As a community of mission, the University strives to equip its graduates to not only excel in their jobs but also shine the light of Christ to those with whom they come in contact. While many of the more than 50,000 Harding alumni are deserving of recognition, the following have been selected for awards based on their work and example, earning the respect of those around them while serving God, family and community.
College of Allied Health
By helping her sister practice her pronunciation, Jeryn Kuehn Laengrich (’89) was exposed to speech therapy at an early age. She declared communication sciences and disorders as her major freshman year and has devoted more than 25 years to the field.
“Being exposed to speech therapy through my sister gave me a basic understanding of it,” Laengrich says. “What I learned is there was more to being a speech pathologist than just doing therapy, and I craved the knowledge to learn more about how we age and how the brain works, which led me to caregiving professionally as a clinician.”
Laengrich is chief service officer and senior vice president of Cariloop, a platform helping working caregivers plan and manage the care of their loved ones. She has been awarded the Ray of Hope Award for Appreciation of Unwavering Commitment to the Parkinson’s disease community from the Parkinson’s Benefactors Organization.
“Jeryn stood out as a student who was always keen to soak up information regarding any communication disorder,” says Dr. Beckie Weaver, dean of the College of Allied Health. “Her interest in assisting current students advance their understanding has been unwavering.”
Laengrich is an advisory board member for the master’s program in communication sciences and disorders at Harding and former board member for the North Texas chapter of the American Parkinson’s Disease Association.
“Jesus regularly walked alongside and felt the pain of people who were outsiders and felt marginalized,” Laengrich says. “Caregiving is hard, and family caregivers often feel like outcasts because of the private nature of their responsibilities. My position allows me to provide the support they need so that they don’t feel marginalized.”
Laengrich and her husband, Jay, have two children, Evan and Kate.
College of Arts & Humanities
Mark Moore (’90) has dedicated himself to serving Africa. He is CEO of Mana Nutrition in Fitzgerald, Georgia, one of the leading global suppliers of peanut-based therapeutic food (RUTF) to UNICEF and USAID. Mana has produced enough to treat nearly 3 million malnourished children with RUTF.
“While we are not faith based or branded as Christian, we are faith laced,” Moore says. “Faith
is the behind-the-scenes driver for our actions.”
Moore spent nearly 10 years as a missionary in eastern Uganda. After returning to the United States, he has served as legislative fellow and Africa specialist in the U.S. Senate for Sen. Mary Landrieu, as an Africa analyst for the Science Applications International Corporation, and as policy director for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. Prior to co-founding MANA, Moore co-founded Kibo Group, a development organization that houses numerous Africa projects and runs Midnight Oil Coffeehouse in Searcy.
“As Mark’s professor, I learned very quickly to stay out of his way and just say ‘yes,’” says Dr. Jack Shock, professor of communication. “I’ll always believe the reason for Mark’s success is because he is more interested in taking care of others than he is in prestige and acclaim.”
He was a White House Fellow finalist and an Unreasonable Institute Fellow in Boulder, Colorado, in 2013. Moore is co-founder of Calorie Cloud, an effort to harvest excess calories in the U.S. and send them to malnourished children who need them. He is author of
Nourish: A God Who Loves to Feed Us
, a book about global hunger and faith.
He and his wife, Marnie Rozell (’91), have four children and live in Charlotte, North Carolina.
College of Bible & Ministry
Dr. Elaine Huffard Denman (’75) grew up in a missionary home and saw many who were hurting and struggling and through that developed her gift of counseling. After marrying a preacher, she found herself being drawn to helping families. Today she is on staff at Northside Church of Christ in Wichita, Kansas, as a pastoral counselor and leader of Celebrate Recovery.
“I get to have a front seat to watch how God works in the lives of people who have lost their way, lost hope and doubt their faith to trust in God to save them,” Denman says. “There’s no better seat anywhere!”
In addition to past positions in counseling, she has served as an adjunct instructor for Harding, Lipscomb University and Johnson Bible College teaching classes on women’s ministry, Christian values in pharmacy and interpersonal relationships. She has hosted seminars and retreats across the U.S. and overseas for more than 30 years. In 2006, she was awarded outstanding graduate in the School of Divinity at Regent University.
“Elaine arrived at Harding in the early ’70s with a desire to prepare herself for ministry, choosing to major in Bible at a time when women normally did not choose this course of study,” says Dr. Anessa Westbrook, assistant professor of Bible. “God has used her in many areas of service in the U.S. and Jordan, particularly in the areas of missions, counseling and Celebrate Recovery ministry. What has endeared her to many, though, is the way she incorporates depth into her speaking, guiding women into a deeper relationship with and understanding of God in their lives.”
She and her husband, Darrell, have a son, Jonathan (’01).
College of Business Administration
Upon arriving at Harding, David Waldron (’76) already knew what he wanted to do when he graduated. For him, the plan was always to follow in his father’s and uncle’s footsteps and take on the family business. And he did just that. Waldron is owner of Waldron Enterprises LLC, a construction company in Middle Tennessee, with his brothers, Charles and Greg.
“My dad was such an amazing role model for my brothers and me,” Waldron says. “Because of the family work ethic he instilled in me, I knew I would return home after graduation to work with him.”
Following his own desire to take on the family business, Waldron was inspired to create a resource at the University emphasizing family business and entrepreneurship. From that idea came the Waldron Center for Entrepreneurship and Family Business to help students as well as business development startup and family-owned businesses.
“David’s an outstanding entrepreneur and family-business person,” says Chancellor David B. Burks. “He also represents the values that Harding cherishes in that he is a humble servant of God committed to his family and the advancement of the Lord’s church and his kingdom. He epitomizes what the University and the College of Business are all about in terms of our purpose and reason for existence.”
Waldron is an elder at LaVergne Church of Christ and serves on the Rutherford County Industrial Development Board, Harding board of trustees, and the University’s board for the American Studies Institute.
He and his wife, Betsy Walkup (’83), have two children, Will (’14) and Katie, a University senior.
College of Education
Inspired by her high school business teacher, Angie Whitlock Raney (’89) pursued a degree in business education and spent 20 years as a business education teacher. She now serves as superintendent for Spring Hill School District.
“My job is rewarding because I get to work with people daily to help influence the future of students,” Raney says. “With all of the pressure put on our youth, it is my goal to lead our staff in a way that we love kids first and teach them second.”
Raney is a National Board Certified Teacher, received the Career and Technical Education Pioneer Award, and was a Winthrop Rockefeller Grant Recipient for National Board Candidate Certification Support.
“Angie elevates the teaching profession by her example,” says Dr. Clara Carroll, associate dean of the Cannon-Clary College of Education. “She has a positive impact on her students and integrates her faith seamlessly throughout her professional, community and personal roles.”
Raney also serves as the children’s Bible hour coordinator and teacher, Heartfelt ministry team leader, vacation Bible school volunteer, and event leader and judge for Leadership Training for Christ.
“Our students come to school dependent on us to make the best choices for their educational future on a daily basis,” Raney says. “I work to serve God through the prayerful choices that I make as an academic leader and the influence that I have on those around me when making these decisions.”
Raney and her husband, Paul (’92), have two sons, Reed (’16) and Kyle, a University sophomore.
College of Nursing
A member of the College of Nursing’s first graduating class, Lynn Bradley McCarty (’77) traveled the world as a nurse with her husband in the Air Force before returning to Harding’s campus as health services director. She has worked in emergency rooms, pediatric wards and operating rooms in places like Colorado Springs, Colorado; La Plata, Maryland; and RAF Feltwell, England. McCarty retired in June 2017.
“Student Health Services was the perfect place to share the influence that Christ has on our lives,” McCarty says. “We always tried to help students see that they were important in God’s eyes and also in ours.”
McCarty received a Distinguished Service Award from the University and became instrumental in supporting the development of emergency procedures and making plans for disease and injury awareness on campus. She also has volunteered with the White County Emergency Planning Committee and has committed herself to helping students not only with day-to-day physical concerns but also with providing comfort and advice for students in allied health disciplines and students with spiritual or emotional concerns.
“I was blessed to work with Lynn as my director in Student Health Services for 10 years,” says Harding first lady Ann McLarty. “She made every nurse working in the clinic feel that we were working with her and not for her and referred to us daily as family. She worked tirelessly to keep our clinic and Harding connected to the community concerning health issues on the horizon.”
McCarty and her husband, Dennis (’76), have five children: Rena Howard (’93), Christa Wolfe (’98), Carla Stevens (’00), Dennis (’06) and Lolli Mitchell (’10). They also have 13 grandchildren.
College of Sciences
Founder of Searcy Dental Associates, Dr. Tim Duke (’72) has been active within the field of dentistry. He retired in 2008 after 30 years of practicing in Searcy. In addition to his practice, Duke has been called on to be a consultant in various sleep studies: one at the Arkansas Center for Sleep Medicine and one at Respironics Inc. in Pittsburgh.
“I’ve been blessed in my profession to be of service and able to give back,” Duke says. “I am able to help those in need — whether in the office setting or outside of those walls. I’ve cultivated so many close friendships with a great number of patients.”
He is a member of the American Dental Association and Arkansas Dental Association. He also has spoken at the University of Mississippi College of Dentistry and Harding College of Nursing to upcoming health care professionals as well as other professional and civic meetings.
“I have always seen Tim as very generous, dedicated and loyal to God, family, friends, patients and Harding,” says J.R. Howard, colonel with the Arkansas State Police and member of the Univeristy President’s Council. “He has utilized the Christian education acquired at Harding to help thousands of people, and he epitomizes the qualities most desired in Harding graduates.”
Duke and his wife, Barbara Beene (’78), have two children, Layne Neese (’01) and Jacob (’03)
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