1991-1992 Yearbook

FROZEN IN TIME. Assistant professor Greg Clayton from the art department spent twelve months sculpting this bronze likeness of Dr. Benson. The bust was unveiled in the spring of 1991 and now stands in the lobby of the Benson Auditorium. Dr. George Benson and his wife, Marguerite, share a Harding publicity booklet with Harold Lou Morris, an alumnus. The occasion for their visit was the annual brunch during Homecoming, 1989. In memory of v~.~~~'§;~ ''Jn the forest of humanity A giant tree has fallen. . . ' ' J. D. Bales Dr. George S. Benson, son, father, teacher, preacher, and administrator, "graduated to glory," as Dr. Virgil Lawyer said, on Dec. 15, 1991. We will remember him as the president who personally interviewed every Harding employee, the elder who always had time to visit with the seemingly insignificant student, and-most importantly-as the servant who continuously gave of himself and his resources to the honor and glory of Christ. He was instrumental in the foundation of Harding; and he personally raised much of the money that has allowed Harding to become the modem university it is today. His most accomplished tasks, however, were not those for whkh he received awards and honors, but those by which he intimately infiltrated the lives of all those around him. He was a born leader, a man who rose to the forefront of activity and silently modeled the glory of servanthood and the humility of greatness. Whether he was addressing a room full of prominent Congressmen or a small group of students in an African hut, his message and his influence were the same: he spoke of the power of Christian education, and he left his audience thirsting for the conviction that gave him the strength to stand boldly on behalf of the nation and the Christ. From the beginning he directly worked with others to ignite the Harding fire; and for his efforts, he will stay in our hearts forever. As long as Memory and History remain, Dr. George S. Benson will be remembered as the man who sacrificed himself for the Harding blaze and who, in the name of Christ, helped start the fire we still stir today.+ -Anissa Campbell

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