Pryor Scrapbook Clippings, 1955-1980

~rcy coupk · celebrates 56th wedding anniversary By GEORGES. BENSON Mr. and Mrs. A. S. Croom of 1307 East Market Avenue celebrated their 56th wed– ding anniversary June 28 with a trip to their Lakeside home near Heber Springs with friends and relatives 1 joining them. I Mr. and Mrs. Croom have had a very busy life and he has been engage_d in a number of different un– dertakings . He was born in 1 Arkansas; did his high I . school work in Arkansas; . attended Freed-Hardeman 1 College at Henderson, ' Tenne-ssee, then the University of Louisville at Louisville, Kentucky and finally took his Master's . Degree at Harvard University in Mathematics. While there he sang in the Harvard Glee Club. In 1919 a group of Arkansas citizens formed a Board and decided to launch a Christian College at Morrilton. They raised money, constructed buildings and planned to open a junior college in the fall of 1922. The board invited Croom, . jua back fl!OID! Harvard, to be the president of the new college. He ac– cepted. ~ter two years of operation in the black the administratiQn felt the need to become ·a senior college. During the early months of 1924Mr. Croom learned that Harper College at Harper, Kansas was in financial difficulties and likely to clOle. Mr. Croom went to Harper and negotiated an agreement with the President, J. N . Armstrong, the Dean, L. C. Sears, and P.rof essors B. F . Rhodes, S . A.BellandGeorge Kieffer to 1 come to Morrilton and assist , the Arkansas- Christian College in becoming a senior institution. , He further agreed to raise $25,000 for the pirpose of liquidating the debts at Harper College, Harper, Kansas. \ He cam~ home, raised the · $25,000 far clearing the debts at Han,er, and the members of the Harper faculty named a~ve .moved to Arkansas ~ring· the SUD¼ffier of 1924. In September of that year the new college opened its doon as a senior institution. Mr. Croom proposed to the Ark'ansas Christian College bard that they make J. N. rmstrong the President and that he ·become Vice· President and L. C. Sears be elected ·Dean with B. F .. Rhodes beading the History Department and S. A. Bell the science department. Because the name of James A. Harding was well known as a preacher of unusual powers, Mr. Croom also recommended that the name of the institution be changed to Harding Coilege. · The board also approved this recommendation . Just as a girl doesn't change her birthday when she marries and changes her name, so Harding College did not change its .birthday when it changed its name. If I were.naming the presidents of Harding College, I would list them as follows : 1922- 1924, Mr . A. S. Croom ; 1924- 1936, Dr. ·J . N . Armstrong ; · 1936-1965, Dr. Geo . S. Ben– son ;· 196.5-, Dr. C: L . Ganus. Much er-edit is due Mr. Croom who was successful-in raising the ._$25,000 to bring the Harper faculty to Morrilton and who had successfully operated Arkansas Christian College, a junior college, for two years and kept it in the black . Much cr~t · due N'. st g, w had· a wonderful way in working with young people, Dr. L. C. Sears, who served many years as Dean of the college, B . F. Rhodes, who headed the History D'epartment for · many years, and S. A. Bell, who worked in the Science Department for many years. Except for Mr. Croom there would probably never have been a Harding College. \C\1q } 1 ENGAGED - Mr. and Mrs. Andy T. Ritchie 111 of Taylors, South Carolina, announce· the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter, Elizabeth Ann, to Keith WeJdon Roach of 701 West Woodruff, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam G. Roach of Memphis. The vows will be pledged at 2 p.m. August 19 at the Westside Church of Christ in Searcy. The bride-elect, a former Harding student, is r-ecreation assistant of Greenville Hospital System. The • prospective 9.room is a student at Harding nd part-time employee at Polar Stainless. l'{1f . · • •