74, 84, 94

Please tell me that I am wrong. My "Old Math" skills tell me that 30 years ago this month I came to Harding College as a freshman. NO WAY! I still remember the first night in Armstrong. I am not a person who sweats a lot, but I woke up that first morning in a puddle of water.......my own sweat. I remember Robert Burch and I being VERY anxious for Mike Mitchell to hurry up and get there with the window unit air-conditioner. That freshman year at Harding was one of the best years of my life! I had Neale Pryor every day for Bible at 8:00 in the morning, and even though I didn't go to a lot of classes as a freshman, I NEVER missed his class. I had never heard the New Testament being taught like this man revealed it to us. He was and still is an AMAZING teacher, and man of God. Both of my boys also had him for Freshman Bible.....what a blessing. I honestly thought that being at Harding that first year was the closest thing to Heaven that I had ever experienced. I could play all the ball I wanted to play, listen to music till all hours of the night, and see the most beautiful young ladies in North America. I met one of those beautiful young women during pledge week, and ended up marrying her. Jan Lawyer was a Ju Go Ju "Cutie Pie", and I was a Galaxy greaser. So this year marks the 30th year we have been in love! I made life long friends that year. People like Don Eudaly, Larry Beck, Phil Hoggard, Butch Gardner, Craig Jones, Brent Wilson, Mike Cope, Tim Stafford, Rusty Meadows, Rodney Cheatham, Dallas Dobbs, Jimmy Cone, Mickey Pounders, Charlie Carroll just to name a few............came into my life and have blessed me with their friendship ALL these years since that fall of 74. Besides becoming a disciple, I am not sure any other one decision impacted my life greater than the decision to attend Harding. All four and a half years were unbelievable, but that first one was the best.

20 years ago I was getting ready for my second child to be born. 10 years ago this month I started my second career at First Security Bank. So, the 8th month in the 4th year of every decade for the past 3 decades has been an important time for me.
Makes me wonder what the rest of this month in 2004 is going to be like!! My nephew, Patrick Cone, is getting married later this week in Destin, so that may be my memorable event from August, 2004.

I love Harding. My parents came here, my older sister came here, I met my wife here, all of her family came here, my two boys attended here, and most of my best friends attended here. This is a special place! The most special thing about this place is this..........God is here. Good people are here. It is not anywhere CLOSE to being a perfect place.........but people who love the Lord are here in this place. I pray that HE will continue to bless Harding, and that the lives of young people will continue to be impacted in such a way that deepens their relationship with Him.