Early in 1915 a few men at Harper, Kansas conceived the idea of an institution in which they could obtain a better type of education children and in which they could be free to teach the Bible to every The city deeded to the trustees, chosen to direct the school, an building and abou t six thousand dollars was subscribed to equip the for school purposes. Dow Marlin, who was at tha t lime teaching in the Gunter Bible was asked to accept the presidency of the school. The first session was September 8, 191 S. In 1918 when war pressure closed the doors of Cordell Christian an in vitahon was e xtended the faculty to join the college at Harper. By sent of the Cordell board, the college equipment and library were also Dr . i. N. Armstrong became president of the college in 1919, L. C. served as dean and Mrs. Armstrong as dean of women. B. F. Rhodes Bell, Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Coons, and G. W . KieHer were others among eighteen teachers. During the Thanksgiving meeting in November, 1919, the endowmer.! increased to one hundred thirty thousand dollars. The campus consisted of about ten acres. It contained the students' Lydia Hall and Thompson Hall, and the science building and the An aquarium and a lilly pond were donated by the students and Life was interesting and rules were strict. One rule stated that the women were permitted to go to town every two weeks for shopping. "The Angelos", the college newspaper, was published by the I n the nine years the school was at Ha rper, it increased in enroillme,nt fifty to over three hundred students and secured full junior college with the state and membership in the American Association of Junior The lack of adequate buildings and the fact that the location was the center of support impeded further growth. During the last years of the school at Ha rper, a memorial fund 01 five thousand dollars was raised to erect a building in honor of one school's founders- lames A. Harding. In 1924, when Harper College and kansas Christian College were combined, this fund was used for the after it was decided to call the name Harding.
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