One of the “Worthy Women” who will be featured on the wall next to the new First Ladies Garden is Patricia Schang. Schang’s sons Matt, David, and Lee Bell all graduated from Harding and decided to honor their mother with words etched permanently into Harding history.
Matt Bell said the opportunity to honor someone with a plaque in the garden was presented to him by Vice President for Alumni/Parent Relations Liz Howell.
“I was given the opportunity, and I thought ‘why not?'” Matt Bell said. “When it was presented to me, it was an immediate and obvious ‘yes.’ If I was going to honor anyone, I would want to honor my mother.”
Schang said accepting this honor was an adjustment for her, but she appreciated her son’s kindness.
“It feels very nice,” Schang said. “We don’t always feel worthy of something, but I am graciously accepting them now.”
Schang’s plaque features Proverbs 3:5-6, which reads: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make your paths straight.” Schang says it is one of her favorite verses.
“It is one of my favorites because it is a recipe for life,” Schang said. “If you follow that, you can’t really go wrong.”
Bell said he wanted to honor his mother as an act of appreciation for her hard work and encouragement that allowed Bell and his siblings to attend Harding. Schang raised her three sons by herself, and provided for them to go to school. He described her as “the coolest lady he knows.”
“Our mother has always been there for all three of us,” Bell said. “She was always there in her own quiet way. She was a constant Christian example in our lives.”
Bell and his brothers attended a Christian elementary school, but returned to public school for junior high and high school. Bell said when the time came for him to choose a college, he felt strongly about returning to a Christian education.
“We were always in favor of Christian education,” Bell said. “When I went to Harding first, I reported back what a great experience it was. Once my mother found out from my first semester how wonderful it was, she encouraged us all to go.”
Schang said she knew Harding would be the perfect place for her sons to be safe and continue to grow spiritually.
“I felt like they would be safe there; I wouldn’t have to worry about them morally and physically,” Schang said. “It’s a beautiful place to be. From the first time I walked on campus, I’ve never been hugged so much in my life. It just embraces you. It prepares you for a life in this world.”
Bell said it was his mother’s gentle encouragement rather than insistence that inspired him and his brothers to attend Harding.
“I am convinced that the quiet encouragement she gave us to go to Harding has been one of the most important things in our lives,” Bell said. “The fact that she encouraged us to go to Harding cemented and further grew our Christianity.”
Schang’s sons David and Lee both met their wives at Harding, and now Schang has seven grandchildren. She says she is encouraging them even at an early age to attend Harding as well.
Bell and Schang said they plan to be on campus for the dedication of the First Ladies Garden at Homecoming this year. The garden’s dedication date and estimated date of completion is Oct. 24.
