{"id":20011,"date":"2024-10-24T10:55:23","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T16:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/?p=20011"},"modified":"2024-10-28T17:12:26","modified_gmt":"2024-10-28T23:12:26","slug":"the-legacy-of-j-n-armstrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/2024\/10\/24\/the-legacy-of-j-n-armstrong\/","title":{"rendered":"The Legacy of J.N. Armstrong"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Following its centennial year, Harding students, faculty and staff continue to follow the ideals, life and legacy of J.N. Armstrong, the University\u2019s first president. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Arkansas Christian College and Harper College merged into one, a new era was set to begin. Named after James A. Harding, the college started its journey with Armstrong at the helm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armstrong, also known as Nelse, knew he was taking on many responsibilities in the coming years. With his wife Woodson, Harding\u2019s daughter, by his side, Armstrong knew God would lead them and his peers on the right path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cFather, we pray for wisdom for the year 1924,\u201d Armstrong said, as quoted in \u201cFor Freedom\u201d by L.C. Sears. \u201cWe do pray that if it be thy will, we may live it through, and that we may by thy help make it the best year we have ever lived.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Armstrong\u2019s tenure rolled into the years of the Great Depression, he heavily promoted a Christian education \u2014 despite constant financial struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armstrong would teach and preach the gospel wherever he went. He even used these skills to provide for his coworkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During summers, Armstrong would travel to churches and universities to teach others about his passion for Christ. Armstrong would use the money he earned to pay his faculty members at Harding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI shall never be satisfied till this is done,\u201d Armstrong said. \u201cWe can make them free schools just as soon as we want to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His interest did not just involve his coworkers in the administration. Armstrong served as one of the first faculty advisers for The Bison. Archives and special collections librarian Hannah Wood commended Armstrong for his constant care for those surrounding him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was always about the students,\u201d Wood said. \u201cIt was about the school, it was about the work that God put before him. It was never about himself. To me, that is probably the biggest lasting legacy of Armstrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor and designer for the Harding Centennial book Tom Buterbaugh said Armstrong\u2019s servant leadership lives in the Harding community today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe just had an incredible work ethic,\u201d Buterbaugh said. \u201cHis full life was spent working and giving what he had to help others. He wanted to make sure that the college would succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though Armstrong provided the recipe for spiritual growth in students, he never flourished in raising funds for the college. These issues continued until he ended his tenure in 1936, when he passed the torch to George S. Benson. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArmstrong had the vision and knew Dr. Benson and his leadership abilities,\u201d Buterbaugh said. \u201cSo he recommended Benson to be the next president.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buterbaugh also said each president left a lasting impact on the Searcy and Harding community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEach president played an important role at their time,\u201d Buterbaugh said. \u201cArmstrong played a great role in getting the school started and getting the school moved to Searcy. I can\u2019t imagine what Harding would be today without these men.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Known for his impressive fundraising efforts, Benson carried on Armstrong\u2019s legacy and ultimately created one of the most historic scenes in Harding\u2019s illustrious history. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three years after Benson\u2019s appointment, he managed to raise over $68,000 to repay a mortgage loan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The accomplishment called for a celebration on the front lawn during Lectureship. On Thanksgiving Day 1939, Benson and his wife, Sallie, invited Armstrong and Woodson Armstrong to handle the official mortgage documents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A large crowd gathered to see Armstrong throw the set of papers into a burning fire. Many do not realize that three Harding presidents were present for the occasion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harding\u2019s third president Clifton L. Ganus witnessed the event as a student. Ganus and his younger sister watched on as Armstrong burned the financial struggles to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armstrong and his good friend Benson were unaware their initiatives would lead Harding to a century of spiritual success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI actually think if either [Armstrong] or Dr. Benson walked on campus today, they would be in shock,\u201d Buterbaugh said. \u201cThey would have no concept that Harding could have grown this much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armstrong\u2019s legacy lives on in the campus and the people who occupy it today. Whether it is the spiritual ideals or the dorm named in his honor, Armstong left a lasting impact on the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood said students should strive to learn about those who built up the University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHistory is important, especially knowing whose shoulders we stand on,\u201d Wood said. \u201cArmstrong provided the spiritual heart for this University. Benson comes along after and we would not be here today without him as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood also said Armstrong\u2019s life should be remembered by those to come in Harding\u2019s next set of centennial students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKnowing all of that gives you a richer understanding of why it\u2019s important for Harding to be around for another 100 years,\u201d Wood said. \u201cYes, we are here to provide a quality education, but Harding\u2019s message is so much deeper than that. You cannot fully appreciate it if you don\u2019t understand the sacrifices and hardships and perseverance of all those people who came before us like Armstrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armstrong passed away in 1944, but his servant\u2019s heart will inspire future generations at Harding University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following its centennial year, Harding students, faculty and staff continue to follow the ideals, life and legacy of J.N. Armstrong, the University\u2019s first president.  As Arkansas Christian College and Harper…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15086,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20011"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20018,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20011\/revisions\/20018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelink.harding.edu\/the-bison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}