President George S. Benson presents Dr. C. L. Ganus, Sr., Chairman of the Board of Trustees, the keys to the seven new buildings being dedicated. Dr. Ganus pledged these buildings to the implementation of the high ideals of Christian education to which Harding is devoted. Progress, Achievement, Academic Growth Resu lt June 2, 1954, was a day of celebration for Harding College. She had just completed her thirtieth school year; she had seen the completion of a building program resulting in a six million dollar plant; a substantial start had been made toward a permanent endowment - and on March 26 she had received full accreditation by the North Central Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges. Friends of the school came from far and near to partake in the celebration. In the group were many who could look back to 1924 when Harper College of Harper, Kansas, was consolidated with Arkansas Christian College at Morrilton to form our own Harding College with J . N . Armstrong as her first president, A. S. Croom as vice-president, and Dr. L. C. Sears as dean. Dr. Sears has served as dean continuously through the thirty years. In 1934 the school moved to its present site in Searcy. At this time the plant consisted of six main buildings two of which - Patti Cobb and the Science Hall - are still in use. During these difficult early years while the depression did its worst, only the faith and self-sacrifice of students and faculty alike kept the school alive. Upon we retirement of President Armstrong in 1936, Dr. George S. Benson returned from China, where he had been a missionary for ten years, to 1939 Celebration - The first of a series of successes came when the mortgage representing $70,000 of debt was tossed on a bonfire by the late J. N. Armstrong, then president emeritus. Center of the Searcy campus until 1951 was Godden Hall , which also was once th.e main building of Galloway College.
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