Viewpoint: Changing lives

"He is home.” With those words, Charles Ganus informed me that his father, Dr. Clifton L. Ganus, Jr., passed away surrounded by a host of family. While the entire Harding family feels a tremendous sense of loss, we also give thanks for the peace and rest that our beloved Dr. Ganus now knows.

It’s impossible to think of Harding University without Dr. Ganus in the picture. That is why it is so difficult for us to imagine our future without his continuing to meet us on the sidewalk or to greet us in chapel every day. Since the time he arrived as a freshman in 1939, Dr. Ganus has been a living connection to almost all of Harding’s 95-year history. His trademark smile and his joyous spirit were infectious. He was the president of Harding when I was a student here back in the 1970s. It was always comforting to the students when he was in chapel. We lived in awe of his faith, his wisdom, his love for us and his devotion to Harding. I distinctly remember the feeling that if Dr. Ganus was present, everything was going to be OK. Harding University has lost an incredible leader and a beloved icon.

Dr. Ganus would often tell us that J.N. Armstrong, Harding’s first president, “gave the school its soul.” He would then say that Dr. George S. Benson, our second president, “put Harding on a solid financial foundation.” Today, we can clearly see that Dr. Ganus, our third president, took a promising Christian college in Searcy, Arkansas, and through his Christ-like strength, faithfulness, tenderness and love transformed it into the amazing university that we cherish so deeply.

Read more on the remarkable life and career of Dr. Ganus in the 2019 fall Harding Magazine feature.

The University has been keenly touched by death this spring and summer. Read reflections from Dr. David Burks and Dr. Larry Long on the passing of another Harding icon, former provost and mathematics teacher Dr. Dean Priest . Dr. Donny Lee also shared memories of his predecessor as the dean of the College of Education, Dr. Tony Finley .

This issue of the magazine also looks back on something of which you might not be aware — Harding’s role in the moon launch 50 years ago. Dr. Ed Wilson tells the story of Harding’s participation in NASA research , which helped prepare astronauts for their mission to the moon. Dr. Nathan Mellor (’95), president at Strata Leadership LLC, was our keynote speaker at our faculty and administrative conference prior to the start of school in August. A former SA president and assistant to Chancellor Burks, he shared stories about those who had changed his life, including Burks and Dr. Dee Carson, saying, “Your entire life can be changed by a conversation at the right time … Words shape how we see ourselves, see one another.”

As we reflect on our beloved chancellor emeritus and on those who have gone before, we realize how their words have changed so many lives for the better.

May that continue this year in our community of mission.

–President Bruce McLarty