and East Campus change re- quirements. Along with these victories, the spirit of reviv- al continues to thrive. The students voted not to build a new Student Center because they felt that a few major improvements could restore the Student Center, but that it should be secondary to the restoration of the J.O. McClurkan Building, which is the center for campus wor- ship activities. In light of her foundation of Christianity, Trevecca stands on tiptoe, reaching for the stature of the founder, and approximating that stance, looking again into J.O. McClurkan ' s clear-visioned eyes to find her own ministry laid out before her. We will not surrender the dreams of the past, for in their excellence they carry the assurance of victory. . . . and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18