Pryor Scrapbook Clippings, 1983-1997

:·Time' After 40 Years of Service Dr. George Benson, then ·president of Harding. Benson wanted Pryor to teac~ chemistry because Harding's chemistry professor had resigned. Because of close ties with Harding, Pryor asked LSU's math chairman, Dr. W. Vann Parter, for an early release and joined the Harding faculty in March 1944 as "the chemistry and physics department." "I was the chairman and o~y teacher," he laughed. Pryor was 25 years old when he came to Harding, and the school had about 300 students. He found time to advise the newspaper that spring, and the next year was a member of the A Cappella Chorus and directot of the Radio Chorus. He was the recording engineer for the school for 14 yean, from 1946-60, and for five years was president of Alpha Psi Omega, honorary drama society. For two of those years, Dr. Jack Wood Sears directed all school productions and Pryor assisted as stage manager. During 1944-45 he became advisor of the Petit Jean yearbook, and bas since overseen the produ~on of 39 volumes. In 1955 the Petit iean won its first All– American rating from the Associated Collegiate Press. In 1960 it won the second - and has received that rating every year since. Dr. Joe was honored as the Distinguished Yearbook Advisor of the Year in 1973 by the National Council of Publications Advison. "I felt very honored," be said, "b~t it (the award) was the result of what students had done." Cboppin wanted Dr. Joe to stay in Baton Rouge as a chemist with the Ethyl Gas Corporation, and couldn't un– derstand his decision to go to a small school near the foothills of the Ozarks. "About eight years later I visited with Dr. Choppin," Pryor said, "and he told me I had made the right choice. He said it was the right choice for I.SU, too, because private liberal arts schools like H~ing sent them many of their good graduate students." Pryor became academic dean in 1960 and wrote a text on physical science in 1967. He is chairman of five important faculty committees: academic affairs, athletics, admissions, distinguished teacher awards and rank and promotion. He bas been Harding's only faculty representative to the Arkansas In– tercollegiate Conference since the Univenity joined the conference in 1958, and has served two terms as conference president. He has kept the official time at Harding's home football games for over 20 yean, and also is the scorekeeper at home basketball games. Dr. Joe is also sponsor of Harding's Arkansas Eta chapter of Alpha Chi National Honor Society, and served as secretary-treasurer of Region 2 from · 1959 to 1971. From 1970-1983 he was national secretary-treasurer. This spring he was appointed as the first execume director of Alpha Chi, and as a student, was a charter member and tint president of the Eta chapter in 1935-36. From 1~3-69, Pryor sened as coordinator for the liberal arts program of the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges. _ As a faithful member of the College church of Christ, Dr. Joe served as a deacon from 1964-70, an elder from 1970-80, and chairman of the · wonhip committee from 1964-77. In fact, Pryor was a charter member of the .College Church group that began meeting in September 1934. His priorities are God. and church first, family second, and wort third. He admits his family may wonder if it really ranks as high as be says, but he ap– preciated their support nonetheless. And lest it be Offrlooted, Dr. Joe's record as an undergradua~ was equally illustrious. He edited the Buon as a sophomore and junior, and the Petit Jean as a senior. He was a member of the basketball team his freshman, junior and senior years, and was named to a 1937 "all-time, all-school" team. · Pryor was the tint member inducted into TNT social club after the move &om Morrilton, and receiffd the Alpha Honor Society Key as the senior having the highest academic average. He later became the tint Harding graduate to eam a Ph.D. If pressed, Dr. Joe will admit that he may be accomplishing as much, or more than, he would have accomplished as a 1 surgeon. He 'also speaks of the rewards of his work. "The greatest (reward)·is observing the development of students from green freshmen to leaden," he ~- Pryor is proud of the many ac– complishments Harding students make, especially the nearly 250 graduates who have gone on to medlcal schools. He can name many students from the last 30 or 40 :,ears and the places they've been. Most of them he knows personally. "A person who gets a degree from Harding does not need to hide his head in shame," he said. "Across the board~ . our students and graduates compare very favorably with other schools._ "Harding has a great tradition of excellence," he said. "I know of no other school at which students achieve such a high degree of success with such con– sistency.'' And Dr. Joe is part of the reason why. He has touched the lives of many, and we will miss him.