Pryor Scrapbook Clippings, 1945-2000

By SHARON BA TES Special to Citizen He sits silently, intent upon the game before him whether it be basketball or football. He moves little except to start the . football clock or to tahula te a basketball score. He is the unseen participant in all Harding home athletic competition - Dr. Joseph E. Pryor, Dean of the. University. "Dr. Joe," as he is_ af– fectionately known by all, has been keeping the time at football and the score at basketbaU gam for ap– proximately 24 years. In · fact, he began whe n in– tercollegiate athletics w e.re revived at Harding in 1957. "The coaches asked me to serve in those · two capacities," Dr. Joe said, "and since I was ~ery in– terested in the program, I . accepted it and each year I've been asked to continue." In the early years of Harding athletics, Dr. Joe kept the time from the sidelines · for the football games, and he has many memories of hours spent in freezing dfizzle keeping the . clock. He now keeps the time . from the press box located on the south side of the field. The clock operator is really · a fifth official in football as is the official scorer a third official iri basketball. "He's there to officiate the game," Dr. Joe commented, "and has to be completely impartial. He can't be emotionally in– volved outwardly." Keeping the time and score isn't the only in- - volvement by Dr. Joe in the Harding athletic scene. He ijerves the University not -only as an academic ad– ministrator, but also as . an ·athletic administrator. Seeing the need for Har– ding to become involved in intercollegiate athletics, three men ..,... Dr. Clifton L. Ganus, M.E. B~rryhill and Dr. Ptyor - began to push for intercollegiate athletics at Harding in -the late 1950's. The intercollegiate athletic program was adopted by the_ faculty in 1957 and Harding was admitted to - the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference in Decemb r 1958. A three-man · · faculty athletic coounittee was appointed to oversee and direct the athletic program with Ganus, Pryor and Berryhill being selected for;_ that task. The Faculty Athletic Committee has now grown to 12 members, and Harding is competing in eight in– tercollegiate sports. The function of the com– mittee is to recommend policy for intercollegiate athletics at Harding, recommend changes in I policy for the AIC faculty representatives to consider and to formulate policies for the cheerleaders. Once again, that is not the only boundary of Dr. Joe's involvement in the athletic– academic scene. He also serves as the faculty representative of Harding to the AIC and in this role is also a participant in the eligibility certification of Bison athletes. " I've seen a definite in– crease in the overall caliber of athletics, " Dr. Joe commented. "In football, it is true both in the ability to play and the overall quality of the student athlete. One thing I . am pleasantly pleased with is the numerous comments that I have heard relative ·to the com– mendation of the quality ol our coaches. I think our program is. a · positive in– fluence for good in sport– smanship in the con– ference." I A Distipgui_shed Alumf!US of Harding and one of the most respected-(Mlucators in the nation, Dr. Joe also serves as faculty advisor of the "Petit Jean" yearbook, national secretary-treasurer of the Alpha Chi honor scholarship society and - - - ~- w.-.,,. sponsor for the TNT mens social club. Dean of the University since 1960, Dr. Pryor is a native of Searcy. He earned M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Louisiana State University and returned to Harding in 1944 as professor of physical science. In 1972 he was · named vice presi- dent for a~_ademics. Dr. Joseph E. Pryor is a leader at Harding Univer– sity, both inside and outside the classroom. The professor of pq.ysical science, Dean of the University, Vice President for Academic Affairs, AIC Faculty Representative, is truly a man able to wear many different hats.